"Vreme" has learned that, like the Fest, this year's March Festival will not be able to take place as scheduled. The reason is the same: the City Assembly did not do its part
There is every chance that after Party and the March Festival be postponed.
At the session of the Festival Board held today, Thursday, it was stated that the program is completely ready, but that there is no one to adopt it.
Of the five members of the Board, only Dejan Dabić, artistic director and selector of the March Festival, did not expire. Everyone else did, and that was the other day. They are: Nikola Nikodijević (President of the Board and the City Assembly), Dragomir Zupanc, Nenad Popović, Milena Nikolić and Boris Jovanović.
The program is over.
"The selection committee and I did our part and closed the program of this year's festival on February 18," artistic director Dejan Dabić told Vremena.
"However, the festival does not have a Board that should adopt our program, so it is impossible to hold the festival in the scheduled time from March 25 to 29." Also, the City Assembly has not yet signed the contract on the budget with the Youth Center of Belgrade, which is the organizer of the festival. The budget for the festival has been approved, but the contract is missing. Without that, we can't solve the film rights, invite guests, we can't do anything".
Why the contract was not signed is not a question that Dejan Dabić can answer.
"We expect that the Board will get new members at the first next session of the City Assembly, which I hear is scheduled for March 6." Then the issue of the budget and the new date of the March Festival should be resolved."
Where is the City Assembly?
If the City Assembly had fulfilled its obligations towards the March festival on time, it would have been held in the traditional time. Why not, is also not a question for Dejan Dabić.
He does not want to assume the possible reasons for this attitude of the City Assembly towards the March Festival.
We will try to find out from the President of the City Assembly, Nikola Nikodijević, why, as the president of the Festival Committee, he allowed the festival to remain without a Committee and without a budget.
Let's just say that the Belgrade Documentary and Short Film Festival, better known as the March Festival, is a manifestation in the field of culture of importance for the City of Belgrade. This year should be held for the 72nd time.
Let us remind you that this year's Fest was postponed because the City Assembly did not appoint an artistic director or a selector who would choose the program for this year's edition.
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