What are the plans of the Assembly of the City of Belgrade in the field of culture for this year? JElena Medaković, Secretary for Culture of the City of Belgrade, who has been in that position since the end of October last year, tells "Vreme" that "we"2025 learned a lot" and believes that it was a turning point for better decisions in the field he deals with.
First of all, he announces that the Secretariat for Culture itself should become the initiator of the activity.
"I spent the beginning of my mandate in very detailed analyses. It is necessary to work on strengthening institutions and improving the city's manifestations. I believe that strengthening in the organizational sense is a priority and more important than the financial one, with the fact that, of course, certain programs should also be strengthened financially, based on their achieved real results," says Medaković.
About the budget
He states that this year's culture budget of the City of Belgrade is "4 billion 680 million dinars", and that "there are no investments or large projects in it."
"The budget is set for institutions, mostly for salaries and programs, as well as for ongoing maintenance. This budget also provides for the costs of independent artists. There are no more delays in the payment of independent artists, these costs are planned and paid regularly."
Remarks that the problem is also how the budget is distributed, Jelena Medaković comments that "in 2026, a more logical allocation of the budget was made, because it is not right that large theaters and large institutions have significantly less funds than small program institutions. In this sense, it is necessary to empower institutions to take a better look at costs and plan better."
He believes that this is another reason why we "need a Law on Theaters that will contribute to fairer and better financing of theaters."
About promotion abroad
The plan of the Secretariat for Culture is also, says Medaković, the promotion of our culture abroad and vice versa, with the fact that "for now it is only a guideline for institutions when preparing this year's plans".
Regarding specific plans, she states that "The Theater Festival Ruta has a planned ex Yu tour", as well as that the Museum of the City of Belgrade, where she was the director, will "host the Maritime Museum from Kotor, and at the end of the year will be the organizer of an international conference dedicated to the organization of the work of museum services, and we are also preparing the continuation of the promotion of the museum's collection in Central Asia."
And Fest and Bitef?
The capital's international festivals, especially Fest and Bitef, are traditional promoters of the world film and theater scene. As is known, they were not held last year.
Jelena Medaković says that the producer of the Fest, the Center of Belgrade Festivals, plans to organize a "two-day Fest remake in February, a kind of announcement for the Fest that will take place later, at a new date to be decided by the Board."
He believes that the Fest in February in its usual edition "could not be held with the program planned for 2025, because it is a program that was made 10 months ago and has already been seen in cinemas".
"That's why the Festival Committees were appointed at the last session of the City Assembly, so that there would be enough time to prepare the program."
He emphasizes that he is "opposed to abolishing the function of artistic directors" and explains that according to the law the Boards have the freedom to decide whether they want to appoint an artistic director or not. Bitef and Fest only had them because their Boards decided so".
"I will make sure that this necessary institution is returned. All world festivals, exhibitions and manifestations have artistic directors, curators, selectors, editors-in-chief."
He says that this change will not slow down the preparations for the festival because "it does not require a change in the law, but only a decision. If we had it, I think that last year's Fest and Bitef would have been held."
About not:Bitef
"The format in which ne:Bitef was held cannot be adequate to Bitef. I don't see that ne:Bitef was a shift or a step forward for the festival, that format was almost workshop-like," Jelena Medaković assesses.
"And what does it even mean to make an independent non:Bitef? Independent from whom? From the institution that implements it? For me, these are incomprehensible decisions."
Medaković notes that "Bitef was a big, ambitious state project from the beginning, and it did not grow out of a smaller, student project. I believe that the dialogue with young creators, or rather those who will become one, is significant. Perhaps a joint publication could be made, we will have to agree on that."
"Basically, we need to help institutions that wander and even lose their identity to return or find a new direction. I believe that the last year, in which there was no Bitef, will be a warning to everyone who will decide on that festival."
He wants to remind that 2025 was not only a year of festivals that were not held, "there were also those who achieved success", he says, and states the following:
"Some institutions that have almost no media attention have made a big step forward.
Prodajna galerija Belgrade, almost forgotten for years, experienced a boom with the appointment of an artist to the position of director, even though it was at a minimum of funding.
In 2025, two exhibitions of this gallery are in competition for Politika's award," said the Secretary for Culture of the City of Belgrade, Jelena Medaković.
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