The play "Proces Pellico" by the leading Swiss director Mila Rau, will open this year's Ne:Bitef on December 15.
Ne:Bitef is the reaction of an informal group of citizens made up of artists and cultural workers to the fact that this year the institutional Bitef, the 59th in a row, could not be held. From drastic budget cuts to open censorship of programs, the city government tried to silence him and change him at will.
However, the initiative Miloš Lolić, Boris Matić and Ana Vujanović members of the Artistic Directorate of the 59th Bitef who resigned, organized No: Bitef under the slogan "Bitef is where we gather", with the intention of showing the public a program that the Board of Bitef did not accept.
The smarter one organizes himself.
"The smarter one does not give in, the smarter one organizes - this is the lesson we learned from the student movement."
Violently reacting to Bitef's censorship, we decided not to agree to the erasure of the important history and living heritage of critical theater. Ne:Bitef is at the same time a "no" to censorship and a non-institutional, independent Bitef - a continuation of the festival that belongs to the community and not to any secretariat, board or government," states the program text accompanying this edition of Ne:Bitef.
Without money, with very few resources, but with a lot of enthusiasm, solidarity and free work, we take the responsibility to keep the festival alive - guerilla, in several locations in the city, from December 15 to 18, 2025.
With this, we show that the scene does not accept censorship and does not agree to silence it - as Giselle Pellicot would say: 'Shame must change sides.'"
Pelico Process
The authors of "Peliko Process" are Milo Rau and Serven Dekle, it was created in co-production of the Vienna Festival and the Avignon Festival. The play will be performed at the Faculty of Dramatic Arts, it lasts 260 minutes. Entrance is free.
The Belgrade performance is realized with almost 30 local actors and actresses, cultural workers and activists, known for their professional achievements, but also for their social involvement.
As Danas learns, among the participants are Nada Šargin, Milena Radulović, Miloš Timotijević, Ljiljana Brailović, Nela Antonović, Jelena Ivetić, Nebojša Romčević, Branislav Trifunović, Nedim Nezirović, Anđelka Nikolić, Marko Grabež, Matija Stefanović, as well as many others who will surprise the audience.
They are coming
The second day of the festival, December 16, will take place in the warehouse in Kraljevića Marko under the name "They are coming", and it will be dedicated to young authors whose productions the domestic and international public should have known during the 59th Bitef. They are "Dora or Who Will Sew Vests?" author's project by Andreja Kargačin, dance and choreographic research "Tension" by Aleksander Zain, "Suicide as a (social) fact" by director Ana Janković and "Society of Spectacle: Diversions of Self-Management", author's project of the Action Committee, a collective of students of the Faculty of Dramatic Arts, FDU.
Brothers
On the third day, December 17, in the Center for Cultural Decontamination, the audience will be able to watch the screening of the play "Brothers" (Bros) by Romeo Castellucci and Scott Gibbons. The director of the play will address the audience via video.
This festival day will end with a punk concert and accompanying exhibition in Karmakoma.
On Friday, December 18, the Center for Cultural Decontamination will host the panel "Art: retreat and/as resistance". The festival will be solemnly closed with a warm meal, in the spirit of community and solidarity, and a spontaneous conversation in the courtyard of the CZKD.
Source: Today
