Montenegro Film Rendezvous expands its industry programme for its third edition
- The event, unfolding from 22-28 August during the Herceg Novi Film Festival, will welcome European film professionals for master classes, workshops, pitching sessions and networking activities
The Montenegro Film Rendezvous is gearing up for its third edition, which will take place from 22-28 August in Herceg Novi, as part of the 39th Herceg Novi Film Festival. Organised by the Film Centre of Montenegro, the international industry programme will bring together filmmakers and professionals as well as representatives of national film centres, European funds, festivals and major organisations from the film and audiovisual sectors.
Having developed from a three-day gathering into a seven-day programme, the Rendezvous aims to strengthen the ties between the Montenegrin film industry and its European and regional counterparts. Its agenda will combine master classes, workshops, discussions and professional meetings, while Montenegrin projects in development and post-production will be showcased through pitching sessions and one-to-one encounters with producers, funds and festival representatives.
“In three years, Montenegro Film Rendezvous has grown from a three-day industry meeting into a seven-day programme. That is the clearest sign of how much interest has grown,” says Film Centre of Montenegro director Aleksandra Božović. Among the novelties this year, she points to cooperation with producers and filmmakers from francophone countries, a workshop for female filmmakers and an EAVE on Demand workshop organised following Montenegro’s accession to the RE-ACT initiative.
The gathering will also provide an opportunity to present recent amendments to Montenegro’s Law on Cinematography, which have just entered into force and, according to Božović, are designed to make the country a more competitive destination for international productions.
A series of established international film professionals will lead this year’s programme. Danish cinematographer Manuel Alberto Claro, a long-standing collaborator of Lars von Trier's, will give a master class focusing on contemporary film language and visual storytelling. Academy Award-winning sound editor Nina Hartstone, recognised for her work on Bohemian Rhapsody, will discuss the creative process behind shaping film sound.
Montenegrin filmmakers Biljana Tutorov and Petar Glomazić will meanwhile present a case study dedicated to their documentary To Hold a Mountain, tracing its journey from the Sinjajevina mountains to Sundance, where the film received an award.
Television production will also occupy a prominent place through the MEDIA TV Series Programme, dedicated to scripted series development and regional co-productions.
Talent development and greater inclusion within the audiovisual industry constitute another strand of the Rendezvous. The Female Filmmakers Workshop, organised by the Film Centre of Montenegro in partnership with the French Embassy and the French Institute, will focus on strengthening women’s presence and opportunities within the sector.
The regional ReActing+ acting workshop, a new module of the ReActing as a Star programme and supported by the British Council, will bring together emerging actors from across the region for professional development, exchanges and networking.
This year’s event will further broaden its international scope through a collaboration with the International Organisation of La Francophonie (OIF). Its New African Voices programme will introduce audiences and industry guests to projects in development as well as films by directors and producers from French-speaking countries.
Meanwhile, Montenegro’s recent membership of RE-ACT will be marked by an EAVE on Demand RE-ACT workshop. The programme will also feature several film-related events, including a screening of the Greek-Montenegrin co-production Life in a Beat, directed by Amerissa Basta, the presentation of a new monograph published by the Film Centre of Montenegro and the Montenegrin premiere of Bojan Stijović’s Black Trumpet.
The Montenegro Film Rendezvous is organised in partnership with the Ministry of Culture and Media, the Municipality of Herceg Novi and JUK Herceg Fest, producer of the Herceg Novi Film Festival. The third edition is also being staged in cooperation with the Embassy of France in Montenegro, the French Institute in Montenegro, the British Council and the International Organisation of La Francophonie.
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