Visitors had the opportunity to attend the panel “A Sovereign Gaze: Two Decades of Montenegrin Cinema”, dedicated to the monograph of the same name and to Montenegro’s cinematic journey from its independence in 2006 to the present day.
Montenegro is this year’s Cinehill partner country, and its filmmaking has been introduced to audiences through the program Mountain to Mountain, screening titles such as Blue, The Cow, Black Trumpet, Vud, You Won!, Forever Hold Your Peace, Otter, and Yugo Florida.
At the panel, visitors had the opportunity to hear more about the changes that have shaped the past two decades of Montenegrin cinema. The conversation featured monograph editor, film producer, researcher, and university professor Sanja Jovanović; film director and producer Marija Perović; writer, dramaturg, and screenwriter Stefan Bošković; and film director Bojan Stijović.
In a moderated discussion and answering audience questions, they spoke about what has changed in Montenegrin cinema over the past two decades, what challenges filmmakers continue to face, and why watching films from across the border and from neighbouring countries matters.
Sanja Jovanović explained that the title, A Sovereign Gaze, denotes an authentic view from within – the view of a country that no longer wishes to be merely a waypoint. The monograph traces the maturing of the Montenegrin film scene and its increasingly visible place in the region. “An independent eye, or more politically, a sovereign gaze, can in a first instance refer to Montenegro’s sovereignty itself, but also to a view from within – the view of an independent country that no longer wishes to be on the margins of regional cinema, a waypoint, or mere scenery, but a strong small cinematography”, she said.
Visitors thus had the chance to take a peek behind the Montenegrin film screen – and to discover that there is a lot worth seeing.
