26 Feb Film on bridging the Belgrade and Pristina art scenes premieres in Belgrade and Pristina
The film Connecting…, directed by Idro Seferi, had its premiere on January 31, 2025, in Belgrade and on February 7, 2025, in Pristina. This documentary, featuring prominent figures from both the Serbian and Albanian art scenes—who are also advocates for bridging the two nations—was produced in collaboration with the Youth Initiative for Human Rights (Belgrade), the non-governmental organization Integra (Pristina), Civic Initiatives (Belgrade), and the international organization HREYN (Brussels).
Inspired by last year’s ban on the Mirëdita, dobar dan! festival by the Ministry of the Interior of the Republic of Serbia, the film focuses on those working to promote cultural and artistic cooperation between Kosovo and Serbia, highlighting the many challenges they face in this endeavor.
Along with key representatives of the festival’s organizing teams—Kushtrim Koliqi, Maja Stojanović, and Sofija Todorović—the film features leading figures from both Serbian and Kosovo art scenes. Ilire Vinca, Enver Petrovci, Shkelzen Maliqi, Milica Janevski, and Svetozar Cvetković all emphasize the positive impact of cultural and artistic collaboration on normalizing relations and fostering social progress. “Artists are the targets of all regimes because they instinctively sense the problems within society and draw attention to them,” says Tihomir Stanić, a participant in the film. “What matters to all of humanity… is that art and culture are the driving force, the delicate thread that humanizes us, enabling us to communicate,” concludes the actor.
Furthermore, the film highlights the importance of cultural and artistic exchange for the normalization of relations, confronting the past, and the reconciliation process, through the experiences of young people.
The Belgrade premiere was attended by embassy representatives, public figures, film participants, and civil sector representatives. The event was opened by Tijana Đuknić, on behalf of the Youth Initiative for Human Rights, who spoke about the importance of culture in normalizing relations. After the screening, the audience had the opportunity to ask questions to the director Idris Seferi, and the renowned actress and human rights activist, Branka Petrić, addressed the crowd.
In Pristina, at the Barabar Center, the premiere was part of a youth workshop organized by Integra, where participants were the new generation of civilian victims advocating for transitional justice processes in Kosovo.
The project is supported by the European Union as part of Creative Europe.
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