INTERACTION ANNOUNCES THE FULL FESTIVAL PROGRAMME
Three weeks ahead of the 4th edition of the Interaction: Short Documentary Film Festival, the full programme has been announced, covering three main categories: the competition programme, as well as two out of competition selections – In Focus and Interscreen.
The festival will take place from August 19 to 25 in Požega, presenting a carefully curated selection of short documentaries that explore contemporary social, cultural, and personal challenges worldwide through diverse themes, unique voices, and innovative approaches.
In Focus Programme
To mark the anniversary of 20 years since the founding of the Camp, this year’s Interaction will be opened with the screening of three short documentaries created within this unique international project. As part of the In Focus selection, on August 19, the audience will have the opportunity to watch: Adornment (Stefan Krasić), Merry-Go-Round (Luka Popadić), and Valley of the Rulers (Efim Graboy).
Adornment tells a warm and intimate story about the Pečenković family from Preljina near Čačak, whose everyday life is illuminated and shaped by two pairs of twins. Their energy becomes the driving force of the family and a symbol of hope. The film was awarded Best Domestic Short Documentary at the 63rd Belgrade Festival of Documentary and Short Films in Belgrade. Merry-Go-Round follows the cheerful choir The Singing Women of Požega, a group of grandmothers who, through song, humour, and everyday moments, reveal their views on love, joy, and the transience of life. The film won the prestigious Vilko Filač Award for outstanding cinematography at Kustendorf in 2015. Valley of the Rulers takes us to Zabučje, a nursing home above Užice, where the film subtly explores dignity in old age, loneliness, and the complex questions of identity in later years. This documentary was nominated for Best Short Film at the prestigious IDA (International Documentary Association) Awards in the USA in 2019.
See the In Focus selection here.
Competition Programme
The competition programme of this year’s festival gathers acclaimed filmmakers whose thought-provoking and thematically diverse films present provocative views on the world. The selection was curated by Serbian documentary filmmakers Luka Papić and Dejan Petrović.
The competition programme will showcase 15 carefully selected short documentaries that, each in its way, subtly explore the relationships between people, nature, and society, revealing the boundaries that shape contemporary identity and collective memory. Through stories about the conflicts between tradition and modernization, nature and industry, as well as the preservation of memory through archival and intimate narratives, the programme presents deep and multi-layered views of the world.
Among the films in this year’s competition programme are titles that have been shown and awarded at prestigious festivals such as Berlinale, Cannes, Venice, Toronto, and major documentary and short film festivals such as IDFA, Visions du Réel, etc.
The closing ceremony of Interaction will feature a screening of the award-winning films and the official awards ceremony, which will take place on August 25 in Požega. The Best Film Award will be presented, along with two other awards – the Young Jury Award, presented by participants of the Teen Doc workshop, and the Audience Award, for the film with the highest number of viewer votes. The Best Film Award will be given to the film’s director, and in addition to the statue designed by renowned sculptor Marko Crnobrnja, a cash prize will also be awarded, generously provided by the festival’s partner, Sirogojno Company.
See the Competition Programme here.
Interscreen Programme
Interscreen is an out of competition programme of the festival, in which five selected short films by participants of the Interaction educational programmes – the Camp and the Doc Workshop – will be shown. These documentaries provide insights into contemporary film production, exploring global themes through creative and unique approaches.
See the Interscreen programme here.