More than 40 films and a rich supporting program in Pančevo
The 9th PAFF – Pančevo Film Festival, an international competition festival of feature and short films, will be held from September 24 to 28 at several locations in Pančevo. About forty short and feature-length films will be shown within the festival, and the main mission of the festival is to present, explore and expand ideas and questions about what cinematography can be and do today, as well as, through the presence of young talented authors at the festival, to promote and support the new generation of film artists.
This year, PAFF returns to its five-day format, bringing a more intense and diverse program. The film program of the festival is composed of documentaries and feature films, experimental and film essays, short, medium and long, arranged in four film program units and numerous supporting programs. All festival programs are free.
The festival will start on Wednesday, September 24, at 8 p.m. in the Pancevo Cultural Center Hall, with a screening of the Slovenian director Urška Đukić’s film Little Trouble Girls (Kaj ti je deklica?), a Slovenian-Italian-Croatian-Serbian co-production from 2025, which premiered at this year’s Berlinale. The film is about an introverted sixteen-year-old Lucia who joins the girls’ choir of her Catholic school, where she befriends Anna-Maria, a popular and flirtatious third-year student. However, during a weekend of intense rehearsals at the village convent, Lucia’s interest in a dark-eyed restoration worker puts her friendship with Anna-Maria and the other girls in question. As she faces an unfamiliar environment and her own reawakened sexuality, Lucia begins to question her beliefs and values, disrupting the harmony within the choir.
The program of the festival is divided into two competitive selections. In the main competitive selection called “Svetionica” (Lightbringer), he prize of the same name is awarded by a jury of film professionals. In the competitive short film selection Early Works, films by young authors will be presented, and the “Chimney” prize for the best short film is awarded by a jury of 16 high school film buffs. Through discussions on various film disciplines and under the leadership of director Mina Đukić, they will decide on the award for the best film of this selection – the “Chimney” award, but also on the awards for best direction, screenplay, photography, editing, male and female roles.
PAFForam’s festival selection is intended for the widest cinema audience. It’s a cross section of festival and original hits from this season and the previous one. Within this selection, the best film will be chosen according to the votes of the audience. The review and author’s selection Bright Future is dedicated to a director who has not yet made a feature film, and this year the films of the young Serbian director Nikola Stojanović will be screened.
Since 2014, the Pančevo Film Festival has been organized by film workers and cultural workers from Pančevo and its surroundings, who have gathered in the Pančevo Film Festival association. One of the goals of PAFF is to create and animate a new film audience, one that will have the opportunity to see a different kind of cinematography at our festival: films that, in an artistically relevant way, address current social and political problems, both locally and beyond. It is also focused on creating and animating a new film audience, those who will have the opportunity to see a different kind of cinematography in a different way at the Pančevo festival for the first time: in the cinema and with the presence of the author.
The 9th Pančevo Film Festival is realized as part of the “Culture for Democracy” project, which is implemented by the Hartefakt Foundation. “Culture for Democracy” supports the independent cultural scene in Serbia with the aim to, using culture and art, encourage critical and creative thinking about social issues that are important to local communities. The “Culture for Democracy” project encourages the cooperation of actors on the independent cultural scene, thereby creating space for the promotion of pluralistic values and intercultural dialogue in Serbia. The CfD project was initiated by the Swiss Government and is implemented by the Hartefakt Fund.
For more information, follow the Facebook and Instagram pages of the festival.
Pančevo Film Festival