The feature-length documentary To Hold a Mountain, directed by Biljana Tutorov and Petar Glomazić, begins its American cinema distribution on December 16th, while its premiere on HBO and the HBO Max platform has been announced for January 2027. Distribution in the United States was taken over by Submarine Deluxe.
The film will premiere at New York’s Film Forum cinema, after which it is planned to expand distribution to other American cities.
To Hold a Mountain follows Gara and her thirteen-year-old daughter Nada, who spend their summers in Sinjajevina, one of the largest mountain pastures in Europe. Their life, deeply connected with nature and tradition, is threatened by plans to establish a NATO military training ground on this mountain. While Gara becomes one of the leaders of the fight for the preservation of Sinjajevina, Nada faces adulthood, family heritage and questions about her own future.
American distribution comes on the tail of the film’s significant international success in 2026. It had its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival, where it won the Grand Jury Prize for the best international documentary film. The film has won numerous other awards, including the Heart of Sarajevo for the best feature-length documentary film, as well as the main prize of the Millennium Docs Against Gravity festival in Poland
The film was included in the shortlist of 15 documentaries for the European Film Award, which will be awarded on January 16th, 2027 in Athens. To Hold a Mountain is also the official candidate of Montenegro for the 99th Academy Awards in the category of best international feature film.
The film was shot over seven years, from 2018 to 2025, in Sinjajevina, Okrugljak and its surroundings. Through an intimate story about the relationship between mother and daughter, the authors open up issues of nature conservation, family relationships, heritage and the community’s struggle for the survival of their traditional way of life..
The authors of the film are Biljana Tutorov and Petar Glomazić. The director of photography is Eva Kraljević, the editor is George Cragg, the composer is Draško Adžić, and the sound design is by Julij Zornik and Samo Jurca. The main producer is Biljana Tutorov, the producers are Petar Glomazić, Quentin Laurent and Rok Biček, the co-producer is Dijana Cetina Mlađenović, and the associate producer is Veliša Popović.
To Hold a Mountain is an international co-production created with the support of Film Center Montenegro, Film Center Serbia, CNC France – Cinéma du Monde, the Slovenian Film Center, the Croatian Audiovisual Center, the Council of Europe and the EURIMAGES fund, as well as other international funds and institutions.
Foto/Promo/WAKE UP FILMS