Elevate July 2017 | Air Serbia

P alićki filmski festival jedno je široko putovanje kroz ži- vot u Evropi jer od 2003. go- dine, otkako se profilisao kao festival isključivo evropskih ki- nematografija, postaje osobeni sve- dok vremena. A sve je počelo slučajno, 1992. go- dine. U eri nadolazećih nedaća, ne- maštine i konstantnih gubitaka op- ština Subotica bila je rešena da oživi nekada nepretenciozne, a tradicio- nalne Palićke filmske večeri , i isko- risti potencijal gotovo mitske Let- nje scene nadomak jezera. Tih prvih godina, Palić preuzima ulogu miro- tvorca već zaraćenih zemalja jugoslo- venskog prostora putem umetnosti filma, ispipavajući pritom mogućno- sti ne samo regionalnog umrežavanja već i infrastrukturnih kapaciteta, ko- je će samo mesto vrlo brzo prevazići. Otkako se promišljenom odlu- kom osnivača i organizatora festival fokusirao isključivo na evropski film, Palić narasta u manifestaciju koja je s godinama dospela na mapu fe- stivala od kojih se mnogo očekuje. A zapravo je bio to veliki rizik, jer je u startu bilo jasno da tako pro- filisan festival mora da izneguje pu- bliku koja će aktivno učestvovati ne samo u projekcijama već i u pitanji- ma koja se tu neminovno postavlja- ju – kojom brzinom se Evropa me- nja i na koji način mi učestvujemo u tim promenama? Znajući da publi- ka, koliko god angažovana bila, neće tek tako gledati suvoparne filmove na zadate teme, direkcija je morala da pomiri različitosti. Angažovala je predselektora Berlinskog filmskog festivala Nikolaja Nikitina, koji fe- stivalske celine usmerava ka viso- koprofilisanim festivalima, pažljivo biranim ostvarenjima i programima. Bilo da su u pitanju lične ili glo- balne drame, autorska ili žanrovska dela, filmovi koje je Palić predsta- vio tokom minulih godina uglav- nom su bili aktuelni i angažovani, vrlo često dramatični, nemilosrdi i ironični, predstavljeni nekim novim filmskim jezicima, poetikama i este- tikama. Takvo akcentovanje pokaza- lo se kao pun pogodak. I kao takvo, privuklo je ne samo ljubitelje filma već i neke od najznačajnijih imena evropskih kinematografija – od Ke- na Rasela, Kena Louča, Žan-Marka Bara do Milene Dravić, Mire Banjac, Ljubiše Samardžića… i mnogih dru- gih koji su ispisali stranice ove ne- duge festivalske istorije.

T he Palić Film Festival is a broad journey through life in Europe. That’s because since 2003, when it profiled itself as an exclusive festival of European cinema, it has become a specific witness of the times. And it all started accidentally, back in 1992. During an era of hardship, depriva- tion and constant losses, the Municipality of Subotica was determined to revive the former unpretentious a traditional Palić movie nights, and to exploit the potential of its almost mythical Summer stage be- side the lake. In those first years, Palić took on the role of a peacemaker among the al- ready warring Yugoslav republics through the art of film, thus not only touching on the possibilities of regional networking, but also infrastructure capacities, which would very quickly overcome. With the deliberate decision of the founders and organisers, the festival fo- cused exclusively on European film, and Palić grew into an event that over the years managed to find its way onto the map of festivals of which a lot is expected. And that was actually a big risk, be- cause in the beginning it was clear that a festival profiled in such a way must nur- ture an audience that will actively partic- ipate not only in the screenings, but also in the questions that it inevitably poses – at what pace is Europe changing and in which way can we participate in these changes? Knowing that the audience, no matter how involved, would not just watch dry movies on a given topic, the direction had to reconcile the differences. They hired the pre-selector of the Berlin Film Festi- val, Nikolaj Nikitin, who directs festivals towards high-profile events, with care- fully selected creations and programmes. Whether a question of personal or global dramas, authorial or genre works, the films that Palić presented during pre- vious years were mainly current and en- gaged, very often dramatic, ruthless and ironic, revealing some new cinematic lan- guages, aesthetics and poetics. Such ac- centuating proved to be a total hit. And as such it attracted not only film lovers, but also some of the most significant names of European cinema – from Ken Russell, Ken Loach and Jean Marc Bara to Milena Dravić, Mira Banjac, Ljubiša Samardžić and many others who have written the pages of the relatively short history of this festival. And now when you type ‘Palić film fes- tival’ into Google, a link appears stating Eu- ropean film festival. That’s because Palić is in- deed turning into a miniature Europe when – usually in the penultimate week of July, which is usually hot even when the sun fi- nally goes down – film activists flock here

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