The audience will have the opportunity to see films from 17 countries: Italy, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Poland, Belgium, France, Qatar, Germany, Greece, Iran, Indonesia, India, Brazil, Morocco, Croatia, Montenegro, and Serbia.
The competition program will present 19 films — 4 feature-length and 15 short documentary films. Although originating from different parts of the world, these works share a similar sensibility and a thoughtful approach to themes of spirituality, identity, community, and the position of the individual between tradition and modernity.
The program is marked by exceptional diversity — from classical ethnographic works and observational documentaries, through intimate essays, to hybrid forms offering deep and multilayered insight into a rapidly changing world. Many of the films have already been screened or awarded at renowned international festivals, including Visions du Réel, Sheffield International Documentary Festival, Ji.hlava, and IDFA. The program will also include films by Serbian authors, as well as works by filmmakers from the region.
A special segment of the festival is dedicated to films about the Indigenous cultures of Brazil, organized in cooperation with the Embassy of Brazil in Belgrade.
On this occasion, João Eduardo Martin, First Secretary of the Embassy of Brazil in Belgrade, expressed his satisfaction that the Embassy has been given this special honor at this year’s IFEF:
“The selected films about Brazil’s Indigenous peoples offer the Serbian audience a unique opportunity to become acquainted not only with the cultural richness of our country, but also with contemporary social issues and challenges Brazil faces.
Brazil is home to 391 Indigenous groups who speak 295 languages, making it one of the most diverse countries in the world. Presenting and documenting these realities, in all their complexity, is part of our commitment to preserving and enhancing the intangible cultural heritage of humanity. The Embassy of Brazil expresses its gratitude to the Ethnographic Museum in Belgrade for its professional curatorial engagement and for the opportunity to strengthen and deepen cultural cooperation between Brazil and Serbia through ethnographic film,” said the First Secretary.
The festival selector, Dejan Petrović, emphasized that this year’s selection once again demonstrates that ethnological and anthropological film continues to be an important meeting point of diverse cultural and visual perspectives:
“The festival will open with the film The Last Shore, a feature-length documentary by director Jean-François Ravagnan, produced in collaboration between Belgium, France, and Qatar, and premiered at Visions du Réel. The film presents a powerful and poignant story of Pate Sabaaliu, a young man whose tragic death in Venice resonated worldwide, told through the memories of his family and the subtle presence of the author. This work offers a deeply anthropological and thoughtful exploration of themes of loss, dignity, and remembrance,” Petrović revealed.
In addition to the rich film program, the Festival also offers an educational segment, which will include a workshop by Dejan Petrović and a masterclass by Mathijs van de Port, visual anthropologist from the University of Amsterdam.
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