Under the motto “From Generation to Generation,” the 34th International Festival of Ethnological Film will be held from December 4 to 7 at the cinema hall of the Ethnographic Museum and the Yugoslav Film Archive
This year’s festival will bring together filmmakers and researchers from across the globe, offering a rich and diverse program dedicated to the transmission of cultural heritage, the complexity of human communities, and the places where tradition meets contemporary life.
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 feature 19 films — 4 feature-length and 15 short documentary films. Although they come from different parts of the world, these works share a similar sensibility and a thoughtful approach to themes such as spirituality, identity, community, and the position of the individual between tradition and modernity.
The festival program stands out for its remarkable diversity: from classical ethnographic works and observational documentaries to intimate essays and hybrid forms that offer a deep and layered insight into a world undergoing rapid change. Many of the films have already been screened or awarded at prestigious international festivals, including Visions du Réel, Sheffield International Documentary Festival, Ji.hlava, and IDFA. The program will also include works by Serbian authors as well as 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.
João Eduardo Martin, First Secretary of the Embassy of Brazil in Belgrade, expressed his satisfaction that the Embassy has been given a special honor at this year’s IFEF:
“The selected films about the Indigenous peoples of Brazil offer Serbian audiences a unique opportunity to explore not only the cultural richness of our country, but also the contemporary social issues and challenges Brazil faces.
Brazil is home to 391 Indigenous peoples who speak 295 languages, making it one of the most diverse countries in the world. Presenting and documenting these realities in their full complexity is part of our commitment to preserving and enhancing the intangible cultural heritage of humanity. The Embassy of Brazil extends its gratitude to the Ethnographic Museum in Belgrade for its expert curatorial engagement and for the opportunity to deepen cultural cooperation between Brazil and Serbia through ethnographic film,” he emphasized.
Festival selector Dejan Petrović highlighted that this year’s selection once again demonstrates that ethnological and anthropological film remains an essential meeting place of diverse cultural and visual perspectives:
“The festival will open with the documentary feature The Last Shore, directed by Jean-François Ravagnan, a Belgium–France–Qatar co-production that premiered at Visions du Réel. The film brings a powerful and moving story about Pateh Sabally, a young man whose tragic death in Venice echoed around the world, told through the memories of his family and the subtle presence of the author. This work offers a deeply anthropological reflection on themes of loss, dignity, and remembrance,” Petrović noted.
In addition to its rich film program, the festival also offers an educational segment, including a workshop by Dejan Petrović and a masterclass by visual anthropologist Mattijs van de Port from the University of Amsterdam.
You can follow updates about the festival on social media and on the official website, where you will find news, the program, and special content.