TravelOCT 8, 2016

Bašta Fest - Magical Short Film Festival In Serbia, Made By Good Will And Enthusiasm Of Young And Talented Artists

Bašta* Fest is an event you must be introduced to. It is an international short film festival in Serbia that is happening on the first week of July at a place called Bajina Bašta. (Bašta means Garden)

One would say: "Ok, just another film festival", but let me explain to you why Bašta Fest is not just another festival, why you should follow it and support it and why I am proud to be a part of its team.

This festival was essentially established by two students of acting in their twenties in Belgrade, without much help and money. You should know that in Serbia we have, suffice to say a little problem with financing cultural events like film festivals, so there is always some catch, luck, or dirty business involved or sadly, in the end - nothing. In this case these two young enthusiasts really did a hell of a job “by hook or by crook”.

I myself am a year or two younger than them and I know how hard it is to make something big like a film festival (or in my case your own production without money or some kind of special relationships.) So, the names of the two founders of Bašta Fest are Jovan Jelisavčić and Maja Šuša (also, like I said talented actors here in Serbia).

Definitely the greatest thing about this festival is that it's made of good will, young hopes, arty people and voluntary work. Next year we will be celebrating the fourth year of this festival! But also, another magical thing about the fastival is its venue – Bajina Bašta!

Belgrade is the capital city of Serbia and it's a place where everything happens, where all the young people come to, where all the cultural events take place... at the very least most of them. However, the main goal of Bašta Fest is the decentralization of culture in Serbia, and that’s a huge thing! We have many cities without cinemas, without festivals, without theaters... So, Bašta Fest is bringing new people to Bajina Bašta, creating tourism, organising many workshops about film and much more...

Skipping town for beautiful nature! During the 4 days of Bašta Fest beside films and workshops, beside special nights of opening and closing of the festival (on opening night, there is always some new national feature film or special thing, like a big hot air balloon or wish lanterns...) you will also experience many roadtrips and fun time in spectacular Bajina Bašta nature. You can swim in Zaovine lake on Tara, or in Perućac lake in Bajina Bašta...There is rafting on Drina, special Serbian food and drinks... And every evening there are parties with bands and DJs that are specially chosen by the Bašta Fest team every year.

So, this was just a little promotion for a festival that will, believe me, be one of the leading short film festivals here in Serbia, and also a great tourism spot with many opportunities for fun, enjoyment and spiritual retreat.

More info: bastafest.com