Third International Sports Film Festival
The Third International Sports Film Festival was officially opened on Friday in Zlatibor with a ceremonial presentation of Lifetime Achievement Awards in the fields of sport and film. This year’s laureates were gymnast Miroslav Cerar, basketball coach Ranko Žeravica, football coach Radomir Antić, President of the Illinois State Soccer Federation Branko Ilić, and film director Goran Marković.
“This festival is important because there are no others in the world with this kind of focus. In art, the spirit of sport is important, and in sport, it is important that achievements are recorded and not forgotten. The Zlatibor festival has all the prerequisites to become internationally recognized,” said Goran Marković upon receiving his Lifetime Achievement Award in film.
One of the world’s greatest gymnasts, Miroslav Cerar, traveled from Slovenia to receive his special Lifetime Achievement Award at the International Sports Film Festival. “For me, this is a great honor, as well as the fact that I am still remembered after so many years. I was especially surprised to see footage from the beginning of my career for the first time at this festival,” Cerar stated at the opening ceremony in Zlatibor.
This year, recognitions were also awarded to Filmske Novosti, which will present a special program of sports-themed films from 1946 to 1989 as part of the festival, as well as promote the monograph “70 Years of Filmske Novosti.” In connection with this, the first-ever Filmske Novosti exhibition in Serbia was also افتتاحed. Awards were also presented to the Sports Association of Serbia and the Yugoslav Film Archive.
The International Sports Film Festival runs until August 25, featuring documentary filmmakers in competition from India, England, East Timor, France, Russia, Poland, the United States, Canada, Turkey, Bulgaria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Serbia.
The president of this year’s festival jury is director Puriša Đorđević, who told journalists that as of December 1 he would no longer give public statements, as he is 90 years old and has decided it is time to retire. Speaking about the film selection, he said: “Every festival has a competitive nature, but the one in Zlatibor, in addition to its competitive aspect, also carries artistic significance in the world of film. This year’s films are interesting because they are not purely sports films, but rather tell life stories about human character.”
In addition to the competition program, the festival will also screen feature films “Montevideo, God Bless You!”, “National Class,” and “The Coach.”
The founders of the festival are the Municipality of Čajetina, the Zlatibor Tourist Organization, and Maja Film Užice, while partners include the Olympic Committee of Serbia and the Sports Association of Serbia.