From May 21–27, the 18th edition of Beldocs will take place across ten venues in Belgrade. It will feature a dynamic film program, thought-provoking side events, new thematic focuses, and a fresh selection of filmmakers.
This year’s festival program includes 84 documentaries, among them 10 world premieres, 51 regional premieres, and 22 Serbian premieres. Screenings and events will be held at: Dom omladine Beograda (Youth Center), Yugoslav Film Archive (Kinoteka), Kinoteka Kosovska, Takvud Cinema, Cineplexx Ušće, Art Cinema Kolarac, Vlada Divljan Cultural Center, Student Cultural Center, Palace of Science, and the European House. After the festival, some of the highlights will also be available online for domestic audiences.
The festival opens with the documentary Restitution, or the Dream and Reality of the Old Guard, by renowned director Želimir Žilnik. The film follows elderly musician Stevan Arsin, who returns to Serbia after six decades in Germany to finalize the restitution of his family estate—fertile land and a historic villa—facing family tensions, legal complications, and bureaucratic struggles.
The full festival program and tickets are available at beldocs.rs.
“This year marks the coming of age for Beldocs, a unique platform for creative documentary film that for eighteen years has helped shape the cultural landscape and social discourse in Belgrade and Serbia. It offers the public countless opportunities for personal, collective, and professional growth. We’re proud of this year’s powerful program and invite everyone to find inspiration in our films and conversations with distinguished guests like Želimir Žilnik, Göran Olsson, Pavle Levi, Ben Rivers, Olha Zhurba, Galeb Nikačević, Agnieszka Zwiefka, Radu Jude, Warren Ellis, Darko Bajić, Đorđe Kadijević, Zvonko Bogdan, Maja Uzelac, Goran Dević, Igor Bezinović, Jasmina Vojcik, Vajolet Du Feng, and many others,” said Beldocs Director Mara Prohaska Marković.
Spotlight on Serbian Documentary Voices
As in previous years, the Serbian Competition Program takes center stage, featuring 12 films by emerging and mid-career directors. The selection showcases a diversity of themes, styles, and authorial perspectives, reflecting contemporary social realities:
- Biang Biang Express (Nikola Stojanović)
- I Used to Be an Artist (Ema Teokarević)
- Black Ljubivoje (Predrag Velinović)
- Epilogue (Svetislav Dragomirović)
- Iron Gates (Barbara Knežević)
- Grand Prize (Anja Koprivšek)
- Inventory (Ivan Marković)
- Behind the Smile (Marko Đorđević)
- When the Phone Rang (Iva Radivojević)
- Who Will Knock on My Door? (Maja Novaković)
- Wings and Soil (Everyone Seeks What’s Missing) (Stefan Malešević)
- Hidden in the Leaves (Milan Milosavljević)
“This year’s Serbian selection feels stronger than ever. It features a mix of returning filmmakers, former winners, and newcomers. The diversity of themes, the innovative approaches, and the distinct voices show that Serbian documentary film has depth, energy, and artistic courage. I believe their passion will resonate with every viewer,” said Artistic Director Marko Grba Singh.
International Competition Program
The International Competition features 8 carefully selected films, offering fresh global perspectives and a range of subjects—from human stories to animal life and natural landscapes:
- Fakir (Roman Ďuriš)
- Frida TV (Léa Lanoë)
- Collective Monologue (Jessica Sarah Rinland)
- Landscape and Fury (Nicole Vögele)
- Object of Study (Raúl Alaejos)
- The Savannah and the Mountain (Paulo Carneiro)
- Simon and Mariana (Pier-Luc Latulippe, Martin Fournier)
- Silent Observers (Eliza Petkova)
“These are courageous, nuanced works by authors willing to gaze into both beauty and brutality and carve stunning works of art out of real life. Seeing them on the big screen, with filmmakers present, will be both majestic and intimate,” said curator Igor Stanojević.
Special Tributes and Industry Highlights
This year’s edition also includes tributes to two masters of world cinema with screenings of:
- Condition by Thomas Heise
- David Lynch: Don’t Look at Me by Guy Girard, offering an intimate look at the director’s creative process.
Beldocs Industry Days remain a crucial platform for regional and international networking, with workshops, masterclasses, pitching sessions, and project development initiatives connecting filmmakers and professionals across the global documentary film scene.
Festival Support and Partnerships
The Creative Europe MEDIA Programme, Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Serbia, EU Delegation in Serbia, Film Center of Serbia, Film Center of Montenegro, MEDIA Desk Serbia, Portuguese Embassy and Camões Institute, Embassy of Australia, Adam Mickiewicz Institute, Polish Institute in Belgrade, Goethe-Institut, French Institute, Czech Centre Belgrade, RYCO, and TV partners Al Jazeera Balkans and DOX TV support Beldocs.
Awards are sponsored by Film Center Serbia (Serbian Competition), DOX TV (International Competition), and the EU Delegation (Audience Award for Best European Documentary), with Al Jazeera Balkans and Film Center of Montenegro supporting Beldocs Pitching Forum projects.
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