If the Cannes Film Festival represents the culture of central Europe, for the film media, there are several international film festivals in Europe and the world, and one in Eastern Europe, the International Film Festival FEST in Serbia and Montenegro. FEST, The International Film Festival takes place in Belgrade and has the long 34-year-old tradition. During its 34 years, this festival hosted big names in the filmmaking show business. It is not easy to promote the world cultural co-operation, in Belgrade and Serbia today. The foundry of the festival is Belgrade City Assembly; the patron is the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Serbia. It is not easy to increase the consciousness of being a part of the world, among the people that just got out of the civil war. Films of this festival tempt to leave audience breathless, to provoke, confused, to make people angry, to make them laugh, to react in order to progress. And there is no place like show business, not with the celebrities such as: Roman Polanski, Victoria de Sike, Kirk Douglas, Milos Forman, Gina Lollobrigida, Jack Nicholson, Robert De Niro, Irma Flis, David Puttnam, Jim Jarmusch, Johnny Depp, Beatrice Dalle, Andrew Birkin, A. Goth, Hugo Weaving, Wim Wenders, Anna Karina and Catherine Deneuve. Every year FEST the International Film Festival has the same international concept within its film selection. The film selection of the festival presents award nomination big budgets as well as art internationally awarded films, sticking mostly to films shown on the Berlin Film Festival or Cannes Film Festival.


Belgrade's FEST 2006 opened Emir Kusturica, the most important Bosnian film director of nowadays. Mr. Kusturica referred on FEST 25 years ago, when FEST's guest Milosh Forman made a demand for Kusturica to be his host personally.
"FEST is one of the rare manifestations where with its content gets to strongly fights against provincialism and claustrophobia of the
social environment. And every year is reminds us
that we are living in the big city." (said by Emir Kusturica)
The festival opened the broadcast of Jim Jarmucsh's film "Broken Flowers" featuring Sheron Stone, Billy Murray...One of the first guests of the festival was Anna Karina, French actress and a singer that first time visited Belgrade 40 years ago in 1965, when she got lost in the woods during the shoot of her film "Le Soldatess". Karina was married to a great Jean Lik Goddard, which was an important part of her life and career. With her Danish origin she indeed offered Paris something different, where she actually meets Coco Channel as well and becomes model. On the International Film Festival FEST 2006, Anna Karina was given the old Yugoslavian or now Serbian prestigeous cinematography award »Golden Stamp» to be chosen as the inspiration of the Cinematography in 60s, the French New Wave.

With respect toward tradition and past of the Belgrade International Film Festival FEST, this year's festival was named FAST FORWARD as it should go toward the future. The program was created by quality top-up to date program of the brand new films, awarded on other festivals, much to the pleasure of numerous and respected audience, domestic film industry and culture, into a successful entrance in the circle of respected European and world film festivals. This year festival presented French cinematography with the most numbers of French films shown, such as: "L'Enfer" by Bosnian origin director Denis Tanovic, "Cache" by Michael Haneke, "Gabrielle" by Patrice Chereau, "Lemming" by Dominick Mol, "Le Tempse qui reste" by Francois Ozon, "L'Annulaire" by Diane Bertrand, "Au suivant" by Jeanne Biras, "Les Amants Reguliers" by Phillippe Garrel etc... Just to name other films shown on this festival: "Broken flowers" by Jim Jarmusch, (the most US author of Down by law, Night on Earth, Mystery Train, Coffee and Cigarettes etc...) "Don't come knocking" by Wim Wenders (Paris Texas, Lisbon story, The Million Dollar Hotel, Until The End of The World), "The Constant Gardener" by Ferdinando Meirelles featuring Ralph Fiennes, Rachel Weisz, Bll Nighty), "Crash" by Paul Haggis featuring Sandra Bullock, "Mrs. Henderson Presents" by Stephen Frears featuring Judy Dench, Bob Hoskins, "Walk the line" about Jonny Cash featuring Joaquin Phoenix, "Capote" by Bennett Miller, "God night and good luck" by George Clooney, "Manderlay" by Lars von Trier, "Jarhead" by Sam Mendes, "Tideland" by Terry Gilliam featuring Jeff Bridges and Jennifer Tilly, "Brokeback Mountain" by Ang Lee, "Last days" by Gus Vn Sant about last days of Kurt Cobain etc...

The festival presented the exhibition of Wim Wenders' photographs and concert of Anna Karina: all this to a glory of the film and the freedom of the art and a human spirit. It counts as to be very successful with Serbian audence with 82.637 sold tickets, where the program of FEST2006 saw 100.000 people. One of the most important guest of the festival was, no doubt Wim Wenders, who also presented his Art Photography (presented by Haunch of Venison-London) in the Salon of the Museum of Contemporary Art in Belgrade, named "Pictures from the surface of the earth". A 55 art photography work of Mr. Wenders' choice. Mr Wenders opened the exhibition, received the Golden Stamp Award, a prestigious cinematography award and closed the festival with the broadcasting of his brand new film "Don't come knocking". At the end of FEST 2006, Belgrade audience was introduced with Bosnian film "Grbavica" by Jasmila Zbanic, film that won Golden Bear Award and Award for Peace on Berlin Film Festival 2006. The presenters of a contemporary Serbian film introduced Serbian Film in France, which selection attracted French audience last year. One of the important part of the festival is pitching forum of BTB program, which is not that important for the viewers how much it is important for the festival structure.BTB program is related to a Serbian film industry and his marketing aspect.

The jury of International Film Federation of Film Critics in Belgrade, awarded with the FIPRESCI Award Wim Wender's film "Don't come knocking". While The Special Award of FIPRESCI jury was given to a Serbian film shot 35 years ago, by Joca Jovanovich "Young and healthy like a rose", a film about people on society margin. First road film made in Serbia, that wasn't serving to a communist image of a false beauty and plenty of an old Yugoslavia in 60s and 70s, created by the existed politics. This was the first film in the so called black cinematography of the Serbian film, not accepted by society and politics at the time, reviewed as not aesthetical and not communist enough in Tito's communism. This film was upsetting political snobs and their epic-lyrical sensibility, people who were extremely fond of «a political academic contents», in nowadays attracting the attention of totally new generations in Serbia. This is confirmation of the change in the discovery of meaning, which is the root of every youth: «the sex, drugs and rock'n'roll» in 1968. in old Yugoslavia