FeKK BAL

Protests, all triggered by accidents: the collapse of the Novi Sad station canopy, a train crash in the Vale of Tempe, and a fire at the Kočani nightclub. The once-united country has been defined by mass protests in Serbia and a constitutional crisis in Bosnia and Herzegovina, with protests raging also in Greece and Northern Macedonia. The incidents that led up to demonstrations exposed flaws in construction standards and safety regulations, revealing apparent political corruption in correlation to the private sector.

Airbnbsation, which can be experienced in all larger cities and tourist destinations from Croatia to the Greek coast, is another significant topic of the 2024/2025 FeKK BAL films. Its well-known mantra is the excruciating price rise of apartments across Europe, headed precisely by Greece. The Greek financial crisis stipulated an almost complete sell-off of infrastructure and a redirection to tourism. In exchange for the desperately needed, yet short-term, funding, the country sold its real estate to foreign investors at favourable terms. They are now also the ones that profit from tourism.

Along the same lines, several films also reflect on the consequences of the 1990’s transition, which included the privatisation of common property, bankruptcies, and the downfall of many once-successful Yugoslav companies, which now seem but a utopian recollection of an alternate past.

However, this year’s selection also contains other imagery: local communities and activities which have not been devoured by the corporate force. Although tobacco farmers and olive harvesters lack mechanisation to speed up their procedures, they project the image of a small enterprise with a locally-based activity that provides jobs and potential surpluses to the community.

In line with such themes, we may notice an increase in a dynamic documentary style that appears even in fiction films. Its characteristic, the moving camera, not only moves about but also employs spontaneous zooming, reminiscent of the 1990s aesthetics.

Finally, to keep with tradition, let us provide some basic statistics: we have watched 250 films and chosen 20 for the final selection.

Peter Cerovšek, Robert Kuret, Anne Tassel