LOOKING FORWARD TO `NIS FILM ENCOUNTERS` 2011
16.08.2011
This year 46 Film encounters festival in Nis will be organized from August 20 – 25. This Festival in unique manifestation of film art that particularly values the creative acting achievements.During the Festival of art achievements there will be 10 films in official concurrence and one guest film scheduled for the final evening. Art director of this year festival is Dragan Vujic Vujke and the names of professional judges will be known before the very opening of the Festival. Traditionally film awards will be given and many Serbian actors are every year expected.

Festival started back in 1966 after the initiative of the Organization of film actors of Serbia with the projection of films on `summer stage` in Nis Fortress. For the first time the actors gathered in Nis to spend time together and give award to the best years achievement on film screen.

Until the end of former Yugoslavia, Nis Film festival had been the festival of all Yugoslav republics and from that time it has been the Festival of Serbian actors.

Every year, during the last week of August, City of Nis is the host for the whole art elite of Serbia. Symbolic gesture of their `kingdom` of this city during the Festival is ceremony of giving the keys of the city to the president of the jury who then shouts: `Actors, colleagues, the Fortress is ours!`.

Each one of the actors who comes once in Nis during this Festival time, realizes that it is not just a festival, not only the contest, but magnificent actors` gathering coloured by warmed welcome of the people of Nis. The fact that this Festival has its own awards is the wish of the organizers to show appreciation to the actors for their work and achievements. The awards are given by the judges-actors – so who will be better in acting achievement estimation then themselves?

Many famous faces have been seen in Nis all these festival years. The most famous acting pair is surely Richard Burton (`Sutjeska`, played Tito part) with Elizabeth Taylor, and beside them great number of significant actors from former socialistic republics.

Film encounters have been also the most visited home film festival in the largest cinema under the open sky – summer stage of Nis Fortress that has capacity of 4,000 people. Nis welcomes actors every year warmly and with open arms. Nis lives with them in its Fortress, at the streets, restaurants, sharing the happiness and moments of the last summer days.

This manifestation is for `His Excellency - the Actor`. That actually makes difference between them and other film festival in the world, since only in Nis an actor is not only a star, but he or she is regarded as authentic creator and the way to approach this creativity is only like true essential art.