Now in its 58th year, BITEF – Belgrade’s international theatre festival – is one of the most significant festivals in the region. Andrej Čanji talks to artistic director Nikita Milivojević and festival co-curators Ksenija Đurović and Tijana Grumić about the festival’s curatorial model and the themes and trends in this year’s programme.
This yea’s BITEF, the 58th edition of the Belgrade International Theatre Festival, features a mix of big names of European theatre artists – including Milo Rau, who will give the festival’s opening address, Tiago Rodrigues and Carolina Bianchi – and local and regional talent, together under the slogan: “Beauty will (not) save the world”. Why the choice of such an ambivalent slogan? According to Nikita Milivojević, artistic director of the festival since 2023, it shows how, “on the one hand, that we are well aware of the kind of world we currently live in. Those who rule this world have obviously done their best to make life difficult for all of us, in different ways of course, but we all feel how uncertain the world has become, how everything around us is unstable, every day a new uncertainty, the fear that “what is somewhere – it can be everywhere”, as Czesław Miłosz once said. While at the same time we wonder whether this kind of world deserves to be saved at all, each of the performances at this year’s BITEF defends in its own way the idea of beauty, namely the hope that there is still enough beauty in people to fight until the last moment. I personally believe that art is still the only thing that maintains a kind of balance and gives meaning to this world.”
BITEF co-curator Ksenija Đurović adds that for her, the slogan is simply “a tool that provides the initial contextualisation of the shows people will see, so I wouldn’t explain it beyond what it is.” Instead, she would rather “invite people for an opportunity to see ten very different shows which speak some truths of the world today.” She hopes “the festival will provide both, and more perspectives, since the program reflects different positions regarding the end of the world, or rather the end of humanity.”
The thematic focus of the festival is never determined in advance, according to Milivojević. They do not have a preconceived concept of what they want the festival to be or say. Milivojević is also an internationally renowned theatre director and, just as with being a director, he says, “I believe that the content should choose the form of the performance and not the other way round.” With BITEF, he says, “we also try to recognise what is exciting and interesting about the performances we see, what they offer us, and then see in relation to that whether there is a common motif in them.”
“Everyone’s perspective is unique and equally important,” explains their co-curator, the dramaturg and playwright Tijana Grumić, as she describes how the selection process works. “We all share the responsibility of scouting for and watching all kinds of performances and various artistic works, we approach the selection with complementary strengths.” While Đurović has more experience in the field of contemporary dance, Milivojević and Grumić are well versed in dramatic theatre. “I contribute by emphasizing thematic resonance and how each piece we consider showing aligns with the broader vision of the festival or with some smaller thematic unit within the program,” explains Grumić. “Ultimately, we discuss each performance collectively, making sure that each work is seen through these varied lenses before reaching a final decision.”
Đurović adds that everyone has to agree on the selection of productions, but that is not always easy to achieve. “We negotiate and provide arguments on why we feel there is an urgency to present a particular show in our context and unless we agree, the proposal is not picked up. This process takes time and can be ‘bumpy’, but all three of us have enjoyed the results so far and I hope the audience will too.”
Milo Rau’s Antigone in the Amazon
Given that the curatorial team did not have much time to work on last year’s selection – Milivojević was only appointed to the role in February 2023 and the festival was due to take place in September – will we see a significant difference between last year’s edition of BITEF and this year’s festival? Although time is an important factor for Milivojević, he believes that it is not crucial in the programming of a festival. “Many things play a role in the selection,” he says, money being a major factor. “Although we had relatively little time last year, I think we were able to see some performances that were really at the level that BITEF is always proud of.”
According to Grumić, “the dramaturgy of this year’s festival is woven around two thematic currents and a formal structure that invites the audience to engage in different ways.” As to the thematic focus, she says, this year’s festival “explores narratives focused on femininity and women’s issues, delving into archetypal figures such as Hecuba and Antigone, whose stories resonate with questions of power, resistance and identity, while also focussing on some contemporary female figures that were important in our recent histories and made a strong impact on our societies and lives. Alongside this, we reflect on the increasingly urgent relationship between humans and nature, offering works that challenge us to reconsider our impact on the environment.”
One aspect of the programme that Grumić highlights is the inclusion of works from South America, with three productions, at least in part, from Bolivia and Brazil: Milo Rau’s Antigone in the Amazon, Cadela Forca Trilogy Part 1: The Bride and the Goodnight Cinderella, by Brazilian artist Carolina Bianchi and Palmasola – A Prison Village by director Christoph Frick. These pieces provide an additional cultural lens, enriching the festival’s global perspective.
Grumić also suggests that audiences pay close attention to how the different themes in the festival intersect across different formats, “to allow themselves to engage with the diversity of voices and perspectives, and be open to how these stories might challenge our ideas about gender roles, the environment, and even the role of theatre in society.”
Sex Education II: Fight
Several pieces in this year’s programme could be described as lecture performances, including Sex Education II: Fight, one section of a larger five-part project from director Tjaša Črnigoj, about women’s reproductive rights in the former Yugoslavia. What is the appeal of this form to the selectors? Milivojević thinks that these ‘lecture performances’ “are a very interesting “new form” that could encourage some young authors in our country to try something similar. These are small forms without great stage technical requirements, created with almost no or a very symbolic budget, but at the same time, thanks to the imagination, charm and originality of the subject they deal with, they are in a way irresistible and are followed with incredible attention. Proof of this are their numerous guest appearances and success at various festivals.”
The 2024 programme includes two very different plays from Serbia: one from an institutional theatre – The Future, a new eco-themed piece by Slovenian director Žiga Divjak for Belgrade Drama Theatre – and the other an independent production, Irena Ristić and Đorđe Živadinović Grgur’s We Are Going to Make Something about War, Gender and Liberty, It Will Be Titled: What Would Chelsea Say. What was the criteria used to make the selection from the local theatre scene? “By selecting these two very different works,” says Grumić, “we aimed to showcase how both independent and institutional theatre can engage in meaningful, timely conversations.”
Even though Žiga Divjak’s work is often focused on pressing environmental issues, she says, “what’s particularly significant in this case is that he does so from a unique, non-anthropocentric perspective. On the other hand, the piece by Irena Ristić and Đorđe Živadinović Grgur stands out because it tackles topics that are often marginalized in the institutional discourse. As a festival, we are committed to supporting the independent scene, which is more likely to bring forward bold, underrepresented narratives that challenge societal norms and question the status quo. By including this production, we aim to amplify those voices and create space for stories that might not otherwise be heard.”
When asked what the biggest obstacles were in preparing this year’s edition of the festival, Đurović replied that there were a lot of challenges. “One of this year’s most important obstacles is the fact that planning international touring usually goes from two to four years in advance – something that a festival of BITEF’s scale should be able to commit to, but cannot due to funding. The international performing arts community has been advocating for co-producing in order to cut operational costs, so BITEF uses the privilege to be invited as a partner.”
As funding is always the main problem of any large festival, was the budget sufficient to fulfil the intentions of the curators or did compromises need to be made in programming the festival? “In today’s climate of financial marginalization of arts and culture, BITEF is in a very privileged position, especially locally,” says Đurović. “In the wider European context, financially, BITEF is, at best, a mid-scale event. Between these two realities, compromises are always there, but never in regards to what the programme is as a final result. I am sure everyone knows the simple fact that there is not a theatre stage in Belgrade that can accommodate a large-scale show – this is a compromise you make every year – so you either stage a show in a non-theatre space which eventually costs 40% more than what you bargained for, or you do not present it at all…
Main image: Antigone in the Amazon
The 58th BITEF takes place between 25th September-4th October. For tickets and further information visit: bitef.festival.rs
Further reading: Interview with Tjaša Črnigoj: “Women’s sexual pleasure is still taboo in our society”
Further reading: Interview with Žiga Divjak: “We have to completely change our value system”
Andrej Čanji is a theatre critic and theatrologist based in Belgrade.
