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2008
4th edition of the FREE ZONE Film Festival PUSH THE LIMIT! The fourth edition of the FREE ZONE Film Festival took place at the Belgrade Cultural Centre from 7th to 12th of November. "Push the Limit" was the slogan of this year's FREE ZONE, where 17 documentary and feature films was screened in a regular program; additional three screenings was organized for high-school students.
Serbian audience had the opportunity to enjoy awards-winning films, which deal with current world issues and their consequences. Authors of these films portrayed controversial individuals and their perception of the world, often differently from ways in which contemporary media does. Whether narrating about mafia bosses in most dangerous favelas of the world ("Manda Bala"), American soldiers involved in Abu Ghraib torture and prisoner abuse ("Taxi to the Dark Side"), a lawyer who defended some of the most horrific dictators and war criminals in history, Jacques Vergès ("Terror's Advocate") or the transsexual prostitute from the Philippines who dreams of escaping to Paris, these filmmakers make a difference with their firm yet honest, intimate approach to their protagonists, thus offering us a fresh and unusual angle of looking at the world around us. FREE ZONE Film Festival had two grand openings:
- musical: Renown violin player Lajko Felix 's concert was held at Cultural center REX on October 31st.
Lajko Felix, the virtuoso violinist from northern Vojvodina made the first musical steps playing the zither, the traditional string instrument of Pannonian peoples, primarily Hungarians. In the course of his musical studies, Lajko Felix realized that the approach to music promoted at schools inevitably leads to clichés and inflexibility in musical expression, so he created his own style based on the equal treatment of classical and folk music, rock, blues and jazz combined with constant improvisation and a remarkable mastery of performing on the four-string instrument. He performed in many countries in Europe and around the world, even in Japan where his work is particularly appreciated. Lajko Felix wrote the score for a number of theatre plays and films in Serbia and Hungary.
- official opening: On November 7th at 6:30 PM at the Belgrade Cultural Centre festival officially opened pianist Ivan Tasovac, director of Belgrade Philharmonic Orchestra. During 6 festival's days, FREE ZONE attracted 8.800 visitors which means that, from the very first beginning FREE ZONE increased the number of festival audience 2,5 times. For the best film audience voted film "Cite Soleil Cite Soleil" (Asger Leth, Denmark/USA, 2006.). Among 5 best movies there are films Please Vote for Me by Weijun Chen, The English Surgeon by Geoffrey Smith, This is England by Shane Meadows and The Visitor by Tom McCarthy. All income from the ticket sales (over 9.000eur) was directed towards the education of doctors who will examining in the mobile mammograph. SEE YOU INSIDE THE FREE ZONE!!
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