The 28th Petar Kočić Theatre Festival has concluded in Banja Luka, with awards presented to the most outstanding productions and artists of this year’s competition programme.
The festival jury consisted of actress Nataša Perić, director and university professor Dušan Petrović, and dramaturge Molina Udovički Fotez, who served as jury president.
After reviewing the six productions selected for this year’s festival and conducting a detailed assessment of their artistic achievements, the jury unanimously adopted the following decisions.
Two Special Awards were presented.
The first Special Award went to Anica Tomić and Jelena Kovačić for the authorial project “Safe House”, based on the novel by Marina Vujčić. The jury described the production as precise, documentary in its accuracy, and courageous in challenging deeply rooted patriarchal patterns of behaviour.
The second Special Award was presented to Matija Blašković for scenography. According to the jury, the seemingly everyday elements of his stage design become active participants in the creation of the dramatic events in “Safe House”.
The “Milorad Telebak” Award for Stage Speech was awarded to the ensemble of “Gospa Nola” and speech coach Đorđe Marković of the Serbian National Theatre in Novi Sad. The jury noted that the diversity and precision of the language used in the production significantly enrich the characters and transform speech into an important dramaturgical element.
The “Mladen Materić” Award for Stage Poetics was awarded to “Bollywood”, produced by the City Theatre of Podgorica. The jury praised the production’s distinctive stage poetics, created through the inspired collaboration of the director, artistic team and highly dedicated ensemble. The performance was described as dynamic, witty and courageous.
The Award for Best Actor was presented to Nikola Ristanovski for his role as Mišel Babić in “Una”, produced by Zvezdara Theatre in Belgrade. The jury highlighted his sincere, subtle and natural portrayal of a professor torn between ordinary reality and a profound inner desire for freedom.
The Award for Best Actress was awarded to Bojana Milanović for two performances – as Sofka Nikolić and as Nola Perčinova. The jury praised her ability to create two completely different, yet equally powerful and complex female characters. Her remarkable stage presence and creative imagination enabled her to build both roles through entirely different artistic approaches.
The Award for Best Director was presented to Sonja Petrović for directing “Gospa Nola”, produced by the Serbian National Theatre in Novi Sad. The jury emphasized her bold interpretation of Isidora Sekulić’s work and her ability to transform it into a vivid and universal theatrical vision.
The Grand Prix for Best Performance of the Festival was awarded to “Gospa Nola”, based on the work of Isidora Sekulić, dramatized by Aleksandra Jovanović and directed by Sonja Petrović.
According to the jury, “Gospa Nola” successfully translates the poetic essence of Sekulić’s prose into a compelling stage production while establishing meaningful connections with contemporary society. The production explores the courage and hardships women endure in creating and preserving family life, delivering a powerful emotional experience through the continuous engagement of all performers on stage.
Source: RTRS
