HERE AND THERE IS HERE
Belgrade Summer Festival

Belgrade Fortress 23. July – 14. August

Belgrade Summer Festival is one of the most significant international manifestations of the modern cultural production, which is founded and funded by Belgrade City Assembly. This year it takes place continually for the 22 nd time, also counting BELEF’s direct predecessor, Belgrade Summer that first took place in 1986 when Mrs. Gorica Mojovic was the main coordinator of the manifestation.

In search for its own identity, BELEF incorporates changes and innovations every year, taking care that the quality programmes are realized in public areas, as well as opened and accessible to all the citizens of Belgrade and their guests.

This year’s BELEF 07 offers a new view in the context of closing to modern tendencies and way of work of other significant summer city cultural manifestations in the world.

The decision made by Belgrade City Assembly to give an open competition and introduce the role of Artistic Director, has resulted in significant changes in the form and contents of the festival. On the open competition the concept called "HERE AND THERE IS HERE" by Darka Radosavljevic was accepted, and she incorporated Goran Paunovic (music), Boban Jevtic (theatre) and a number of young custodians, art historians, for visual art (Maja Ciric, Miroslav Karic, Nebojsa Milikic) as her associates.

Slogan "HERE AND THERE IS HERE" is first of all devoted to all those who have a dilemma "to go or to stay", while the general intention is to enable the proper surroundings for the great creative potential of Belgrade to show the energy and quality, and by that point to the possibilities, i.e. influence the choice to turn towards the option HERE.

This time the programme is organized in more segments than it has been so far, and the decision to concentrate all the events into the 24 intense days concentrated on a fantastic and provocative location of Belgrade Fortress, comes from the desire to achieve the festival–like atmosphere and make it possible for the citizens to make own choices which cultural events, going on at the same time, to visit, being directly involved in the realization of each event.

Music part offers concerts and various performances for an audience that is not only satisfied by the mass values supported by media. BELEF 07 offers something else: form legendary Peruvian afro-diva Susanna Baca, through American dance idioms, combined with unrestrained Balkans, Lajko Felix and Brooklyn Funk Essentials , experimental ethno performed by "Studio Alectic" (Novi Sad), and "Vrelo" (Ruma), experiment on "Music Boat" performed by Sonja Loncar and Andrija Pavlovic , or tango music Richard Galliano & Tangarika and Quintet (France) and Quintecho (Belgrade), but also electro featuring Soudscapes Belgrade Yard Soundsystem Session and Jimi Tenor & Kabu Kabu (Finland) and fud Antonio Chainho Trio (Portugal) to Terry Callier , legendary soul-jazz singer from Chicago.

Theatre selection is based on inspiring the young authors to make a step forward in usual theatre experience and make an experiment in the conditions of an open sky scene. The subsection "Making of" of the main programme is devoted t o the names that are yet to be heard of (Vlatko Ilic, Marko Marijanovic, Ana Tomovic ). Beside these, there will be the names widely known, the authors who belong to the category "always young", Ivana Vujic , with the show " Pogled sa Kalemegdana " (View from Kalemegdan), based on the text from Vladimir Velmar, with modern sensibility, we recommend rap-opera " Zemlja srece " (Land of Happiness) by composer Vladimir Pejkovic, based on the libretto by Dusanka Stojanovic, directed by Djurdje Tesic. Starting from this year, BELEF will host the winners of the Festival of coreografic miniatures, so that, at the beginning, the shoe " Dance me, please " of the last year winners Rosana Hribar and Gregor Lustek, will be given. The Nineth Theatre premiere that will be hosted by this year's festival is a result of a one-month workshop by Bulgarian artist Ivo Dimcev with along with his local colleague, produced and organized by Station – service for modern dancing .

Visual programme is divided into three segments. International project UPGRADE will show the latest video releases from European capitals through national selections, the program will be emitted from the shop windows in Knez Mihajlova Street. Nine domestic and foreign authors, among which are Aleksandra Croitoru, Dan Perjovschi, Erwin Wurm, Aleksandar Zograf, Dragan Papic , will show their works based on a dilemma "to go or to stay", on the billboards placed on key spots of arriving and departing in the town – Railway and Bus Stations, motorways, Ibarska magistral road, Airport etc. Basis of the visual programme will be a big open sky exhibition – on Kalemegdan itself, as well as on its walls. Named "PROSTORI PREGOVARANJA " (Areas of Negotiations) the audience will be able to see about a twenty works by domestic and foreign artists. The interest and provocativeness of the final part will depend on the audience itself. Let's mention some of the names that will take part on the exhibition: Claire Fontaine, Le buro, Janos Sugar, Dejan An djelkovic i Jelica Radovanovic, S kart + prrrob:a, /Vladimir Peric, Era Milivojevic, Milena Putnik, Dragan Djordjevic, Irena Kelecevic etc.

What represents an innovation in the programme of BELEF is the introduction of a new category of cultural production which comes from an " independent sector " segment. This phenomenon is very present in Serbia after 2000, and is sketched through the work of 15 organizations and artistic initiatives. Inside the Kazamat on Kalemegdan, and around it, nearly every evening, at least one organization will present itself, accompanied by a suitable artistic programme.

Another innovation in the programme is an educational part of the programme. Education goes on three levels. The first one, which is completely opened to the public, consists of 5 lectures, out of which we especially recommend these: Jovana Stokic: Umetnost uživanja i njena nezadovoljstva (The art of enjoyment and its malcontent) and Rasa Todosijevic : Verodostojnost umetnikove autobiografije (Credibility of an artist's autobiography). In the case of other two programmes Master Class (specialization courses led by Jovan Cekic, Stevan Vukovic, Miroslav Savic and Dusan Makavejev) and Creative Writing and Making of Grafitti Workshop , beginners enter the open competition a performing of the final works will be in public.

Special programme, which is really based on the cooperation with the citizens, is "8mm and super 8mm Film Festival". Festival is named "We are (were) all kids ", and it is expected that on the open competition the works where many today known personalities play leading roles which were children in the period of great popularity of this technology.

This year’s visual identity, created by Sinisa Savic, completely follows the concept with its dynamics, optimism and simplicity, and the original design of the logo will mark the very hot summer of 2007.

itizens, as well as the audience, are needed in order to make a creative atmosphere together and concentrate the positive energy. We therefore hope that you will be on Kalemegdan , together with us, i.e. HERE from 23. July to 14. August.