17. 10. 2010.

THIS YEAR'S ANNIVERSARY MESS FESTIVAL TO BE OPENED WITH ZHOLDAKOV'S “LIFE WITH AN IDIOT”

At press conference (14th October, 2010), held on the occasion of the launch of the celebratory 50^th edition of the MESS International Theatre Festival, MESS Festival Director Dino Mustafić and Edin Arslanagić, the General Manager of the Bosnalijek Company, signed a contract, making this local pharmaceutical company the general sponsor of this year's MESS. Having pointed out that internationally recognised quality was the common thread that binds Bosnalijek and the MESS Festival, Mr. Arslanagić congratulated the MESS on this important anniversary, and expressed his wishes for the Festival to carry on with its efforts to remain one of the most respectable events in the region. Mr. Mustafić took the opportunity to thank Bosnalijek for the appreciation they have shown in supporting the MESS from its restoration in 1997, when it was also classified as an “international festival”.

This year's Festival will be opened by Romanian play “Life with an Idiot“, directed by Andriy Zholdak, while the play “Waiting Room“, directed by Viliam Docolomanski, will be shown the same evening “Three words have always described the MESS Festival: radical, exploratory, and brave.”, said the Festival’s director Mustafić, and pointed out that this will also apply to this year’s edition.

The selector of this year’s Future MESS Program is Selma Spahić, an authentic representative of the “Future MESS generation”, seeing as this program caters to young directors under 35. “We hope that Future MESS will become a festival of young artists in theatre, who do not fear failure, who explore and test, who provoke, or, when they want to, return to conventional theatre – in whatever production form,” said Spahić, announcing that the Future MESS Program will this year have include 4 plays and 4 workshops .

This year’s MESS will also be held in support of the REKOM Initiative, since, as it was stated at the press conference, it is extremely important that this regional initiative is given both political, as well as artistic support. “We are privileged to receive MESS’ support, because we wish to avoid any political interpretation. We wish to achieve a cooperation with the artists, to enable them to base their expression on artistic responsibility”, said Nataša Kandić, who is representing REKOM.

At today’s press conference, the MESS Festival also expressed its support of the first portal on Bosnian theatre – www.bhteatar.ba. “Our goal is to promote theatrical life in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and it is our special pleasure and honour to be able to work closely with the MESS,” said Senad Alihodžić on behalf of the team behind this project.