06. 10. 2009.

The City of Sarajevo Administration to grant the MESS Festival 80,000KM in suppport

Director of the MESS International Theatre Festival Dino Mustafić, and Sarajevo City Mayor Alija Behmen signed an agreement in Sarajevo on October 5, 2009 with which the Sarajevo City Administration will support the 49^th MESS with an amount of KM (BAM) 80,000. As it was pointed out during the signing ceremony, this grant is yet another example of the City's continued support of the Festival since 1997, when the Festival was re-established.

“When the Festival was established back in 1960, the City of Sarajevo was one of its founders. For this reason, we need to point out that we have, along with the Sarajevo Film Festival and the Jazz Fest, been given the support of the city, at a time when a cultural institution in Mostar is dying out”, said Dino Mustafić, stressing that what was happening in Mostar is an example of an anti-civilizational approach of the government towards a cultural institution, yet unseen in our region. “I hope that, by receiving this support from the City, MESS can serve as an example of how the authorities, when there is a will, can support institutions in the field of culture, since, notwithstanding the recession and the decreased budget of the City of Sarajevo, the city authorities have increased their grant to MESS in comparison to 2008.”

Mayor Behmen also pointed out that the MESS should remain a Festival that “wakes us from our lethargy”, and stressed that this Festival, along with other festivals in the city, deserves to be supported, as it is “the source of the cultural milieu in Bosnia and Herzegovina”. At the end, Mayor Behmen also expressed a hope that support for the MESS Festival next year would be even stronger.

The 49^th MESS International Theatre Festival will be held in Sarajevo between 16 and 26 October 2009, and will host over 500 theatre professionals from 13 countries.