24. 10. 2009.

23 October 2009 - The Official Ceremony to Award the “Marko Kovačević” Award for Theatre Criticism, Press Conference and Round Table of Discussion

The ceremony to present the “Marko Kovačević” Award for Theatre Criticism to Safet Plakalo was held on 23 October 2009 at the Sana Conference Room of the Bosna Hotel. Presenting this year’s award was its recipient last year, Ljiljana Mazov. Plakalo receives this award in recognition of this theatrical reviews published in the “Oslobođenje” daily newspaper during the 26^th Jajce Theatre festival.

At the regular MESS Press conference held on 23 October 2009, the Cooperazione Italiana organization, a guest at this year’s MESS, presented its activities. It is in cooperation with Cooperazione Italiana that MESS’s plays are, for the first time at this year’s Festival, being performed in Srebrenica. The press present at the conference were thus on this occasion addressed by Mersiha Behulović, coordinator of the Cooperazione Italiana programmes and by Nihad Kreševljaković, Executive Producer of the MESS Festival. Nihad Kreševljaković pointed out that it was the goal of the MESS Festival to expand its activities to other regions in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and that this was the third year that the MESS has enforced this practice. Mersiha Behulović then spoke briefly about the work of the Cooperazione Italiana, focusing in particular on the organization’s pilot project that promotes the development of communication in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and added that the organization covers all culturally and socially significant events and activities.

Alongside an introduction to the work of the Cooperazione Italiana, the gathering was also a chance to promote the Tmačaart magazine devoted to drama, theatre and education. The magazine was promoted by Sead Đulić and Ljubica Ostojić. Đulić pointed out that Tmačaart was the only magazine of theatre in Bosnia and Herzegovina, while Ljubica Ostojić promoted the upcoming issue of the magazine. The magazine was launched in 1998 and is currently printed in 600 copies per issue.  

The conference was also host to the cast of the play Flight, produced by the Zagreb Youth Theatre: Ksenija Marinković, Marica Vidušić-Vrdoljak and Urša Raukar. The press were also introduced to the directress and cast member of Will You Ever Be Happy Again, Sanja Mitrović, as well as actor Jochen Stechmann.

The critical roundtable that followed the conference at 12.00 at the Hotel Bosna was a chance to discuss specifically the productions of Flight and Will You Ever Be Happy Again. The discussion was moderated by Bojan Munjin, and alongside the cast of Flight, and directress and actress Sanja Mitrović, also taking an active part in the discussion were Borka Pavićević, Sulejman Bosto and Dino Mustafić. The cast of Flight compared the French and Zagreb productions of the play, and discussed the different and/or similar interpretations of the play in Sarajevo and Zagreb. Furthermore, speaking about the performance Will You Ever Be Happy Again, Sanja Mitrović emphasized the documentary background of the play’s storyline, and stated that it explored the ideas of responsibility, happiness and language.