The double 54th and 55th edition of Bitef is taking place 13-25 September in Belgrade, with the participation of twelve productions from nine countries in the main programme. Under the slogan "Edge of the Future", the thematic focus of the festival is posthumanism, in the context of a vision of the world that could in the future be less anthropocentric, among other things because of the environmental disasters that we ourselves are responsible for. In the first days of the festival, Ersan Mondtag, Sebastijan Horvat, Philippe Quesne, Amanda Piña, and Miloš Lolić presented their works to the Belgrade audience. In the latter half of the festival the programme will include productions related to the aesthetic (formal) focus of the festival, which explore various forms of dehumanisation of the performers on stage, from choreographic procedure to the use of robots and drones on stage, and ultimately - the absence of the performers from the stage.
Serbian artist Dragana Bulut will present the show Future Fortune, coproduced by the author and the HAU theatre from Berlin, which addresses perspectives of the control and projection of our future, with the participation of a humanoid robot as the only "performer". Future Fortune will have four performances, at 18:00h and 21:00h on September 21 and 22, at Bitef Teatar.
Also on September 21 and 22, at 21:00h, the I Put a Spell On You choreography by Iranian artist Ehsan Hemat will be performed at Atelje 212. In cooperation with the performers' fourth "partner" overseeing the dancers, the actually present and active drone, this choreography articulates one of the main problems of the modern world, one that is growing increasingly distant from the humanistic ideals and is turning toward authoritarianism: technological and media control and manipulation.
Until the end of the festival:
The performance of Conference of the Absent, by the Rimini Protokoll company, is also highly anticipated, at 20:00h on September 23 and at 15:00h and 20:00h on September 24. In this production the performers are audience members who are invited to take part and stand in for experts at the international conference who are not physically present. This is a project that offers imaginative responses related to international guest appearances and contemplation in the direction of reducing carbon footprints. Until the end of Bitef the audience will also be able to see the As if the End Were Not Quite Near project by Nikola Zavišić and Maja Pelević, The Cherry Orchard in the Cherry Orchard Zoom show by Bobo Jelčić, and Franck Vigroux's performance-installation Flesh.
Club of supporting friends
"I think it is very important for companies to actively participate in and launch projects that address current social issues. I believe that we make major changes in a positive direction only by means of joint action."
We spoke with Suzana Berić, Director of Brand Strategy and Marketing Communications at the Telekom Srbija company, about the importance of the collaboration between the cultural sector and companies, as well as the burning issues related to preserving the environment, which is the focus of this year's edition of Bitef. Read the entire interview HERE.
TICKET SALES
Tickets are available through the website www.bitef.rs . Online purchase receives 10% discount. If unable to make online purchase, you can buy the tickets at Bitef BOX OFFICE in Kombank dvorana, on the first floor (Nikola Pašić Square).
Contact: [email protected], +381 69 899 24 00
Box office working hours:
From 13th - 25th September: 11am - 3pm daily, and one hour before each performance at the venue box office.
Payment method at the box office:
• Cash
• Payment through bank transfer (pro-forma invoice issued at the request of the beneficiary)
Covid-19 unforeseen circumstances and the right to changes
Bitef programme is organized in compliance with all coronavirus protection measures. The number of tickets released for sale is in line with the current epidemic situation and current protection measures. In case of an unfavourable situation and change of measures, Bitefreserves the right to change the programme and conditions determined when buying tickets. There may be changes in the numbering of purchased tickets or cancellation of tickets with a refund. All possible changes will be published on the festival's website and social networks.
We appeal to a high level of individual responsibility and solidarity of each person and we count on your understanding and patience, so that we can all be safe and secure.
The festival is traditionally supported by the City of Belgrade Secretariat for Culture and the Ministry of Culture and Information of the Republic of Serbia, as well as Delegation of the European Union to Serbia. Our long-term associates are the Goethe Institute, and the French Institute in Serbia, with support from Teatroskop - the regional program for performing arts of the French Institute in Paris and the French Ministry of Culture. Once again, this year Bitef's partner and friend is I&F Group, within which the festival's creative agency McCann Belgrade operates. The partners yet again are MTS, Erste Bank a.d. Novi Sad, and long-standing friend of the festival Coca-Cola Hellenic Serbia.
