16– 19 FEBRUARY 2017 | YOUTH CULTURAL CENTER, SKOPJE
PlayUK is a truly unique event that celebrates British film. From 16 to 19 February 2017, for the first time audiences in six Western Balkans cities came together to watch ten film premieres by British authors who are getting a lot of attention at the word’s most relevant film festivals.
Starting from T2 Trainspotting at the event opening, thousands of passionate film-goers experienced the best of contemporary UK feature and documentary films over four days. Have a look at the full programme.
FESTIVAL FORMAT
With its strong influence on our everyday lives, the way we speak and joke, UK cinema has been a unique phenomenon in the global contemporary culture for decades. Such a phenomenon deserves a peculiar format. We ran PlayUK in six different cities in the Western Balkans simultaneously, screening ten film premieres at exactly same times in Belgrade, Podgorica, Prizren, Sarajevo, Skopje and Tirana – spreading UK film buzz over the whole Western Balkans region.
PROGRAMME FOCUS
Thematically, in its first edition PlayUK had many layers. As the world is going through rapid changes, politics are introducing new formats of relations within the whole planet, our goal was to include films that celebrate human resilience and ability to find answers and solutions in difficult situations.
Another layer of our celebration was related to the strong influence UK music has in this part of the world. That’s why we screened a number of films that focus on music, music bands, their legacy and their impact on our societies. Clearly, it’s the reason we decided to open the event with T2 Trainspotting that reunited the original characters from one of the most influential films of the 1990s.
Finally, PlayUK praised film as an art form, a medium adaptable to changes initiated by new technology. Film is always changing and finding its way to continue bringing audiences together. This is something PlayUK proved once more.
BELGRADE | PODGORICA | PRIZREN | SARAJEVO | SKOPJE | TIRANA
