Juventafest

Last updated
Juventafest
Juventafest.jpg
Location Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina
Founded2013
Founded by Jasna Diklić
SelectorAsja Krsmanović
Festival dateSeptember
Website www.juventafest.ba

Juventafest is an annual international theater festival held in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, that celebrates youth theater. [1] The festival typically takes place in September and showcases performances by young theater artists from Bosnia and Herzegovina and other countries. Known for its focus on creative exploration and social themes, Juventafest has become an important platform for young performers, directors, and theater professionals. [2] Since its inception, the festival has contributed to Sarajevo’s reputation as a city of culture and artistic expression. [3]

Contents

History

Juventafest was established in 2013 by a group of Bosnian theatre professionals headed by acclaimed actress Jasna Diklić to promote youth theater and provide a collaborative platform for young artists from diverse backgrounds. [4] Organized by the Juventafest Association, the festival emphasizes the development of theater skills and encourages young people to express themselves through art. The festival’s founders believed that fostering young talent in theater would help enrich the cultural landscape of Sarajevo while providing a space for young people to engage with challenging social issues through creative performance. [5]

Over the years, Juventafest has grown both in scope and reputation, attracting theater troupes from across Europe and beyond. It has established itself as one of the leading youth theater festivals in the Balkans, with an ever-increasing number of participants and audience members. [6]

Mission

The mission of Juventafest, as stated in its charter, is to empower young people through theater and promote intercultural exchange and cooperation among youth from different countries. The festival aims to:

Support Youth Theater: By showcasing the work of young theater groups, Juventafest encourages creativity, innovation, and exploration in the performing arts. [7]

Address Social Issues: Many of the performances tackle relevant social themes, such as identity, mental health, discrimination, and human rights, offering a platform for youth to voice their perspectives. [8]

Encourage Education and Training: The festival provides workshops, masterclasses, and panel discussions led by experienced theater professionals, allowing young artists to develop their skills and deepen their understanding of theater. [9]

Foster International Collaboration: Juventafest brings together theater troupes from various countries, promoting dialogue and collaboration across cultural and linguistic boundaries. [10]

Events and Program

Juventafest typically spans several days, with an extensive program that includes performances, workshops, masterclasses, and panel discussions. These events take place at various venues across Sarajevo, including established theaters, cultural centers, and open-air spaces. [11]

1. Theater Performances

• The core of Juventafest is the performances staged by youth theater groups. These performances showcase a wide range of styles and themes, often reflecting the social concerns and artistic sensibilities of young people. Productions include dramas, comedies, experimental theater, and adaptations of classic works.

2. Workshops and Masterclasses [12]

• Led by theater professionals from Bosnia and Herzegovina and abroad, these sessions allow participants to learn various aspects of theater, such as acting, directing, movement, voice, stage design, and dramaturgy. The workshops aim to enhance young artists’ technical skills and inspire them to push the boundaries of their creative expression.

3. Panel Discussions and Roundtables [13]

• These discussions provide a forum for participants and audience members to explore relevant topics in theater and youth culture. Panel discussions often focus on the role of theater in addressing social issues, the challenges faced by young artists, and the future of youth theater.

4. Awards and Recognitions [14]

• Juventafest concludes with an award ceremony to honor outstanding performances and achievements. Categories may include Best Performance, Best Actor/Actress, Best Director, and Audience Award. The awards are meant to recognize artistic excellence and encourage young artists in their careers. [15]

Venues

Performances and events at Juventafest are held in multiple venues throughout Sarajevo [16] , including:

Cultural and Social Impact

Juventafest has had a significant impact on Sarajevo’s cultural life by promoting youth engagement in the arts. The festival provides young people with a voice, encouraging them to tackle complex social issues through the medium of theater. Additionally, Juventafest promotes cultural tourism in Sarajevo, drawing visitors from various countries and enhancing the city’s image as a cultural hub. [17]

The festival’s focus on youth theater and socially conscious themes has fostered a sense of community among young artists, educators, and audiences. Juventafest not only helps develop the next generation of theater professionals but also raises awareness of the power of the arts in addressing social and cultural issues. By hosting international participants, the festival promotes intercultural dialogue and understanding, creating an environment in which young people can learn from one another and broaden their perspectives. [18]

Notable Performances and Participants

Over the years, Juventafest has hosted numerous youth theater groups from countries such as Croatia, Serbia, Montenegro, Slovenia, Austria, Germany, and beyond. Notable performances have addressed a range of issues, including:

Financing

As a non-profit organization, Juventafest faces challenges related to funding and sponsorship. The festival relies on support from government agencies, cultural organizations, and private sponsors. [20] Financial constraints have at times limited the festival’s ability to expand its program or invite more international participants. Despite these challenges, the festival organizers remain committed to growing Juventafest as a premier platform for youth theater. [21]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sarajevo Film Festival</span> Film festival held in Bosnia and Herzegovina

The Sarajevo Film Festival is the premier and largest film festival in Southeast Europe, and is one of the largest film festivals in Europe. It was founded in Sarajevo in 1995 during the siege of Sarajevo in the Bosnian War, and brings international and local celebrities to Sarajevo every year. It is held in August and showcases an extensive variety of feature and short films from around the world. The current director of the festival is Jovan Marjanović.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sarajevo War Theatre</span>

The Sarajevo War Theatre is a theatre in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina. It was founded on 17 May 1992 on the initiative of Dubravko Bibanović, Gradimir Gojer, Đorđe Mačkić and Safet Plakalo during the Siege of Sarajevo. It was a gathering place for theatre professionals and Academy of Performing Arts students for the duration of the war. Today, it is a commercial theatre and the premium experimental showcase in Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is one of the venues for the MESS International Theatre Festival and the sole venue for the Open University of Sarajevo.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jasmila Žbanić</span> Bosnian filmmaker (born 1974)

Jasmila Žbanić is a Bosnian film director, screenwriter and producer. She has received numerous accolades, including nominations for the Academy Award and two BAFTA Awards. Žbanić has also won the Golden Bear at the Berlin Film Festival and has been nominated for the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2019 European Youth Olympic Winter Festival</span> 2019 edition of the European Youth Olympic Winter Festival

The 2019 European Youth Olympic Winter Festival was held in Sarajevo & Istočno Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina from 10 to 15 February 2019.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zlatko Topčić</span> Bosnian and Herzegovinian screenwriter, playwright and novelist

Zlatko Topčić is a Bosnian screenwriter, playwright and novelist. He has written a number of films, including: Remake, The Abandoned, Miracle in Bosnia; theater plays: Time Out, I Don't Like Mondays, Refugees; novels: The Final Word, Dagmar, June 28, 1914.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jazz Fest Sarajevo</span>

The Jazz Fest Sarajevo is an international music festival held annually during the first week of November in Sarajevo and is the largest of its kind in Southeastern Europe.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maja Milinković</span> Bosnian fado singer and songwriter (born 1981)

Maja Milinković is a Bosnian fado singer and songwriter, born in Sarajevo, the capital of SR Bosnia and Herzegovina.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">MESS (festival)</span>

The MESS International Theatre Festival (MESS) is a theatre festival that takes place annually in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is the oldest living theatre festival in the Balkans, programming international experimental performances and emerging artists. MESS was the largest theatre festival in the Former Yugoslavia and was named one of Living Theatre's international showcases in 1974. It survived the Siege of Sarajevo, during which it hosted directors such as Susan Sontag and Peter Schumann. It organized the first edition of the Sarajevo Film Festival in 1993 and still acts as a collective board member today. Today it is the largest theatre festival in Bosnia and Herzegovina and one of the largest in South-Eastern Europe. In 2009 it expanded its activities to the city of Zenica, which now hosts parts of the regional program.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sarajevo Irish Festival</span> Annual cultural event

The Sarajevo Irish Festival is an annual festival held in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina that celebrates Irish culture. The festival was established in 2015 and is held for three days around and including St. Patrick's Day. It was founded by Irish expatriates in Bosnia and Herzegovina in cooperation with the Bosnian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Culture Ireland. The festival hosts Irish theatre companies, screens Irish films and organizes concerts of Irish folk musicians. The festival has hosted numerous Irish artists, filmmakers, theatre directors and musicians such as Conor Horgan, Ailis Ni Riain, Dermot Dunne, Mick Moloney, Chloë Agnew and others.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">VIVA Film Festival</span>

The VIVA Film Festival is an annual documentary and short film festival that is based in Sarajevo and in 19 cities in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The festival showcases international films with ecological,natural hereligious,touristic themes, as well as youth-made films. It was established by an international team of film professionals, environmentalists, diplomats, religious leaders and scholars that includes former US Vice President Al Gore, Bosnian archeologist Semir Osmanagić and others, with the purpose of promoting inter-religious dialogue, the preservation of the environment and ecotourism.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pravo Ljudski Film Festival</span>

The Pravo Ljudski Film Festival is an annual human rights documentary film festival held in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina. The name translates to Totally Human. It was established in 2006 with the goal of promoting socially engaged non-fictional audiovisual projects, dedicated to the development of critical spectatorship through socially engaged documentaries and independent art cinema. It is held for two weeks in November. The festival has developed an independent non-profit civic association under the same name. It is the largest festival of its kind in Southeastern Europe.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sarajevo International Guitar Festival</span>

The Sarajevo International Guitar Festival is an international multi-day classical guitar music festival which annually takes place in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina. It was established in 2011 and is the only festival of its kind in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Since 2017 it is a full-member of EuroStrings. The festival has hosted numerous international names such as Margarita Escarpa, Rovshan Mamedkuliev, Sérgio Assad, Juanjo Domínguez, Le Trio Joubran, Roland Dyens, Dušan Bogdanović, Yorgos Foudoulis, Petar Čulić, Hubert Käppel, Pablo Márquez and others.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">International Center for Children and Youth</span>

The International Center for Children and Youth is a cultural and arts center located in the Novo Sarajevo municipality, Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina. It was constructed in 1961 and was originally named the Vaso Pelagić Cultural Center after Vasa Pelagić, the 19th century Bosnian Serb writer, physician, educator, clergyman, nationalist and a proponent of utopian socialism. The center was heavily devastated during the Bosnian war and was subsequently renovated in 1997. In 2001 the center was expanded, rebranded and reestablished as the International Center for Children and Youth.

The Sarajevo Youth Theatre is a children's and youth theatre in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina. It was founded in 1950 under the name Pioneer Theatre. It is the largest theatre of its kind in the country.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Street art in Sarajevo</span>

Sarajevo, the capital of Bosnia and Herzegovina has gained international notoriety for its diverse range of street art and associated subcultures. The city has a long history of street art that was first tied to various subcultures in the 1970s and 1980s. During the Bosnian war political and anti-war street art was one of the main artistic focal points of the besieged city. Today, Sarajevo is a European center for street art and hosts two international festivals dedicated to the art form.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bosnian Cultural Center</span> National cultural center in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina

The Bosnian Cultural Center is a national cultural center located in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina. The center was established in 1966 and is housed in a former synagogue built in the Moorish Revival architectural style. The center is run as a public institution by the Sarajevo Canton.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jurislav Korenić</span> Yugoslav theatre and television director

Jurislav Korenić was a Yugoslav theater and television director, classical musician, theorist, art critic and playwright. He founded the Chamber Theater 55 and the MESS Festival, of which he was the director. He is one of the founders of the Bosnian National Theater in Zenica. He was engaged in political theater and cabaret and was the first to direct a musical in Bosnia and Herzegovina, as well as the first to stage the works of Bertolt Brecht. He modernized the Sarajevo Opera and directed the most performed play in the history of Bosnian theatre - Ljubav. He is one of the most deserving Croats in Bosnia and Herzegovina for theater art and culture and co-authored one of the most popular Bosnian television series of all time, Karađoz.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bookstan</span> Literary festival

Bookstan is an annual international literary festival held in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, celebrating literature, culture, and intellectual exchange. Launched in 2016, the festival attracts authors, publishers, critics, translators, and literary enthusiasts from around the world, with a focus on authors and themes relevant to the Balkan region and Southeast Europe. Bookstan has established itself as a central event for literary dialogue in Bosnia and Herzegovina, promoting the values of literature as a unifying and transformative force.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Open Stage Obala</span> Theatre in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina

Open Stage Obala is an alternative theatre affiliated with the Academy of Performing Arts in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina. It serves as both a teaching venue and a platform for presenting student projects from acting, directing, and dramaturgy exams, as well as hosting professional theater productions and film screenings.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jelićeva Theatre</span> Theatre in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina

The JU Center for Culture and Youth of the Center Municipality Sarajevo, commonly known as the Jelićeva Theatre, established by the Center Municipality in 1965, is an institution focused on enriching the lives of children, youth, and adults through a range of cultural and educational programs, with a particular emphasis on theatre and the performing arts.

References

  1. ↑ "Sarajevo / "Razredni neprijatelj" dramskog studija INK pobjednik 5. Juventafesta". Radio Sarajevo.
  2. ↑ "Dodijeljene nagrade 5. Juventafesta". fena.ba.
  3. ↑ "Peti Juventafest: Interesuje li nas šta mladi kažu o društvenim problemima?". oslobodjenje.ba.
  4. ↑ "Večeras dodjela nagrada Juventafesta". klix.ba.
  5. ↑ "Dodijeljene nagrade 5. Juventafesta". fena.ba.
  6. ↑ "Večeras dodjela nagrada Juventafesta". klix.ba.
  7. ↑ "Sarajevo / "Razredni neprijatelj" dramskog studija INK pobjednik 5. Juventafesta". Radio Sarajevo.
  8. ↑ "Sarajevo / "Razredni neprijatelj" dramskog studija INK pobjednik 5. Juventafesta". Radio Sarajevo.
  9. ↑ "Sarajevo / "Razredni neprijatelj" dramskog studija INK pobjednik 5. Juventafesta". Radio Sarajevo.
  10. ↑ "Sarajevo / "Razredni neprijatelj" dramskog studija INK pobjednik 5. Juventafesta". Radio Sarajevo.
  11. ↑ "Peti Juventafest: Interesuje li nas šta mladi kažu o društvenim problemima?". oslobodjenje.ba.
  12. ↑ "Prezentacijom radionica i dodjelom nagrada večeras se zatvara 9. Juventafest". klix.ba.
  13. ↑ "Prezentacijom radionica i dodjelom nagrada večeras se zatvara 9. Juventafest". klix.ba.
  14. ↑ "Omladinsko pozorište Bileća pobjednik 12. internacionalnog festivala Juventafesta". Klix.ba.
  15. ↑ "Drugog dana Juventafesta predstave poslale snažne poruke, večeras na programu "Ožiljci" i "Utopija"". klix.ba.
  16. ↑ "Omladinsko pozorište Bileća pobjednik 12. internacionalnog festivala Juventafesta". Klix.ba.
  17. ↑ "U srijedu otvaranje 11. izdanja Juventafesta". klix.ba.
  18. ↑ "Drugog dana Juventafesta predstave poslale snažne poruke, večeras na programu "Ožiljci" i "Utopija"". klix.ba.
  19. ↑ "Predstava "Mali Agaton" večeras otvara deveti Juventafest". Klix.ba.
  20. ↑ "Glumica Daria Lorenci Flatz članica žirija 9. Juventafesta". klix.ba.
  21. ↑ "BHAAAS supports theater festival Juventafest". bhaaas.org.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.