UnderhillFest

UnderhillFEST is Podgorica's premier documentary film festival, named after its home: the open-air setting of Njegošev park, literally "under the hill" of Gorica that rises above the city centre. The festival returns for its 18th edition in June 2027, after the 17th edition ran from 9 to 17 June 2026 at the basketball court in Njegošev park, opening with "Planina" (The Mountain), the Sundance-winning documentary.

June is the month when Podgorica, Montenegro's capital on the plain where rivers meet, moves its whole life outdoors. The days are hot, but after sunset the squares and cafe terraces fill up, and Njegošev park — green, central and shaded beneath Gorica hill — becomes a natural gathering place. An open-air cinema here feels less like a staged event and more like the city doing what it already does on summer nights, with films added.

Each June the amphitheatre screens a carefully curated slate of documentaries — 27 films across four selections in 2025 — with a strong emphasis on regional cinema and Montenegrin premieres. Directors and protagonists regularly join post-screening talks, turning each film into a conversation. Those talks give the week its character: this is a festival built for discussion as much as for viewing, and audiences tend to stay in their seats when the credits roll.

The setting is the festival's secret weapon. Films start after dark under the open summer sky, with the park's greenery around the open-air venue and the city humming just beyond. Concerts round out the programme — in 2025 the Slovenian singer-songwriter Zoran Predin performed — so evenings flow from cinema into music.

It is also one of the most affordable festivals in the country: a day ticket costs around 3 EUR, and the opening and closing nights are free. The festival is annual and held in Njegošev park in Podgorica; the 2026 edition ran from 9 to 17 June, and full details are published at underhillfest.me.