Herceg Novi Film Festival
Montenegro's national film festival – awards and premieres under the stars at Kanli kula fortress.
This event has ended
It returns every year – dates for the next edition haven't been announced yet.
Kanli Kula is the kind of cinema no multiplex complex can imitate: a fortress above the town, the night sky as a ceiling, and film lighting up the stone. The walls hold the day’s warmth into the evening, the sea glitters below, and the setting turns even a routine screening into a special event. Herceg Novi itself, climbing the hillside with stairways and gardens, is at its most beautiful on a late-August evening.
The festival is where Montenegro’s national film awards are decided, and its programme combines competition with regional premieres, all screened in the open air within the fortress walls. For filmmakers from Montenegro, the week carries real weight; for audiences, it is simply the best place in Montenegrin cinema.
An evening at the festival follows a simple ritual: the climb to the fortress as the light fades, the amphitheatre filling up, and a film beginning beside the stone as soon as darkness falls. Visitors can experience it as a single night out or follow the competition throughout the whole week.
For one week every August, Herceg Novi becomes the centre of Montenegrin film – a festival with real weight in the national film year and an unsurpassed setting for anyone who simply loves watching films in the open air.
The festival takes place in late August at Kanli Kula, Herceg Novi; the 2026 edition was held from 22 to 28 August. Screenings are ticketed at symbolic prices.
What to expect
Cinema in a fortress
Films screen in the open air at the Kanli kula fortress above Herceg Novi.
National film awards
The festival decides Montenegro's national film honours.
Regional premieres
New films from the region premiere under the night sky.
Symbolic ticket prices
Screenings are ticketed, but the prices are kept symbolic.
An evening ritual
The climb to the fortress at dusk and the amphitheatre filling under the open sky are part of the show.
One night or the week
Drop in for a single screening or follow the competition programme across the festival week.
What happens when
August 22 – 28, 2026
- Festival weekNightly open-air screenings at the Kanli kula fortress above the town
- CompetitionMontenegro's national film awards are decided across the week
- Also showingRegional premieres under the stars
Photos
Where it takes place
Where to Eat in Herceg Novi
Plan your stay
Herceg Novi – where to stay and how to get around
Live offers from local hosts on our booking platform. Nothing is charged online – you pay the host on site.
Booking requests are confirmed by the host; payment on site. Offers come from the Travel to Montenegro booking platform.
More events
What else is on in Montenegro around the same time.
MOD Fest
Two free days of films and panels on minority and identity themes in Podgorica.
Krtolijada
The third Krtolijada of Orjen Nature Park, on 18 October at Vrbanj above Herceg Novi: a walk on the Health Trail, a raštan cook-off and a potato relay race.
Autumn Folklore Festival
Regional folk ensembles, vocal groups and majorettes fill Herceg Novi over five free autumn days.