Džada Film Fest

Džada Film Fest takes its name from the local word for "street" — and that is exactly where it happens. This open-air festival of debut films, led by director Nina Lončar, brings cinema out of the theatres and onto the streets of Podgorica. In 2025 it celebrated its 10th edition, and it returns for its 11th from 31 August to 6 September 2026.

The setting does much of the work. Podgorica, Montenegro's capital on the plain where its rivers meet, lives outdoors at the end of summer: the worst of the heat has passed, cafe terraces stay full late into the night, and the streets already feel like shared living space. Džada simply makes that official, turning ordinary corners of the city into auditoriums after dark.

The anniversary programme screened 34 films, including 22 shorts, from 18 countries — all first works by emerging filmmakers. Around the screenings the festival built a full week of city life: a children's programme, two concerts and a special exhibition marking ten years of the festival.

Watching a debut film on a warm September night, seated in the middle of a street that normally carries traffic, is a distinctly Podgorica experience — informal, communal and free. The festival has become a launching pad for new voices in regional cinema and a fixture of the capital's early autumn. Because everything happens in the open and costs nothing, the audiences are wonderfully mixed: passers-by stop and stay, families come for the daytime children's screenings, and film lovers settle in for the whole week.

Backed by the EU Delegation to Montenegro and the French Institute, all screenings and events are free of charge. The festival is annual and takes place on the streets and squares of Podgorica, with the 2026 edition running from 31 August to 6 September.