Herceg Novi Film Festival - Montenegro Film Festival

Overview

The Herceg Novi Film Festival - Montenegro Film Festival (FFHN) is the largest and most significant film festival in Montenegro and one of the most important in Southeast Europe. The 39th edition will run August 22 to 28, 2026. The 38th edition ran August 23 to 29, 2025, screening more than 60 films across three competitive selections and review programs. The festival is organized by the Public Cultural Institution Herceg-fest, with patrons including the Ministry of Culture and Media of Montenegro and the Municipality of Herceg Novi.

In 2025, FFHN received official FIAPF accreditation from the International Federation of Film Producers Associations, joining the global network of the world's most recognized international film festivals. The accreditation process lasted nearly a year and included submission of detailed documentation and an on-site visit by FIAPF representatives. FFHN was one of five new festivals to receive FIAPF accreditation in 2025, and the only one from the Balkan region. This places FFHN alongside festivals like Cannes, Venice, Berlin, and Locarno in the FIAPF network.

The festival's artistic director is playwright Stevan Koprivica. The feature film competition selector is journalist and film critic Vuk Perovic. The documentary program is curated by director Vladimir Perovic. The student program selector is director Sara Stijović.

Screenings are held at open-air venues across Herceg Novi that become cinemas during the festival: the Kanli Kula fortress, the Forte Mare fortress, Mića Pavlović Square, and the garden of the House of Nobel laureate Ivo Andrić. These historic settings, combining medieval fortifications with the Bay of Kotor backdrop, are a defining feature of the festival experience.

Submission Details

The festival accepts submissions for its competitive sections. Submission information is available through the festival website at filmfestival.me.

The festival does not publicly list submission fees on its main website. Filmmakers should contact the festival directly or monitor the website for submission calls. The feature film competition is curated by selector Vuk Perovic, meaning films are typically invited rather than selected through open submission.

Competition Sections

• Feature-Length Fiction Film Competition - the main competitive section, programmed by selector Vuk Perovic. The 2025 edition screened 11 films from Balkan countries. A five-member jury of renowned film directors and authors awards the Golden Mimosa prizes
• Documentary Film Competition - curated by Vladimir Perovic. Awards include Best Documentary and a Special Documentary Award. The 2025 Best Documentary went to "Vibrations from Gaza" (Rehab Nazzal, Palestine), with a Special Documentary Award to "Autobiography of My Diabetes" (Matthew Lancit, France/Canada)
• Student Film Competition - curated by Sara Stijović. A three-member jury awards the Golden Mimosa for Best Student Film and two special mentions. Screenings are held at Mića Pavlović Square in the Old Town
• TV Nisa - a section introduced in 2024 presenting the latest regional television series productions, including projects in development by young Montenegrin authors supported by the Film Center of Montenegro in cooperation with Television of Montenegro
• Kino Evropa - a non-competitive program presenting recent notable European cinema to Montenegrin audiences
• Adriatic Region Festival Network - a collaborative program with the Sarajevo Film Festival, Zagreb Film Festival, and Belgrade Auteur Film Festival, presenting selected films across all four festivals

Awards and Prizes

The festival's awards are named the Golden Mimosa (Zlatna mimoza), after the mimosa flower that grows abundantly in the Herceg Novi area. The complete list of awards:

Feature Film Competition:

• Grand Prix - Golden Mimosa for Best Film - the top prize. The 2025 winner was "DJ Ahmet" (dir. Georgi M Unkovski, North Macedonia/Czech Republic/Serbia/Croatia)
• Golden Mimosa for Best Director - 2025: Nikola Lezaić for "How Come It's All Green Out Here?" (Serbia/Croatia/Bulgaria)
• Golden Mimosa for Best Screenplay - 2025: Stefan Bosković for "Otter" (Montenegro/Bosnia and Herzegovina/Italy/Croatia/Kosovo)
• Golden Mimosa for Best Female Role - 2025: Anica Dobra and Lea Cok (ex aequo) for "Whites Wash at Ninety" (Slovenia/Serbia/Croatia/Italy/Montenegro/North Macedonia)
• Golden Mimosa for Best Male Role - 2025: Andrija Kuzmanović for "Yugo Florida" (Serbia/Montenegro/Bulgaria/Croatia)
• Special Jury Award - 2025: "15 and a Half" (dir. Miso Obradović, Montenegro)
• Zivko Nikolić Award for Special Contribution to Film Expression - 2025: "Wondrous Is the Silence of My Master" (dir. Ivan Salatić, Montenegro/Italy/France/Croatia/Serbia)
• Zoran Zivković Award for Best Production - 2025: "Tower of Strength" (dir. Nikola Vukčević, Montenegro/Serbia/Croatia/Germany)

Student Film Competition:

• Golden Mimosa for Best Student Film
• Two Jury Special Mentions

Other Awards:

• Adriatic Audience Award - voted by audiences at the Sarajevo, Zagreb, Belgrade, and Herceg Novi festivals
• FEDEORA Award - awarded by the Federation of Film Critics of the Mediterranean and Adriatic regions. The 2025 winner was "Little Trouble Girls" (dir. Urska Djukić, Slovenia/Italy/Croatia/Serbia)
• Milan Zmukić Award for Contribution to the Festival

Montenegro Film Rendezvous

The Montenegro Film Rendezvous is the festival's industry program, organized in cooperation with the Film Center of Montenegro. The 2026 edition will be the third iteration. The program brings together filmmakers, producers, selectors, and film professionals from across the region for industry days focused on new partnerships and co-productions. This segment has become an increasingly important platform for connecting the regional film industry and exchanging professional experiences.

The industry days are particularly relevant for filmmakers working in Balkan co-productions. Montenegro's film industry is small but growing, with the Film Center of Montenegro providing development support for both features and television series. The Rendezvous is the primary domestic networking opportunity for international producers seeking Montenegrin co-production partners.

Festival History

The Herceg Novi Film Festival was founded in 1987 and has run for over three decades, making it one of the longest-running festivals in the Balkan region. The festival operated through the Yugoslav era and continued through the dissolution of Yugoslavia and Montenegro's independence in 2006. The festival evolved from its Yugoslav-era origins into a national platform for Montenegrin cinema alongside a Balkan and regional program.

The festival's outdoor screening venues in medieval fortresses (Kanli Kula and Forte Mare) have been a defining characteristic since its early years. The 2025 FIAPF accreditation marked a significant institutional milestone, confirming that the festival meets international standards of quality and reliability and placing Montenegrin cinema on the global industry map.

Montenegro has a small but increasingly active national cinema. Recent Montenegrin films have achieved growing international recognition, including selections at major European festivals. The Film Center of Montenegro, established as the country's primary film funding body, has supported this growth through development grants and co-production financing.

What Filmmakers Should Know

The FIAPF accreditation in 2025 elevates FFHN's international standing. For Montenegrin filmmakers, this is the most important domestic platform and the primary opportunity for national visibility. The feature film competition focuses on Balkan and regional cinema, making it particularly relevant for filmmakers from the former Yugoslav states.

The Montenegro Film Rendezvous industry days are the festival's primary professional networking opportunity. For international producers seeking Montenegrin co-production partners or considering shooting in Montenegro, the Rendezvous provides direct access to local filmmakers, the Film Center of Montenegro, and regional producers. The 2026 edition will be the third iteration of this program.

The festival does not have an attached film market in the traditional sense (like EFM or Marche du Film). Acquisition deals are not a primary function. The festival's value lies in regional industry networking, audience reach in the Balkans, and the prestige of FIAPF accreditation.

The TV Nisa section, introduced in 2024, reflects the growing importance of television series production in the region. For filmmakers working in episodic content, this section provides a rare festival platform for series projects in development.

The outdoor screening venues in Herceg Novi's historic fortresses create a distinctive festival experience. The August timing places the festival in peak Mediterranean summer, with warm evenings ideal for open-air screenings. Filmmakers attending in person should book accommodation early, as Herceg Novi is a popular tourist destination in August.

See Also

Calculate your total festival submission costs and projected return using the Festival ROI Calculator. Estimate your acceptance probability with the Festival Acceptance Odds Estimator. For festival circuit strategy and planning, see Film Festival Strategy. For understanding the Balkan film market and regional co-productions, see International Film Markets. Visit the festival website for current submission information and the Film Center of Montenegro for co-production funding details.