The 32nd Auteur Film Festival (FAF) returns to Belgrade from November 20 to 27, 2026, bringing together international auteurs, contemporary cinema, and new Serbian productions. This year, DSCENE joins the festival as an official media partner, supporting its programme and bringing its cinematic selections to an international audience.
EVENTS
Ahead of the festival, organisers have unveiled the visual identity for the 32nd edition, created by designer Dragana Krtinić, alongside two special programme announcements: Dreaming, the final film work of Yugoslav filmmaker Dušan Makavejev, and Tender Loving Care, the latest feature from acclaimed British director Mike Leigh.
A Visual Identity
Inspired by Cinema and Dreams
For this year’s visual campaign, Dragana Krtinić draws inspiration from Dušan Makavejev’s cinema, the Orient Express, and the idea of crime. Through collaged film frames, she constructs surreal compositions that explore the relationship between reality, imagination, and perception.
Train windows frame the imagery, positioning viewers as passengers observing scenes that shift between dreams and reality. Fragmented typography interrupts conventional graphic structures, while Helvetica provides a clean visual counterpoint to the photographic elements.
Dreamlike blue backgrounds, black-and-white imagery, and three recurring colours connect the posters into a sequence resembling train carriages. The repeated windows also reference the structure of a film strip.
Krtinić explains that the campaign explores the boundary between what we see, what we imagine, and how others perceive us. The train imagery introduces a cinematic perspective, transforming the festival’s visual identity into a sequence of connected scenes.
Dušan Makavejev’s Final Film
Work Opens the Festival
The opening ceremony takes place on Friday, November 20, at 7 PM, in the Grand Hall of mts Dvorana. Before the screening of Cristian Mungiu’s Fjord, audiences will see Dreaming, a short film by Dušan Makavejev.
Created in 1996, the film forms part of the omnibus Danish Girls Show Everything, which consists of 20 short segments directed by 19 filmmakers from different countries. Contributors include Krzysztof Zanussi, Monika Treut, Mika Kaurismäki, Mani Kaul, David Blair, Zhang Yuan, and Makavejev.
One of the most influential figures in Yugoslav cinema, Makavejev developed an unconventional approach that combined fiction, documentary techniques, political commentary, and provocative humour.
His 1965 feature debut, Man Is Not a Bird, established his distinctive filmmaking language. Subsequent works, including Love Affair, or the Case of the Missing Switchboard Operator, Innocence Unprotected, WR: Mysteries of the Organism, and Sweet Movie, earned him international recognition and a lasting place in the history of experimental and political cinema.
The presentation of Dreaming offers audiences an opportunity to revisit the director’s final contribution to film.
Mike Leigh Brings
Tender Loving Care to Belgrade
Another major addition to this year’s programme is Tender Loving Care, the latest film by British filmmaker Mike Leigh, scheduled for Wednesday, November 25, at 7 PM in the Grand Hall of mts Dvorana.
The story follows Amy and Rosie, two longtime friends working in social services who regularly encounter people in need of support. Their professional responsibilities unfold alongside personal difficulties involving family relationships, ageing parents, and the emotional demands of caring for others.
Leigh has suggested that Tender Loving Care could be his final film. His distinctive filmmaking process involves extensive rehearsals and improvisation with actors, allowing characters and relationships to develop through close collaboration.
The filmmaker received the Palme d’Or at Cannes for Secrets & Lies in 1996 and the Golden Lion at Venice for Vera Drake in 2004. His filmography includes Naked, Happy-Go-Lucky, and Mr. Turner.
Tender Loving Care received five awards at the 2026 San Sebastián International Film Festival.
An International Programme
and New Serbian Cinema
The 32nd FAF officially opens with Fjord, directed by Palme d’Or recipient Cristian Mungiu. The programme also includes Minotaur by Andrey Zvyagintsev, another filmmaker recognised with major awards at Cannes.
Serbian cinema occupies an important place in this year’s selection. Announced domestic premieres include 3 Weeks Later by Miroslav Terzić, In My Garden My Hand Takes Root by Boris Hadži and Hoda Taheri, and Until the End of the Day by Jelena Maksimović.
Also featured is The Black Ball (La bola negra), directed by Javier Calvo and Javier Ambrossi and produced by Pedro Almodóvar.
Together, these films reflect the festival’s continuing interest in distinctive authorial perspectives and filmmakers working across different cinematic traditions.
Three Special Screenings
Ahead of the Festival
FAF is also organising three advance screenings during November, offering audiences an early introduction to the festival’s programming.
The series begins on November 4 with Martin McDonagh’s Wild Horse Nine, followed by Nathan Fielder and Lance Oppenheim’s You Can See Everything on November 11, and Jordan Firstman’s Clubber on November 18.
All three screenings begin at 8 PM. The advance programme has already attracted considerable interest, with some screenings selling out ahead of the festival.
As an official media partner of the 32nd Auteur Film Festival, DSCENE will follow this year’s programme and its filmmakers, continuing our editorial focus on cinema, visual culture, and independent creative voices.
The 32nd Auteur Film Festival takes place in Belgrade from November 20 to 27, 2026. Further programme details and ticket information are available through faf.rs.
