Bašta Fest is an international short fiction film festival held in Bajina Bašta, Western Serbia. It is an annual event that takes place during the first weekend of July and it lasts for four days. Due to the profession of the founders (actors Jovan Jelisavčić and Maja Šuša), the festival's main point of interest is a collaboration between directors and actors. We believe that focusing on the quality of that joint artistic effort will have a positive impact on the positioning of Bašta Fest among short film festivals. Bašta Fest is of great importance for the decentralization of culture since it has brought diverse film, music and off programs to this beautiful region. One of the priorities of the festival is to promote incredible natural beauty to a large number of visitors.
Nevertheless, our primary goal is to convert this festival into an exciting cultural oasis, which supports local and international young artists, putting emphasis on short fiction films with authenticity. The main selection is a competition short film program. Two films are screened as a part of a non-competition, special program every year - one during the opening and one during the closing ceremony. The last to be screened is a debut feature film from the Balkan region, chosen by the Bašta Fest team as the most successful one of the previous year. The entrance to all screenings at Bašta is free of charge, and they are always being held under the open night skies. There are currently four official festival locations: Borići Park, "Dušan Jerković" square, the cinema "Vlaja" and Lake Perućac.

Awards & Prizes

The main selection is a competitive film program, and it is being chosen by the festival programmer and art director Maja Šuša. A three-member jury of film authors and artists gives statuettes and diplomas. The awards are given for Best Film (Golden Imagination), Best Actor, and Best Actress (Golden Interpretation) and two special mentions. Youth Jury also awards a prize for the Best film (Youth Jury prize), and their participation in the program encourages and cultivates the responsible critical approach of high-school students.

Rules & Terms

Bašta Fest is an international short fiction film festival, which means that to be selected for the competition program, you may only apply fiction films up to 30 minutes. Applicants must be produced within the last two years (i.e. not be older than 2023). Keep in mind that the festival pays special attention to the collaboration between the director and actors, thus when choosing films, priority will be given to those with authentic acting achievements.
11 Reviews
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  • Miloš Živanović

    Thank you, Bašta Fest, for the warm welcome, great atmosphere and inspiring days in Bajina Bašta.
    It was an honor to receive the Young Jury Award for The Best Film. Hope to see you again soon! Good luck!

    November 2025
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  • Tamara Tasic

    We had our world premiere at Bašta Fest and couldn't ask for a better place and a festival to premiere our film in Serbia! Bašta Fest is a welcoming community of film workers that grows each year, people bond organically while cruising through the Perućac lake or swimming at the seaside like scenery at Zaovine lake. The team behind the festival has attention for details like creating and sending postcards from Basta fest. What makes this festival an even richer experience is Basta pitch, an opportunity for young filmmakers to pitch their short film and win a small award! Even if you're not participating, it's good to come and listen & learn how other shapes and pitch their ideas with the help of their talented mentors :) Coming next year for sure :)

    July 2024
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  • Carys Evans

    Thank you team Bašta! Myself and director were sadly unable to attend for the screening of our film You Land, but our lead actor, Anna Russel-Martin, was warmly welcomed to the festival and had the most incredible experience meeting the team, fellow guests and attendees. We hope to come back with our next film!

    July 2024
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    Response from festival:

    Dear Carys, thank you for your review :) We are happy that we had the opportunity to welcome Anna and Megan and that they had a great time at our festival! We are waiting for your new films.

  • Gargantua Film Distribution

    Thanks so much for screening our films! Very nice festival!

    July 2023
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  • Bartosz Reetz

    Thank you very much for inviting me to the festival and for selecting my short film "Tramway". It was fantastic! A wonderful festival in Serbia in a small town in a beautiful region. Maja, Jovan and the rest of the team do a great job. Highly recommended!

    July 2022
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