U okviru programa „Kultura i kreativnost za Zapadni Balkan“, koji zajednički sprovode UNESCO, British Council i Italijanska agencija za razvojnu saradnju (AICS) pod pokroviteljstvom Evropske unije, odobren je projekat „CROSS BORDER LINK: Festivali u dijalogu“. Projekat realizuju Centar E8 i Reflektor teatar u partnerstvu sa East West Centrom iz Sarajeva.
Reč je o jednogodišnjem projektu osmišljenom u formi mentorske podrške koju East West Centar iz Sarajeva pruža Centru E8. Zajednički cilj projekta je razvoj i unapređenje Reflektor teatar festivala, koji je Centar E8 pokrenuo 2023. godine u Beogradu.
Reflektor teatar festival zamišljen je kao regionalni festival društveno angažovanog pozorišta, sa fokusom na produkcije sa nezavisne scene izvođačkih umetnosti i posebnim akcentom na mlade autore i autorke. Uzimajući u obzir činjenicu da East West Centar od 2019. godine uspešno organizuje Sarajevo Fest, festival posvećen umetničkom odgovoru na ključne društvene teme, naše dve organizacije prepoznale su zajednička interesovanja i prostor za saradnju.
Tokom 2025. godine, kroz implementaciju projekta „CROSS BORDER LINK: Festivali u dijalogu“, Sarajevo Fest i Reflektor teatar festival realizovaće niz zajedničkih programa i aktivnosti. Ove aktivnosti povezaće teme, ideje i publiku oba festivala, pružajući im veći značaj i prepoznatljivost u regionu.
Glavni povod za pokretanje ovog zajedničkog projekta jeste trideseta godišnjica Dejtonskog sporazuma, kojim je zvanično okončan rat u Bosni i Hercegovini. Tim povodom, Sarajevo Fest i Reflektor teatar festival organizovaće zajedničku konferenciju, simultano u dva grada, povezana putem video linka. Planirano je da na ovoj konferenciji učestvuje trideset panelista i panelistkinja iz oblasti kulture, umetnosti, ljudskih prava i tranzicione pravde, sa ciljem konstruktivnog suočavanja s prošlošću. Nakon konferencije, ključne teme i diskusije biće producirane u formi video serijala i dostupne najširoj publici na internetu.
Osim toga, dve organizacije razmeniće predstave. Predstava u produkciji East West Centra biće izvedena na Reflektor teatar festivalu u Beogradu, dok će predstava u produkciji Reflektor teatra i Centra E8 biti prikazana u okviru Sarajevo Festa.
Saradnja uključuje i razmenu umetnika. Na pratećem programu Sarajevo Festa, namenjenom mladim profesionalcima, učestvovaće dvoje umetnika_ca iz Reflektor teatra. Istovremeno, dvoje stručnjaka iz zajednice East West Centra učestvovaće u organizaciji Reflektor teatar festivala, s ciljem unapređenja organizacionih, produkcionih i umetničkih kapaciteta ovog festivala.
Tokom cele godine, timovi oba festivala redovno će se sastajati, zajednički organizovati i pohađati obuke i kurseve, pod vođstvom predstavnika_ca renomiranih evropskih festivala.
Projekat „CROSS BORDER LINK: Festivali u dijalogu“ prvenstveno ima za cilj jačanje kapaciteta Centra E8 i Reflektor teatra, uz unapređenje pozicije Reflektor teatar festivala na regionalnoj pozorišnoj sceni. Jednako važan cilj je okupljanje šire zajednice umetnika_ca, kreativaca_ki i intelektualaca_ki kako bismo odgovorili na pitanje: šta su donela tri decenije mira i da li se odnosi između Srbije i Bosne i Hercegovine danas kreću u pravcu održivog mira u regionu?
Za Centar E8 i Reflektor teatar, ovaj projekat ima poseban značaj jer pruža priliku za kontinuiranu saradnju sa jednom od najznačajnijih nezavisnih kulturnih organizacija, na prostoru bivše Jugoslavije. Istovremeno, ovaj projekat doprinosi većoj vidljivosti Sarajevo Festa u Beogradu i Srbiji, te omogućava unapređenje načina na koje kultura i umetnost mogu doprineti promociji mira i demokratije u regionu.
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English below
CROSS BORDER LINK: Festivals in Dialogue
A joint project by Centar E8 and East West Center, approved under the “Culture and Creativity for the Western Balkans” initiative.
Within the “Culture and Creativity for the Western Balkans” program, jointly implemented by UNESCO, the British Council, and the Italian Agency for Development and Cooperation (AICS) funded by European Union, the project “CROSS BORDER LINK: Festivals in Dialogue” has been approved. The project is being implemented by Centar E8 and Reflektor Theater in partnership with East West Center from Sarajevo.
This is a one-year project designed as a mentoring initiative through which the East West Center from Sarajevo provides support to Centar E8. The joint goal of the project is to develop and improve the Reflektor Theater Festival, launched by Centar E8 in Belgrade in 2023.
The Reflektor Theater Festival is envisioned as a regional festival of socially engaged theater, focusing on productions from the independent performing arts scene, with a special emphasis on young authors. Considering that the East West Center has successfully organized the Sarajevo Fest since 2019—a festival dedicated to artistic responses to key societal issues—our two organizations have identified common interests and opportunities for collaboration.
In 2025, through the implementation of the “CROSS BORDER LINK: Festivals in Dialogue” project, Sarajevo Fest and the Reflektor Theater Festival will host a series of joint programs and activities. These initiatives aim to connect the themes, ideas, and audiences of the two festivals, granting them greater significance and visibility across the region.
The primary motivation for launching this joint project is the 30th anniversary of the Dayton Agreement, which officially ended the war in Bosnia and Herzegovina. On this occasion, Sarajevo Fest and Reflektor Theater Festival will organize a joint conference simultaneously in two cities, connected via video link. The conference will bring together 30 panelists from the fields of culture, arts, human rights, and transitional justice, with the aim of fostering constructive engagement with the past. After the conference, key topics and discussions will be produced as a video series and made widely available online.
Additionally, the two organizations will exchange theater productions. A production by the East West Center will be showcased at the Reflektor Theater Festival in Belgrade, while a production by Reflektor Theater and Centar E8 will be performed at Sarajevo Fest.
The collaboration also includes an artist exchange. Two artists from Reflektor Theater will participate in a Sarajevo Fest side program dedicated to young professionals, while two experts from the East West Center will contribute to organizing the Reflektor Theater Festival, aiming to enhance its organizational, production, and artistic capacities.
Throughout the year, both festival teams will hold regular meetings, jointly organize and attend training sessions and workshops led by representatives of renowned European festivals.
The “CROSS BORDER LINK: Festivals in Dialogue” project primarily aims to strengthen the capacities of Centar E8 and Reflektor Theater while improving the positioning of the Reflektor Theater Festival on the regional theater map. Equally important is the opportunity to bring together a wider community of artists, creatives, and intellectuals to address the question: What have three decades of peace brought, and are the relations between Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina moving toward sustainable peace?
For Centar E8 and Reflektor Theater, this project is of particular importance as it provides an opportunity for continuous collaboration with one of the most significant independent cultural organizations in the region of the former Yugoslavia. At the same time, it enhances the visibility of Sarajevo Fest in Belgrade and Serbia while advancing how culture and art can contribute to promoting peace and democracy in the region.