Cooperation between Italy and Serbia in the domain of cultural is traditional, intense, and well structured. This is possible thanks to the environment of friendship and the great openness shown by Serbian cultural institutions towards Italy, while it is expressed in all cultural sectors: music (ancient, baroque, classical, jazz, modern), visual arts (painting, sculpture, photography, installations, multimedia), theatre (classical, modern, experimental), general and local history, literature and publishing (fiction, non-fiction, comics, archives), fashion, design, architecture, cuisine, archaeology, science and cinema
The Italian Cultural Institute (IIC) in Belgrade works with many cultural institutions, both in the capital and other cities and towns across the country, as well as with other European cultural institutes (EUNIC), in order to carry out joint projects that involve Serbian partners. The IIC thus cooperates on a regular basis with universities and schools where Italian is taught (in Belgrade, Novi Sad and Kragujevac). In fact, seminars, workshops, international conferences and many other joint initiatives in the fields of Italian linguistics, literature and essay writing are organised. The Institute also organises language courses at all levels. These are still being held online for now, but it is hoped that in-person teaching be able to resume in autumn.
The pandemic obviously slowed down the organising of cultural events in 2020 and the first part of 2021 (e.g. the “Hypermodern Dante” exhibition), but didn’t grind it to a halt completely. Thanks to the positive evolution of the situation, we hope to resume organising cultural events in a more intense and inclusive way with our loyal public. As early as June, the Italian Cultural Institute will offer concerts in Belgrade, Novi Sad and Subotica, while it will participate in the “Fare Cinema” week that the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs organises all over the world; the IIC will inaugurate the 8th photographic exhibition “La Sicilia, ilsuocuore” (Sicily, his hearth), dedicated to writer Leonardo Sciascia on the centenary of his birth. Italy will also be present at Belgrade’s October Salon.
Some great events are envisaged for the coming autumn: there’s the 2nd October staging of great Italian opera Madama Butterfly; the Week of the Italian Language around the World, which is this year dedicated to Dante Alighieri; the IIC stand at the Belgrade Book Fair, as well as the literary salon where the local public will meet Italian writers and intellectuals, together with Serbian ones
Following in July will be Design Day, which is set to include the participation of famous Italian architect Franco Purini, then Literature Night will be held in Novi Sad in September, with writer Nadia Terranova in attendance, and there is still the Italian-Serbian Film Festival, promoted by Gabriella Carlucci, to come.
Some great events are envisaged for the coming autumn: there’s the 2nd October staging of great Italian opera Madama Butterfly; the Week of the Italian Language around the World, which is this year dedicated to Dante Alighieri; the IIC stand at the Belgrade Book Fair, as well as the literary salon where the local public will meet Italian writers and intellectuals, together with Serbian ones. Then there’s the KRENI project in Niš, Italy’s participation in the Belgrade Jazz Festival, the Week of Italian Cuisine around the World and, perhaps above all, the 25th November concert of the great Stefano Bollani at Belgrade’s Dom Omladine youth centre. December will see the holding of the event Cinema Italia Oggi, a major film festival being organised jointly by Cinecittà-Istituto Luce and the Yugoslav FIlm Archives Cinematheque, during which recent Italian film productions will be presented in various Serbian cities. These major events will alternate with many initiatives all over Serbia, not only in Belgrade, to include exhibitions, concerts, literary presentations, conferences and webinars. The IIC hopes that many people will attend.