Renowned Irish film director Neil Jordan and exceptional Irish jazz and blues singer Mary Coughlan will visit Serbia for the first time this March as guests of the 13th Belgrade Irish Festival (BIF), which will take place from 6 to 17 March.

This year’s BIF will last 12 days and will offer more than 40 events at various locations throughout the city. The festival will traditionally conclude with the St. Patrick’s Day celebration on 17 March, Ireland’s national holiday. On that day, some of Belgrade’s iconic buildings will be illuminated in green, a tradition that many world capitals have long embraced.

“This year, BIF opens with the exclusive exhibition Godard Bardot, inspired by Godard’s film Contempt featuring Brigitte Bardot, created by Irish visual artist Jean Curran. For the first time, Brigitte Bardot allowed her nude scenes from the film to be reworked using a special photographic technique and displayed in an exhibition,” says the festival’s founder and director, Jaš Kaminski. The exhibition will be hosted at the Monolog Gallery on 6 March and will run for one month.

“We are truly honored to have two great artists, director Neil Jordan and musician Mary Coughlan, as part of this year’s Belgrade Irish Festival,” added Kaminski.

The Irish Film Week at the Yugoslav Cinematheque will begin on 7 March with the screening of Michael Collins, the historical biopic directed by Neil Jordan about Ireland’s greatest freedom fighter, starring Liam Neeson in the leading role. Neil Jordan will be awarded the Golden Seal for his contribution to the art of film by the Yugoslav Cinematheque.

Michael Collins, Directed by Neil Jordan

Another major Irish star will be visiting Belgrade during BIF – Mary Coughlan, the legendary jazz and blues singer, often referred to as the “Irish Billie Holiday”.

Mary Coughlan will perform on 13 March at Dom omladine, with tickets available online and at eFinity network sales points. Known for her powerful, emotive voice, she is famous for her emotional performances and direct, sometimes provocative, communication with the audience.

Mary Coughlan – “Repeat Rewind”

Returning to Belgrade this year are Pat Kinevane and Dublin’s Fishamble Theatre. After two sold-out performances at Bitef Theatre last year, where he mesmerized the audience with the monodrama King, Kinevane will now present Silent, a moving story about a homeless man who has lost both his possessions and his sanity. This play won Fishamble Theatre the prestigious Olivier Award in 2016.

The Irish Film Week will showcase 15 films, including last year’s Irish hit Kneecap, a biographical comedy about the Belfast-based rap group of the same name, which was nominated for six BAFTA awards.

Visiting Belgrade will also be director Terry McMahon, young Irish actress Hazel Doupe, and screenwriter and actor Marc O’Halloran.

Kneecap, Directed by Rich Peppiatt

Also visiting Belgrade for a few days will be author Jan Carson, whose novel The Fire Starters was translated into Serbian a few years ago. Carson won the European Union Prize for Literature in 2019 for this novel. As last year, an Irish writer selected by Literature Ireland will spend a month-long literary residency in Belgrade.