Some Octobers are marked by October rain, the band Oktobar, the Octoberfest or October Salon, but this one is simply NOktobar – the Month of Norwegian culture in Serbia.
This means that all of the NOktobar days will be filled with some aspect of Norwegian culture, which will emanate from various locations. The programme kicked off at the beginning of the month, and below you will find the remaining events of this cultural initiative. We highly recommend you visit at least one of them.
11th-16th October – Norwegian Film Week will be held at the Cinematheque Yugoslav Film Archives at 1 Uzun Mirkova Street. It is opened by famous Norwegian film critic and former director of the Norwegian Film Institute, Jan Erik Holst, as well as famous Norwegian director and feminist Anja Breien, who also happened to be the first woman to enrol at the Film Academy in France. Norwegian Film Week will include screenings of her films, which deal mainly with women’s rights. Breien is also still known as the partner of Thorvald Stoltenberg, the Norwegian diplomat, politician and former First Secretary of the Norwegian Embassy in Belgrade.
17th October – Deli Monday at KC Grad, at which Norwegian Embassy staff will cook and serve visitors the traditional Norwegian meal Fårikål (lamb in cabbage). Who says that only salmon is eaten in Norway? October is the month of fårikåla, when all Norwegians eat as their poor farmer ancestors once did. We are waiting for you to taste it together!
23rd-30th October – Famous Norwegian writers Erlend Loe (Geopoetika) and Svein Mønnesland (Prometej) are attending the Belgrade Book Fair. Did you want a dedication from your favourite author in their book? This is a real opportunity for you to realise that desire at the stands of Geopoetika or Prometej.
23rd-30th October – Three Norwegian children’s films will be screened at KidsFest – the festival of children’s film at Dom Sindikata – Union House. This ensures that children are not forgotten after the event Joy of Europe has finished.
26th-30th October – Two big names of the Norwegian jazz scene, Tord Gustavsen and All Included, are coming to the Belgrade Jazz Festival, which will be held at the Belgrade Youth Centre.
29th October – All Included will perform an encore at the 17th International Jazz Festival in Kragujevac.
The Month of Norwegian culture will also include the Skopje Jazz Festival, where renowned Norwegian jazz band The Thing will perform on 15th October.