For the first time, within this year’s XXII edition of the Festival of Ethnological film in Belgrade, Serbia (4-8 October), a Round Table “The contribution of audiovisual productions to the safeguarding of the intangible cultural heritage” was held in Belgrade. The organization of this forum was a common idea of the Regional centre for the safeguarding of the intangible cultural heritage in South-Eastern Europe under the auspices of UNESCO in Sofia (Bulgaria), the Regional bureau for culture and science in Venice (Italy) and the Ethnographic museum in Belgrade (Serbia). The discussion was attended by experts in the field of visual anthropology and intangible cultural heritage from Bulgaria, Belgium, China, Croatia, the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia and Slovenia.
The experts discussed the challenges in the safeguarding of the intangible cultural heritage and share experiences and good practices for creating a common multinational audiovisual production that contribute to the protection and promotion of this living heritage.
The Regional Centre actively participated in the discussions focusing the participants’ attention on the planned, within its program for 2013, audiovisual project representing the intangible cultural heritage in South-Eastern Europe. The ideas of the participants in the meeting will contribute to its successful realization, jointly with the Regional bureau for culture and science in Venice.
At the closing ceremony of the Festival on October 8, a special prize was awarded on behalf of the Regional centre for film best reflecting intangible cultural heritage. The Jury of the XXII International Festival of Ethnological Films, composed of Ms Tamara Nikolic-Djeric, ethnologist, Mr Bozidar Zecevic, filmologist and Mr Livo Niglas, ethnologist filmmaker, selected in this category, the film “Yo Yoko”(Japan 2012, Director Daisuke Bundo) for a detailed documentation on preparing food as crucial part of the everyday life. The representative of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences in the Executive Board of the Regional Centre, Assoc.Prof. Joana Spasova-Dikova, presented the award to Yuichiro Omori, cultural attaché of the Japanese Embassy in Belgrade.