The programme of the final day of the FAST FORWARD Human Rights Film Festival Montenegro 2025, held in Podgorica at the Montenegrin Cinematheque, presents two striking films dealing with war trauma, displacement, personal struggle, and the question of survival under conditions that test the limits of human endurance.
The first film, “2000 Meters to Andriivka”, is a visually powerful and deeply emotional work that takes the audience to the front line of the war in Ukraine, where the boundary between life and death is measured in meters rather than kilometers. Through the execution of a military mission passing through two kilometers of forest to liberate the strategically important village of Andriivka from Russian forces this documentary presents scenes of war rarely seen in global media. A journalist following the operation bears witness to destruction, fear, and uncertainty, as well as the questions surrounding the price paid by those closest to the front line. The film does not offer a heroic mythology of war, but instead depicts its stripped-down reality. The screening begins at 18:00.
The film is directed by Mstyslav Chernov, a Ukrainian photojournalist, war correspondent, and documentary filmmaker, known for his courageous and ethically consistent work in the most dangerous war zones. The film “2000 Meters to Andriivka” has received numerous awards, including the Directing Award at the Sundance Film Festival, and is also Ukraine’s candidate for the Academy Award.
The programme continues with the film “To a Land Unknown”, a powerful and dark story about displacement, despair, and the limits people reach when their future is reduced to endless waiting without an exit. Chatila and Reda are Palestinian refugees living in Athens, on the margins of society, trapped in a daily life without perspective. Their only hope is escape and collecting money for fake passports and a new beginning. However, when Reda, trapped in his own addiction, loses all the hard-earned money, their fragile balance collapses. The screening of the film begins at 20:00.
The film is directed by Mahdi Fleifel, a Palestinian-Danish filmmaker whose work is deeply rooted in personal experiences of displacement and life in the diaspora. He is internationally recognized for films dealing with identity, migration, and the lives of people caught between borders and systems. The film “To a Land Unknown” had its world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival and has won numerous international awards.
Through these two films, FAST FORWARD uses cinematic light to bring out of darkness the stories and people pushed to the margins by society, politics, and rigid systems, opening space for empathy, understanding, and reflection.
This year’s edition is realized with the financial support of the Municipality of Kotor, the Municipality of Berane, KIC “Budo Tomović”, the Montenegrin Cinematheque, the Cultural Centre “Nikola Đurković”, the Berane Cultural Centre, the Ministry of Human and Minority Rights, the Fund for Minorities, the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), and the European Union.
Partners of the FAST FORWARD Festival are Beldocs and the Human Rights Film Network (HRFN). Commitment to social responsibility has once again been reflected in the business sector, with sponsorships from Crowne Plaza Podgorica, Metropolis, Compania de Vinos, and PG Taxi.
Media partners of UBRZAJ 2025 are Nova M Television, PG TV, TV E, Radio and Portal Antena M, the daily newspaper Pobjeda, the portal and daily newspaper DAN, Radio D, CdM Portal, Analitika Portal, Radio Kotor, Radio Berane, Radio Tivat, Radio Titograd, and Radio Elmag, El, Mag, and Arena.
Admission to all screenings is free of charge.
A detailed programme and additional information are available at: http://ubrzaj.me/
Nejra Bašić, Programme Assistant