“So far, the audience's reactions abroad have been very encouraging. We have screened it in Germany, Italy, India, Spain, Argentina, Portugal, Hungary, Bulgaria, Egypt (in some of these countries even more than once, at different festivals), and we also have a few more interesting selections to announce”, the director said in an interview for Film Centre of Montenegro’s website.
He also shared his views on the second edition of the Montenegro Film Rendezvous, organised by the Montenegro Film Festival and the Film Centre of Montenegro. “I believe that Montenegro Film Rendezvous has the potential to become a strategic point in the development of Montenegrin cinematography, not only as an event, but as a space for creating concrete collaborations and shared visions. Last year's participation brought significant contacts to all of us from the profession, but also inspiration, and the dialogue with European partners opened new paths. This year I am participating with two films: the documentary The Sample, dedicated to the exceptional musical genius Janko Nilović, which was filmed in France, Turkey and Montenegro, and is currently in postproduction, and the feature film Odjek, which is in intensive preparation, before entering the immediate preproduction phase. For authors from a space like ours, networking is not a luxury, it is a prerequisite for survival and growth”, Nikola Vukčević added.
The Tower of Strength had its world premiere at the 2024 Cottbus Film Festival, and later won the awards for best director and best screenplay at the Zaragoza International Film Festival, and also the award for best cinematographer (Đorđe Stojiljković) at the Jaipur International Film Festival.
Set in 1941 Montenegro during WWII, The Tower of Strength follows Doka, a Muslim Albanian patriarch, who defies his former enemy Gjona, a member of the SS division "Skanderbeg", to protect a Montenegrin Christian child being hunted by Gjonaj’s troops.
The film was produced by Galileo Productions and coproduced by Cinnamon Films, Embrio Production, Progressive Films, Mogador Film, with support from the Radio-Television of Montenegro, the Film Centre of Montenegro, Film Center Serbia, the Croatian Audiovisual Centre, the Montenegrin Ministry of Culture and Media, and CEKUM.
