9. BITEF - BELGRADE INTERNATIONAL THEATRE FESTIVAL

BITEF is one of the oldest, most relevant, most prestigious events and a rarity in the family of major world festivals. It was founded by a decision of the Assembly of the City of Belgrade as a regular annual event of particular importance for the City of Belgrade on 26 December 1967.

The Belgrade International Theater Festival (BITEF) founded, in 1989, its own theater in the old reconstructed Evangelist Church in the vicinity of Bajloni marketplace. Apart from organizing the Festival, the mission of BITEF Theater is to spread the influence of BITEF throughout the year.

BITEF Theater is open to all kinds of multimedia arts and expressions, it explores new theatrical trends in its own productions, works on the international exchange of artists, organizes workshops and the most varied street events and happenings. Using BITEF as a model, BITEF Theater employs a small number of young people who master almost an unlimited number of disciplines, skills, and functions. Since its foundation, BITEF Theater has been supporting various kinds of artistic concepts and various types of artists thus developing a quite new and different artistic scene of Belgrade.

BITEF Theater is open to all kinds of multimedia arts and expressions, it explores new theatrical trends in its own productions, works on the international exchange of artists, organizes workshops and the most varied street events and happenings. Using BITEF as a model, BITEF Theater employs a small number of young people who master almost an unlimited number of disciplines, skills, and functions. Since its foundation, BITEF Theater has been supporting various kinds of artistic concepts and various types of artists thus developing a quite new and different artistic scene of Belgrade.

The Festival programme is made of the Main and Accompanying Programmes

The Main Programme offers officially selected productions; their number varies from one year to another but of late it has steadied around ten.

Meetings with authors are traditionally organised after the performance.

The festival takes place at different venues around the city, in theatres and other alternative spaces.

The accompanying programmes have been a part of the festival ever since its foundation. Some of them are a constant feature such as BITEF on Film (since 1976) as the oldest accompanying programme and BITEF Polyphony (since 2000). Other programmes present annual or longer projects.

BITEF organises workshops, presentations, round tables, theoretical symposia, multimedia exhibitions and exhibitions displaying performing arts and its traditional cultural and entertainment programme called After Ten Parties.

BITEF has two awards for productions presented within the official selection of the Main Programme: 

• Grand prix Mira Trailović 
• BITEF Special Award