At the first national Film Festival of Serbia in Novi Sad (July 3-8), Nikola Stojanovic's Belle Epoque picked up the Grand Prix for the best film, as well as awards for best actress, music, make-up and art direction. The film about the period from 1910-1914 in Sarajevo had been shot in the wake of the war in former Yugoslavia in 1990 and was in post-production until this year.

The second big winner was Aleksandar Rajkovic's Hamlet which took best cinematography, editing and costume. Also, Szabolcs Tolnai won best director for Sand Glass, which also won best sound design.

The jury comprised of Icelandic director Fridrik Thor Fridriksson, Croatian film critic Nenad Polimac, Serbian director Boro Draskovic, Serbian actress Dusica Zegarac and Italian cinematographer Carlo Varini unexpectedly awarded the non-professional Kenedi Hasani the best actor for the role in Zelimir Zilnik's half-fiction half-documentary Kenedi Is Getting Married.

In the first ever competition of 17 Eurimages-funded films, Serbian director Gorcin Stojanovic, Austrian director Otto Reiter and CEO of Bosnian Federal Television Jasmin Durakovic awarded Teresa Villaverde's Portuguese-French production Trance.

Two sections of Serbian FIPRESCI critics gave prizes to Srdan Golubovic's Sofia winner The Trap and Misa Radivojevic's The Reject.

According to concept of Cinema City, Novi Sad hosted seven screening locations, including three open-air venues. The pedestrian section of the 250,000-inhabitants city was made film-friendly with many additional musical, theater and alternative art programmes, organized by the State of Exit, the company responsible for the huge music festival Exit.

The festival featured another 136 titles in sidebar programmes, including shorts, animated, student and amateur films.

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