Branko Ilić: Trees connect us with our ancestors and our future

On Wednesday, September 25 - the fourth day of the 31st International Festival of Children's Theatres Subotica - three theatrical plays were performed as part of the competition program: The Green Mountain from Montenegro, The Magic Tree from Turkey and Simona the Monkey from Spain. NGO Youth Theatre from Montenegro performed The Green Mountain (written by Mila Mašović Nikolić) at Subotica National Thatre’s Jadran stage.

Тhe play follows the story of Gorana – a girl on a mission to save the nature. Faced with a challenge, Gorana must confront the world of adults who forgot the importance of preserving nature along with its connection to man. The play’s director Branko Ilić said about the importance of respecting nature: "In our relationship with trees we should treat them as if they were magical, crucial for our lives, that they connect us with our ancestors and our future."

Answering the question whether parents or children are more environmentally conscious, Ilić concluded: "Children are generally very sober-minded until their parents spoil them. It can be easily explained to a child that it is wrong to litter. But when a child asks why are hydroelectric power plants being built in a supposedly ecological state or why is concrete everywhere instead of a park - we have no answer. We simply tell them that is the way it is. And it doesn't have to be like that".

At Subotica Children’s Theatre, Cengiz Ozek shadow theatre performed The Magic Tree (written and directed by Cengiz Ozek himself). In this play, the character of Hacivat is having trouble with his irresponsible servant Mercan who he wishes Karagoz would discipline. About the inspiration for this play, Cengiz Ozek said: "Present in this show, among other bits, are subtle hints of shamanism. I like surreal stories and plays. I loved them since childhood. I like to employ such stories to create new worlds which I hope the audience will love, too."

The play Simona the Monkey by La sonrisa del Lagarto theatre from Spain (written and directed by Marli Santana) was performed at Subotica National Theatre’s Jadran stage. The play is inspired by values like friendship and admiration for nature with an innovative format that mixes the techniques of Chinese shadow theatre, puppets and narration and interpretation. "I love nature. I love all animals, but monkeys are my favorite. When I was a girl, several of them were living around my house in Brazil, so those little monkeys were my friends. I wanted to pay tribute to them", Marli Santana, the author of the play, said.

As part of the festival’s accompanying program, a discussion session with Ewa Tomaszewska, Ph. D. (winner of the Oton Tomanić 2024 award) was held at hotel Patria. As part of The Magical Stage exhibition by Erika Janović, Subotica Contemporary Art Gallery hosted a short guided tour for the festival attendants after which they were invited to participate in a creative workshop on puppet-making.

The workshop was moderated by the artist herself with the assistance of Jasmina Jovančić Vidaković, a senior museum educator.

As part of the festival’s film program at Subotica’s Eurocinema, Danish animated film The Panda bear in Africa was screened.

The International Festival of Children's Theatres Subotica is sponsored by the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Serbia, the Provincial Department for Culture, Public Information and Relations with Religious Communities of Vojvodina and the Municipality of Subotica.