To mark two decades since the restoration of Montenegro’s independence, the Film Centre of Montenegro is publishing the monograph A Sovereign Gaze: Two Decades of Montenegrin Cinema (2006–2026), the first comprehensive overview of the development of Montenegrin cinema during this period.
The book is edited by Sanja Jovanović, Head of the Department for Programme Policy and Planning at the Film Centre of Montenegro, as well as a university professor and producer.
The monograph brings together contributions by theorists, critics, and active participants in Montenegro’s film scene, including Sehad Cekic, Darja Sukovic, Aleksandra Bozovic, Dijana Vuckovic, Marija Ivanovic Nikicevic, Stefan Boskovic, Jelena Miseljic, Maja Bogojevic, Anđelka Nenezic, Nemanja Becanovic, Vuk Perovic, Marko Erakovic, and Nikola Latkovic.

The material is divided into three sections. “System and Integration” traces the institutional development from the 2015 Cinematography Law and the establishment of the Film Centre, through the negotiations in Montreal and Montenegro’s accession to Eurimages, to the digitisation of cinema theatres and the introduction of film culture into schools. “Aesthetics and New Identities” examines the cinematic languages and authorial voices that emerged from this system, including screenwriting, landscape as an active subject within the frame, female authorship, documentary filmmaking, and short films. “Reflections and Visual Traces” explores the festival life of Montenegrin films, Montenegro as a film destination, and the design of contemporary Montenegrin film posters. The book concludes with a comprehensive index of films produced between 2006 and 2026.
The cover features a still of Momo Picuric from Forever Hold Your Peace by Ivan Marinovic, serving as an editorial tribute to the recently deceased actor and, as the editor writes, an embodiment of the very “sovereign gaze” itself: unwavering, yet filled with wisdom and wistful warmth.