Up until 2004, Belgrade had 19 active cinemas with an annual visit of 4.200.00 people. The company "Beograd Film" and its network of 14 cinemas in the city had a 78% of the overall visits. In 2007 "Beograd Film" was privatized under suspicious circumstances for the mere sum of 9.2 million EUR. Previous to that, its market value was estimated to 60 million EUR. Despite being bound by law to maintain the cinema's main activity for the next two years, the new owner sold five of the cinema venues to a supermarket chain for 19.7 million EUR the next year.

By doing this, the government, the privatization agency and the new owner had damaged the cultural infrastructure of Serbia. Irreparable damage has been done to Serbian filmmaking through the process of privatization of “Beograd Film”. This also carries harmful consequences for the economy and culture of the city and the country. For the first time ever in its 80-year-long tradition, the survival of Serbian cinema was endangered. Without culture, the identity of a country ceases to exist.

On the 21st of November, a group of students, film and cultural workers, occupied the Zvezda Cinema. The occupation has been active for a month and a half so far. The event has been reported by the majority of local media, as well as world media, and has been embraced by the public opinion.

The funding collected from the campaign will be invested in the essential construction work that needs to be done so that the New Zvezda Cinema can function without major obstacles. Several rooftop elements still need to be replaced in order to stop all water leaks. The heating and air vent systems need to be cleaned and revitalized. New electrical installations are required, among with major plumbing work regarding the water-supply system. Those are our priorities.

If we are able to collect funds that enable us to successfully do all the reparations the building needs, we will invest the remaining money in fixing doors and windows, and/or buying new equipment for the cinema.

Hope and Aim

The vital act of the occupation of Zvezda Cinema has started a humble revolution of independent cinema in Serbia. The lack of cinemas that aren't purely profit driven caused a lack of diversity in Belgrade's cultural and film environment. The audience was seriously deprived by this absence of meaningful content. They may not be aware of what caused this, but they are starving for fresh, new and different cinematic and cultural perspectives.

As the saying goes - "Where there's a will, there's a way". We are looking forward to create a cultural center inside of the Zvezda Cinema, a center for the already ripe intellectuals and the upcoming youth that have so much to give. We do not want to blame anyone or anything, or stay forever without taking matters into our own hands and doing the best we can. We want to shine a light on the current situation. November 21st marks the beginning of a very bright future and the New Zvezda Cinema has a shimmery, wonderful artistic one!

We hope to bring the building to its full function and more. Slowly but steadily, we want to create a base that will support the bright future of the art of cinema in Serbia and this part of Europe.

Please, support this project. You can be a part of a positive approach to culture.

Risks and challenges

Zvezda Cinema will be renovated without the guarantee of it working as a cinema, as there's a parallel legal battle going on - however, it will most likely last for years. The desired outcome is for Zvezda to become a publicly owned center. We want to save cinema and this particular cinema from ruin.

Save Zvezda Cinema