Le attività sono realizzate grazie al contributo concesso dalla Direzione generale Educazione, ricerca e istituti culturali del Ministero della cultura
Mabel Matiz, one of Turkey's most famous pop singers, risks prison for his latest song, which has been labeled "obscenity" because it sings of homosexual love: a further crackdown on the LGBT community in the "Year of the Family" decreed by the AKP
“We will keep speaking, protesting and demanding justice, until Palestine is free”, announces a group of Sarajevo residents who have been gathering weekly since Febuary 2024 to read aloud the names of children killed in Gaza
On the occasion of the twenty-fifth anniversary of the death of Professor Edward Dennis “Ned” Goy (1926–2000), a look at the life and cultural activity of this great Slavic scholar and translator of important works by Serbian and Croatian authors
An Armenian family whose destiny is intertwined with photography and Turkey's complex history. An interview with Armen Marsoobian, professor of philosophy and editor of Metaphilosophy magazine, a descendant of the Dildilian family, and himself a passionate photographer and collector
In a quest for truth, renowned author Lea Ypi, with her new book Indignity, embarks on a journey that carries her from the multiethnic setting of the last days of the Ottoman Empire to the rise of fascism across Europe, and the subsequent establishment of proletarian dictatorships in the East
In Belgrade's heart, Novi Bioskop Zvezda symbolizes resistance against privatisation. The "Movement for the Occupation of Cinemas" saved it in 2014 from real estate speculation by occupying it. This made Zvezda a beacon for independent cinema and an inspiration for activism
Once vibrant hubs of community life, Tirana's cinemas have largely faded. Despite this, a burgeoning movement for revival is underway, with figures from the municipality and independent filmmakers working to re-establish cinema as a vital part of Tirana's cultural identity
Romania has the lowest number of cinemas per capita in Europe. Of the more than 400 cinemas that existed after communism, most have been closed or converted. Modern multiplexes in shopping malls do not compensate for the loss of neighborhood cinemas, places of culture and identity
Bogdan Crețu's novel "Less Than Love" (Mai puțin decât dragostea), published in 2023, has been shortlisted for this year's European Prize for Literature (EUP). A review of the novel, still unpublished in Italy
On Sunday, 18 May, an annual festival dedicated to the 18th century ethnic Armenian troubadour and poet, Sayat Nova, real name Harutyun Sayatyan, was again held in Tbilisi’s Maiden in the city’s historic Old Town.
From the role of literature in today’s world to the nature of the creative process, passing through his hometown of Durrës and the experience of migration, following the red thread of sea, an all-encompassing metaphor for life. An interview with Albanian writer Arian Leka
After decades of severe decline, the historical spa town of Băile Herculane is gradually flourishing again. The credit goes to the efforts by a group of young people who mobilised to save the heritage and reclaim the spaces, and to EU funds
With her collective, Alina Tofan organizes performances in rural areas of Romania to raise environmental awareness and rediscover a sense of community. She invites colleagues from around the world to demonstrate that the green transition can be a just one, even in their own country
The 2024 Romanian Poetry Award for Best Book was given to Rita Chirian for her book "Medusa." The work blends philosophical depth, mythology, and contemporary sensibility. An invitation to look beyond the surface, where the meaning of things is born and hidden.
In Sarajevo, the foundation stone of the future Ars Aevi museum of contemporary art has been symbolically laid. A project that Enver Hadžiomerspahić has been working on since 1996, also involving architect Renzo Piano. Interview with Siniša Šešum, head of the UNESCO office in Sarajevo
Anthropologist Anca Danilă is the creator of the project Caiete de rețete (Recipe Notebooks), launched in Bucharest two years ago, which aims to collect family recipe books, archive them in a digital database and thus protect a precious heritage
The city of Bitola, in North Macedonia, hosts one of the most prestigious film festivals in the region, dedicated to the work of the Manaki brothers, true pioneers of the camera in Europe and the Balkans
Rijeka has a new modern city library, the “Gradska knjižnica Rijeka”, in a former industrial area redeveloped and transformed into an authentic cultural hub. Our reportage
An innovative library, created with EU cohesion funds, in the former industrial area of Rijeka, now redeveloped and transformed into an authentic artistic district. We met the director of Rijeka City Library Niko Cvjetković
Anniversaries of two film festivals from two sides of the Adriatic Sea - Pesaro and Sarajevo. A cultural exchange focused on cinema, cities and music from a youth perspective
César Campoy, a writer and journalist originally from Valencia, Spain, is one of the leading experts on the Balkan region in his country. We met him in his hometown before he left for the Balkans. His "Balkan Odyssey", published in Spain last April, is already in its second edition
An Interreg project involved Italy, Albania and Montenegro in the relaunch of cultural spaces intended to host artists and creatives, to promote new forms of tourism and foster cultural industries
Ado Hasanović, a director of Bosnian origin living in Italy, interviewed on his way back from Cannes, talks about his next projects, which also directly involve his Srebrenica. An interview
This is the second of two extracts from Ian Bancroft’s new novel, which tells of lives scarred by wars past and present, whose main characters - L., U., K., and A. - are confronted with the dilemmas of truth and justice, and the struggle to reconcile and forgive
Erhard Busek (1941-2022), an Austrian politician active in Balkan regional cooperation and lover of a Europe of minorities in dialogue, opened the work of the Interreg Transdanube Travel Stories project by talking about history, languages, landscapes and international protests: a synergistic approach, in search of a shared narrative
In recent decades, Turkish television series have experienced astonishing success, becoming one of the country's most significant economic and cultural exports. If they sell abroad, however, TV series are subjected to ever-increasing government pressure
This is the first of two extracts from Ian Bancroft’s new novel, which tells of lives scarred by wars past and present and whose main characters - L., U., K., and A. - are confronted with the dilemmas of truth and justice, and the struggle to reconcile and forgive
Between the desire to document and the need to dream - this suspended territory is the realm of Ivo Danchev, one of the most talented Bulgarian photographers, who for some years has dedicated himself body and soul to documenting the tradition of the "kukeri". An interview
After starting almost by chance, over the last twenty years Vlatko Miloshevski has collected dozens of works of art created in the territories of the historical region of Macedonia in the period 1850-1950. A heritage now also accessible online
