Curatorial note:

In To Hold a Mountain, the camera finds strikingly complete and expressive scenes within everyday life. It seems to catch mise-en-scènes that already exist within its subjects' lives. For all the beauty of its images, the film never turns their life into a pastoral postcard. Sinjajevina here is not merely a scenic backdrop: its slopes, fog and shifting weather become a full participant in what unfolds. Precise editing links individual episodes so seamlessly that at times the film feels almost like fiction. Yet the camera never hides its own presence: in difficult moments, the women sometimes look straight into the lens. In those glances, the closeness and trust built between the filmmakers and their subjects over years of shooting are especially palpable.

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Synopsis:

The lives of Gara and her daughter Nada are deeply tied to Sinjajevina, a mountain range in Montenegro where they graze livestock. When the authorities decide to turn Sinjajevina into a NATO military training ground, Gara becomes one of the leading voices of resistance. Watching its subjects and the space around them closely, the film turns the fight for the mountain into a poetic account of the people determined to hold on to it.

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Languages:

Montenegrin

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Festivals and Awards:

Award: Sundance Film Festival, 2026, Grand Jury Prize · World Cinema Documentary Competition

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