October 16^th

RS Minister of Culture and Information Vladan Vukosavljevic visited today cultural institutions in Nis and said that Nis was an important Serbian and regional cultural center which had full support of the line ministry. Vukosavljevic, accompanied by the Member of the Nis City Council for Culture Jelena Mitrovski, visited the National Museum, Archaeological site Mediana, Nis Cultural Center, Gallery of Contemporary Fine Arts, National Theater. Vukosavljevic said that the line ministry would do everything it could to help the development of cultural institutions and that money problems would be solved in accordance with the maximum possibilities of the Ministry. He pointed out that Nis was a city of great potentials and that the Ministry would provide assistance to help Nis realize its potentials. He emphasized that local self-government and cultural workers should, for their part, apply for competitions with good and sustainable projects. The Minister added that the visit to Nis was a good opportunity to get acquainted with the situation on the ground, although the Ministry has been well informed about the situation in the cultural institutions.

September 8^th

In the year 1905, enchanted by the beauty of the Sicevacka gorge, the great Serbian painter Nadezda Petrovic gathered her Slovenian and Croatian colleagues with whom she studied in Munich. The first Yugoslav Art Colony was formed that year. The first art colony besides Nadezda Petrovic gatherd  Rihard Jakopic, Ivan Grohar, Ferdo Vesel, Pasko Vucetic and Ivan Mestrovic. Each of them imparted their imprints and dedication to nature and transposed it into a pictorial language and sculpture. The Sicevo Art Colony with its entire fifty-year existence has followed and in some way encouraged the development of contemporary art in our country, continuing the tradition of Nadezda Petrovic, which has survived for more than half a century. Traditional participation in this event is taken by artists from the country and abroad who have the opportunity to create in a beautiful natural environment. Painters from Lithuania, France, Mexico, Japan and Romania, as well as seven artists from our country – from Belgrade, Aleksinac and Vranje – took part in this year’s Sicevo Art Colony.

August 22^nd

51^st Festival of Acting Performances in the domestic feature film traditionally began with the reception at Nis City Hall. Apart from actors, directors and filmmakers, the reception was attended by people from the public life of the city, and the guests were greeted by the newly elected Nis City Mayor Darko Bulatovic.

Later, on the Nis Fortress Summer Stage, the president of the jury, Ms. Sloboda Micalovic, received the keys to the city, which has been tradutionally handed over to the president of the jury by Nis City Mayor for past 51 years. Mayor Bulatovic said: “What I can say tonight, as a host, on my own and on behalf of all of you, we will try to hold the most spectacular Film Festival since their establishment next year, because the actors Serbia deserve it, and the Citizens of Nis,who are the best film audience in the world, also deserve it”. The president of the jury, Ms. Sloboda Micalovic, thanked for the hospitality and stressed that she was glad to be in Nis this year: “I hope that we will enjoy good films together, thank you for nurturing the film and the actors and and we will always return to Nis. The Fortress is ours. “

 August 10^th

International Jazz Festival is biggest in SouthEastern Europe, and for years festival is defending principles of Europian values and multiculturalism. The 22nd Nisville jazz festival that would be held August 11-14 was announced at the press conference today held at Nis City Hall. The festival will feature 110 performances by 660 artists on 11 stages.

On the behalf of the City of Nis, Deputy Mayor Prof. Milos Bandjur spoke at the press conference and said that Nisville was a prestigious musical event that gathered renowned musicians and admirers of this specific musical genre. Deputy Mayor Bandjur thanked numerous volunteers as Nis would be in the colors of jazz volunteers during this year’s Nisville Festival. Recognizable at every step, they will spread positive energy and give a great contribution to the successful organization of Nisville.

The influential British Guardian published on its site a list of the top 10 jazz festivals in Europe, sorted by the date of the festival, and the list included Nisville. “We are proud that a local music festival earned such a treatment in European music circles, “Deputy Mayor Bandjur said, adding that Nis citizens showed they liked to listen to jazz and that this was a festival of true lovers of the music.

The International Students’ Folklore Festival is organized for the ninth time in Nis Nis Student Cultural Center in Nis. The reception was organized at Nis City Hall for the participants of the Festival and on this occasion the Nis City Deputy Mayor Milos Bandjur welcomed all participants and stressed the importance of preserving tradition through the fostering of folk dances, pointing out that times of hardships songs and dances preserved and consolidated the spiritual identity of our nation. The reception was attended by guests from Costa Rica, Romania, Bulgaria, Hungary, Slovenia and members of Serbian folklore ensembles from Kosovo and Metohija. Nis City Deputy Mayor presented the statue of Constantine to all the ensembles as a small memorabilia of their time spent in Nis.

By parading through main pedestrian street Nis and with the performance of the ensembles in the amphitheater on the quay, 9^th International Students’ Folklore Festival began which would end on July20^th with   a big concert on the Summer Stage in Nis Fortress. This year the audience here in Nis will be able to see folk ensembles from six countries, but the biggest attraction of the festival are the participants from San Jose (Costa Rica), who are for the first time in Serbia.
Before a packed amphitheater on the quay the rich folkloric tradition was presented by ensembles from Bulgaria, Hungary, Slovenia, Romania, Costa Rica and Serbia. On the behalf of the City of Nis the guest were welcomed by Jelena Mitrovski, Nis City Council Member.

The Organizer and the founder of the Festival is Students’ Cultural Center Nis and its Folklore Ensemble ORO with the support of the City of Nis.  The festival tries to introduce folklore traditions and diverse national cultures to citizens of Nis and southeast Serbia and to present our large cultural heritage as well.