Bitef

BITEF FESTIVAL

Founded in 1967, Bitef (Beigrade International Theatre Festival) hascontinualiyfollowed and supported the latest theatertrends. Growing and developing, it has become one of five most important and biggest European festivals and has, as such, secured itself an unmistakable place at the theater map of the world. It has become one of the most significant culture institutions of our country, but also much more than that. The importance of Bitef surpasses all politicai and cultural borders. For this reason we can identify the history of Bitef with a history of Contemporary theater. Düring thè revolutionary nineteen sixties, thè founders of this festival (Mira Trailovic, Jovan Cirilov and their associates) courageouslyfollowed tumultuous events in global theater teeming with avant-garde explorations. in the nineteen eighties, Bitef has shown Beigrade the highest reaches of the art of theater, thus becoming one of the few festivals comprlsing both experimental forms and significant classic achievements. In spite of political-economic crisis and embargo, in the final decade of the twentieth Century, Bitef has, thanks tothe generous help of international culture centers, government and non-government organizations, managed to keep up with the world, through promoting new theater trends and ultimate theater valúes. Bitef has thus preserved its place in thè family of major international festivals, serving as a living proof that, in thè society it had been created in, it represents an anti-traditional phenomenon and an epochal valué of Serbian culture. Instead of explaining the history of Bitef at great length, it will suffice to list the ñames of the artists who have, thanks to this festival, visited Beigrade in the past 40 years. Some of them were discovered at Bitef festival, while, for others, Bitef has been another in the series of affirmations of their artistic significance and valué.

Jerzy Grotowski • Living Theatre • David Esrig • Judith Malina • Julian Beck • Arsa Jovanovic • Victor Garcia • Otomar Krejca • Georgi] Tovstonogov • Richard Schechner • Luca Ronconi • Peter Schumann • Jirzi Menzel • William Gaskill • Klaus Peymann • Eugene lonesco • Bozidar Violic • Peter Zadek • Eugenio Barba • Mira Trailovic • La Mama • Andrei Scherban • Hans Lietzau • Ingmar Bergman • Branko Plesa • Petar Selem • Roger Planchón • Charles Ludlam • Carmello Bene • Dino Radojevic • Shuji Terayama • Arianne Mnouchkine • Joseph Chaikin • Pip Simmons • Dusan Jovanovic • Peter Stein • Georgi] Paro- Miklos Jancso • Peter Brook • Giles Havergal • Memè Periini • Paolo Magelli • Robert Wilson • Anatolij Efros • Patrice Cherau • Konrad Swinarski • George labori • Roger Planchón • Juri] Ljubimov • Samuel Beckett • Andrzej Wajda • Philip Glass • Miroslav Belovic -Tadeusz Kantor • Dejan Mijac • Lindsay Kemp • Pina Bausch • Georges Lavaudant • Benno Besson • Ljubisa Ristic • Nuria Esperi • Antoine Vitez • Kazimierz Dejmek • Jeróme Savary • Roberto Ciulli • Aleksandar Retrovie • Jerzy Jarocki • Igor Vasiljev • Jerzy Grzegorzewski • Robert Sturua • Ivica Kuncevic • Alexander Lang • Janusz Wisniewski • Janez Pipan • Eimuntas Nekrosius • Jan Fahre • Petar Zivadinov • Jürgen Flimm • Hansgünter Heyme • Karge Langhoff • Saburo Teshigawara • Erik Appelgrin • Erwin Piplits • Johann Kresnik • Jorma Uotinen • Jamás Ascher • Michael Clark • Wolfgang Engel • Carolyn Carson • Haris Pasovic • Janos Szikora • Hinderik de Groot • La fura deis baus • Tomaz Pandur • Slobodan Unkovski • Henrijeta Janowska • Gábór Zsámbéki • Kama Ginkas • Frederick Flamand • Francois Michel Pesenti • Meredith Monk • De la Guarda • Roman Viktjuk • Wim Vandekeybus • Gorgio Strehler • Theodoros Terzopoulos • Lev Dodin • Silviu Purcarete • Nikita Milivojevic • Joseph Nadj • Nigel Charnock • Frank Castorf • Simon Mcßurney • Angelin PreIjocaj -Théàtre de Complicità • Ivan Popovski • Margaret Jenkins - Valeri] Fokin • Christoph Marthaler • Michael Nyman • Steven Berkoff • Sacha Waltz • Thomas Ostermeier • Regis Obadia • Eric Lacascade • Arpad Sopsits • Susanne Linke • Nicolas Stemann • Vito Täufer • Grzegorz Jarzyna • Krystian Lupa • Michael Thalheimer • Marius Kurkinski • Krysztof Warlikowski • Rezo Gabriadze • Pjotr Fomenko • Johan Simons • Oskaras Korsunovas • Egon Savin • lan Grieve • Daniela Nicolo • Enriko Casagrande • Jagos Markovic • Yossi Yungman • Bojan Dordev • Mira Erceg • José Montavlo • Lorenzo Bazzocchi • Dalija Acin • Biljana Srbljanovic • Tomi Janezic • Alisa Stojanovic • Matjaz Faric • Robert Alföldi • Rami Be'er • Heiner Goebbels • René Pollesch • Alvis Hermanis • Anne Teresa de Keersmaeker - Lloyd Newson - etc...

In 1999, Bitef has been awarded Special Prize PREMIO EUROPA PER IL TEATRO, Taormina arte. Bitef is the first international theatre festival awarded by Premio Europa.