The 3rd edition of Montenegro Film Rendezvous (22 – 28 August 2026), organised by the Film Centre of Montenegro in partnership with the Ministry of Culture and Media, the Municipality of Herceg Novi, and JUK Herceg Fest, brought together prominent film authors and professionals, representatives of national film centres, European funds, festivals and leading organisations from the film and audiovisual industry in Herceg Novi.

At Montenegro Film Rendezvous, Miljan Vučelić pitched his work-in-progress project Comedown / Sobe, which he is producing through Protos Film in coproduction with Eclectica (Croatia), and the Radio Television of Montenegro, having Portobisso (Slovenia) as associate producer.

Miljan Vučelić is the founder and owner of the Podgorica-based company Protos Film, where he is developing a slate of short and feature-length films. He graduated from Faculty of Dramatic Arts in Cetinje, Department of Film Production. He produced award-winning short films at numerous international film festivals including at the Sarajevo Film Festival, Animafest Zagreb, Fribourg, and Kustendorf.

He is a winner of the Film Centre of Montenegro’s scholarship “Radomir Pule Milović” for talented film production students, and an alumnus of the MIDPOINT Feature Launch 2021, CEE Animation 2022 Workshop, Sarajevo CineLink Producers Lab 2022, APOSTLAB 2023, TorinoFilmLab 2024, MIDPOINT Cold Open 2025, and Locarno MatchMe 2026.

FNE: What are your takeaways from the third edition of the Montenegro Film Rendezvous and how important is it for the Montenegrin film industry?

Miljan Vučelić: My main takeaway is that the Montenegro Film Rendezvous is becoming an increasingly important meeting point between the Montenegrin film industry and the wider European and international film community. For a small cinematography like ours, direct access to festival representatives, sales agents, producers and film funds is extremely valuable.

The event gives Montenegrin filmmakers an opportunity to present their work internationally without leaving the country, while also allowing guests to gain a clearer picture of the diversity and potential of our emerging film scene. This year’s expanded programme and the number of international participants showed that the platform is growing and gaining recognition.

FNE: Why was it important for you to showcase your project there?

Miljan Vučelić: Comedown is currently in postproduction. It was therefore the right moment to present the film to international professionals and receive their first reactions. The Rendezvous gave us an opportunity not only to pitch the project, but also to show footage and begin concrete conversations with festival representatives and potential collaborators. 

FNE: Tell us more about Comedown and what made you interested in producing it.

Miljan Vučelić: Comedown, directed by Pavle Simonović and written by Ilija Đurović, follows Kolje, a young man released after five years in prison, who encounters Vorda, his former accomplice and lover. Their reunion revives their feelings for each other, but also draws them back into the world of petty crime they believed they had escaped.

What attracted me to the project was the combination of an intimate love story and a raw crime drama. At its heart, the film is about two people trying to find a place for themselves in a community that refuses to accept them. It offers a rare and uncompromising portrayal of characters and young people living on the margins of Montenegrin society, while showing a side of Podgorica that is seldom represented on screen. 

FNE: Apart from the pitching, what feature of the Montenegro Film Rendezvous appealed to you most this year and why?

Miljan Vučelić: The one-to-one meetings were the most valuable part of the programme for me. A pitch can introduce a film and generate initial interest, but individual meetings allow for a more open and focused conversation. They gave us space to discuss the film’s current stage, its festival positioning and possible forms of collaboration.

The relaxed atmosphere of the Rendezvous also made these encounters feel less formal and more genuine, which is often where the most meaningful professional relationships begin.