 And now, believe it or not, it's me again. This time, I have a great pleasure and honor to introduce our first keynote speaker at this conference, Mr. Mikhail Shvetkoi, who is a special representative of the President of the Russian Federation for International Cultural Cooperation. He's a Russian theater critic. We are very glad to know that. Drama, social, and political activist. He was director of the Moscow Theater Musical and worked at the Moscow State University. He was also Russian minister of culture from 2000 to 2004 and chairman of the Federal Agency for Cultural and Cinematography. Last but not least, if you allow me to say this, to put it in this words, Mikhail Shvetkoi is a friend and we all call him Misha and not Mikhail Shvetkoi. He knows a lot of you, among you, and Misha, we are very glad to have you with us. Thank you very much. I will say, you know, there's a best advertiser in my life, you know, at least 10% of all my profit, you know. Super. Thank you. It would be the best. Dobrydin Dobrudan, good morning. The Honourable Minister of London, Lukas Avlevich, Honourable Minister of Karina, Sute, Distinguished Ambassadors, ladies and gentlemen, friends. This is a very sentimental feeling, be here for me because when I came first time in this building in 1979, I came to Bekavutche office with Dr. Klijic. He was alive at this moment. Dr. Klijic teach in university and not dream about the Amsterdam Theater Institute. He was a chairman of the Netherlands Theater Institute for a long time. And we asked Bekavutche, please, give us some tickets to show and to say, now I have not all booking and it's impossible. You know, it's impossible to forget. It's how she was. Because Bekavutche, during the bit of it, it was a great, great happy for all of Russian critics because this was a real point where we met with the foreign theater, the western theater and this was a good chance met all friends from the eastern countries. You know, when I first time, the mirror was absolutely admired person. Of course, she was a great manager. She was a great leader. She has a strategy of the future, but she was a great lady. She keep the absolutely unique sexual power and all men's around here was as a shy guys, you know, and looked at her, but she go to the Belgrade street. The car stops, you know. This was absolutely, I know another one, ladies, it was Ellen Stewart from Lama. But lady, the Ellen was a Afro-American, we know this was since the 1970s. She was a great black woman and she was, the mirror was a great white woman. And they around there, they concentrate all the work, you know, all theater work. Yevon was a very special man and he was absolutely intellectual. And when I saw him, I immediately remember the about, it was a great Polish poet, Konstantin Delfon Galczynski. He was a sentence, the intellectuals unhappy race in the all railways station. I repeat, the intellectuals unhappy race in the all railway station. He was, every time when I look to Yevon, he was unhappy. What he feeling inside, nobody knows, but he look, I ask him, you are true, because I am true, but I'm much more happy, you know, than you. We have an old joke, why is it true, never drink the analgen, analgetic, because he won't keep the ill inside. And when I watch the Yevon, I ask him, listen, I must be unhappy, you must be happy. You walk in the best festival in the world. You know, the Russian steps, the Russian impact, and Beethef was quite serious. And Beethef was a great impact to the Russian theater culture, of course, theater process in the 60s and the 70s and the 80s. And this reason, why in the 1999, was absolutely crisis situation in Belgrade, in Serbia, when NATO drops bombing the Serbia, and I walk, at the same moment, I walk in there, I was the chairman of the national broadcasting system, and my stuff was in Belgrade. And I called to CNN people and asked, where will be the next bombs, you know, because I tried to keep my stuff. This was a crisis. And in the 1999, the all most influential, or most famous Russian theater people sent the letter to Yevon, we invite the Beethef in Moscow. We understand it's absolutely impossible to make a creative festival during the military, under the bombing, you know. And we sent the letter, Yevon, if you want, we try to organize the Beethef the one time in Moscow. He said no. He said, thank you very much. I'm very appreciate it, but I won't keep the Beethef as a Belgrade place. And this was absolutely right step, because Yevon understand, Beethef and Belgrade, this, you know, something, this is symbol of Belgrade. This was a symbol of real Belgrade, was a human feeling, was a human fundamental value, was a real theater understanding of the world. This was a must more than theater, you know. This was a mission. This was a mission for Mira, this was a mission for Yevon, and this was a mission, I don't know, explain why. This is not just, this is absolutely simple way to say, this was a crossing point between the East and West, no. This was a place for meeting of the all real theater people, all people who was a, who keeps a real democratic feeling of life, who keeps the real feeling of human value in the world, and for him it's very important to keep this festival in 1999 in Belgrade. This was the main reason, you know, the, a lot of, during the millennia, when you said about CIA money, I think about KJP money, but I hope this, this is my mistake, you know. Because, you must understand, this is very important. Mira, I think, was some kind of reincarnation of Ueshibostito, because the main producer of festival was Ueshibostito, of course. Because without him, without his will, without his understanding of the role of theater, center of theater in Belgrade, this was, it was impossible. But he was a very clever man, and he understand this place must be center where crossing varieties, political, cultural, and civil society movement. This was, as we said, third way in the political, during the Cold War. And I repeat, he finds an absolutely right lady. Of course, Mira was absolutely independent. Mira was absolutely free, but at the same time, he has a very good umbrella. Because politically, for Yugoslavia, the theater was a very important center of concentration, varieties, powers. And of course, for Russians, this was very important. Because during the first festival was where the Akhmadulina and Akujava, they were, they are our great poets. And they were here during the first festival in the 1967. And of course, for all the great director of the Russian, Polugimov, Tostanogov, for Efras, for Petrofamenko, later, Lev Dordin, et cetera, all big Russian performance we have present here because everybody understand. If you, if you in bit of you in the theater, in the world theater process, if you present your show in the bit of, this mean you're part of the world theater culture. And this was very important for all of them, especially during the Soviet period when there was a Cold War. You know, when I, when I thought thinking about Mira, I think she, she, that in the 1989, where the Berlin Wall ruins. And this, something symbolic, you know, she made all her missions alive. There was a ruins the Berlin Wall, you know, and when Wall ruins, she left this world. This absolutely symbolic act, you know. And for me, she creates a new world without walls. And this was very important for her. You know, the 1970s, 1960, 1970, 1967 was a very interesting period, the middle of the 60s. This was a great period, a powerful period of theater. In Poland, the Konrad Sienarski was here. They say, the Polish theater was miracle. The Czech theater, Potomac Rachia and Czech movie, and Czech literature, everything was, this was before Prague Springs. This was a great period for Hungarian theater, for Russian theater, for Yugoslavian theater. This was a great period of Yugoslavian theater. Even the 70s was a period of the real development of the eastern part of the theater world in Europe. Even 80s, you know. And, you know, the young Yugoslavian, the 70s was a young Yugoslavian director as a logisher of East Asia, for example. I don't know, now everybody destroys all relations. I don't, I speak some names in a phrase. If something cannot have a, something say, I'm sorry. But, you know, I met Borka in the middle of 70s in Moscow. You know, this is a great period of life. Absolutely different time. I repeat again, the Russian presentation in Bitov was very important, the same as Bitov was important in Russian way. Until now, we are continuing feeling this Bitov as a real center of the theater culture. And, of course, I'm happy that it's not mine. There's a becker. There's all my girls, they keep the phone only, you know. This reason, you know, you have a very complicated period, of course, now. Because if you remember, the Bitov was founded, Bitov, Avignon was founded in the 1947, I think. The International Warsaw Festival was a little bit later, but the Bitov was unique because Bitov was in Yugoslavia and Yugoslavia not be east part and not be west part. Now, fundamental future. And as we are alive, all Russian theater will try, this will be an honor for us, be in Bitov. And I hope this will be a long, long time. And when you will, without us, well, you make a celebrate 100th anniversary of Bitov, I hope some body from Russia, Kay, it will come and repeat my words. Thank you very much for such warm words and for giving, I would say, putting some light more from your private perspective and from your memories to what were the first years of Bitov. Now I have the honor to present to you our second keynote speaker, Hugo de Graf, who has been the general, please come, yes, who has been the general manager of the Kai Theater in Brussels. He was the general manager of the European Capital of Culture in Bruges in 2002. From 2007 to 2010, he was the general manager of the Flaget Art Center in Brussels, who was center-regrouping all NGOs and civil society. He co-founded one of the most important of European Theater Networks, European Theater Meeting, ITM, the European House of Culture, and many others. He's the president of parts, a dance school in Brussels, founded by Aunt Theresa de Kelsmacher, who was on Bitov, of course, as many other Flemish artists, and president of Vasa Porta, the House of Literature in Brussels. Currently, he is co-director of the Europe for Festivals for Europe platform. He was secretary general of the European Festival Association 2004-2008, and today the general coordinator and co-founder of the Festival Academy. And as our conference has been focused on one side with it as such, but on the other, festivals, and their importance in contemporary life, we invited Hubert Graf for the second keynote speech. Thank you very much. It's a real pleasure, and I'm, of course, wishing from the European Festival Association, happy anniversary. Thank you very much. It's absolutely an important day, 50 years. The number is impressive, but what's even more impressive is the history itself. It's explained already of a festival during decades of change and challenges. And if one compare this with, for instance, and as we said already, Avignon and Edinburgh, they are both in their 70 editions as a striven after the Second World War, those festivals contributed in a search for peace and living together in the destroyed Europe. Bitef in 67, and then also in that same decade, a very important festival, Festival Mondial de Theater de Nancy. I will say, as a young guy, I visited both of the festivals in the 70s, and they inspired me to found the Kai Theater in 77, and that was like a real new package of festivals in Europe with, for instance, a lift in London, in theater in Paul Verici and so on. Bitef remains important here international, but it's interesting how the nature of this importance was different in all these decades. It was already all underlined by different speakers, and how it is today to find a specificity and an international position, a struggle, but as well an interesting challenge for every festival indeed. How to stay relevant in a world of the arts that have seen already everything, embraced by a democratic society and for many European countries, although financial crisis, living in an economically satisfying civilization. Look to our bigger colleagues again, Edinburgh or Avenue. How to keep the role of guide in international theater renewal for a festival as Avenue. How to remain an example in the choice of classical music linked with contemporary creation as Edinburgh. Although they are all till today outstanding festivals with a strong program and an excellent exposure, but where is the uniqueness? It has been focused already by the earlier speaker. Where is the role for looking for the art of tomorrow and the artist changing our way of perceiving creation? I think that is an item for this Congress also very interesting to elaborate and to see further. Therefore, I'm curious for being present the debates of this Congress. The teams are relevant for the arts today and for the role of festivals tomorrow. The festival is a location, an environment and a setting where artists can present their work with a large degree of artistical freedom. The public goes to a profile festival more readily than to the regular culture supply in search of an unfilmer or of the innovation. The success lies more in the challenging artistic creation and the unusual experience in the pure consumption of culture. A festival is also seen as a factor in cultural tourism with particularly relevant economical effects. When the cash tilts are closed at the end of the day in bars and restaurants, the local economy certainly feels a difference the presence of a festival makes. Even if the economic added value is no more than a striking side effect, it cannot be ignored when it comes to defining the added value of a festival. Festivals provide the context for excellence, to be innovative by giving artists the opportunity to create or to present themselves for an audience that is open to experimentation and the avant-garde. It is mainly through festivals that new trends and other forms and expression are accepted by broader public. The role of arts festival is to program or even produce experimental work since it is there that new forms gain acceptance. That's clear. Although culture diplomacy, the team of this Congress and geographical position, although arts festivals' main mission is to give the artist exceptional opportunities to create and to present, their sense can be broader indeed. As offering to the audience the possibility to enjoy new creation, to be confronted with new visions and participate in unique moments of beauty, it brings cultures together. The European Festival Association, as the crucial network in Europe for the festival is taking these basics as their message. It leads the dialogue in the projects in collaboration between the members, but between the members, but indeed arts festivals are at the same time a platform for meeting and exposure. Used within diplomatic programs, it offers each culture an environment to make contacts easier to start or to permit constructive dialogue. One has to be clear. Festivals or instruments in culture diplomacy, yes. It's the challenge for a festival to incorporate the offered program to the promotional channels of the diplomacy into an added value for creation and for public. Talk is set out by culture diplomacy, programs must be integrated within the artistical ambition of the festival. It's only condition for being successful together as a festival program and as a tool in diplomacy. It's not about using culture for diplomatic reasons. It's connecting culture for better understanding. It's not using culture because that can lead to excluding cultures. I think it's an important item for this Congress. The European Festival Association meets through their different activities and programs very often, official representations of national institutions for culture diplomacy. Their support is not only welcomed on the budget level, of course, it's as well useful of a source of information and knowledge. Certainly in the EVA training programs, as you may know, the Festival Academy. The young generation of festival organizers are facing a strong concurrence and an extreme challenge to look for the need and the personality in the artistic profile of them. We invite the young generation in programs as the Atelier for Young Festival Manager, the Festival Production Training Program and others to go into debate and discuss where for each of them the necessity of their work for the artist and for the audience can be positioned. How to deal with culture diplomacy needs and opportunity is part of finding a balance to make a festival possible, to serve the audience by serving the artist and to connect between cultures. And to close my introduction, I would like to comment a little bit on the program from EVA that has its pilot edition from the Europe for Festival's Festival for Europe Project, an effort we call it. It effort we try to bring together festivals in Europe with a certain quality. It has to do with culture diplomacy and geographical tension. Selected them based on three essential elements, artistic program, local importance and international position. This is the base of the program. We could bring together 760 festivals from 31 European countries with the help of many national partners and more than 100 experts and an international jury. They're all brought together in the book. Some of you may know it, 760 festivals all over Europe are presented. A lot of text goes with that and we could make the pilot project supported by the European Commission, the European Parliament, and be that as part of that, a lot of Serbian festival of that. It's my pleasure, Mr. Minister, to give you already a copy. I have some copies for more of you if you are interested. Please come to me later this afternoon. We know what we wanted when we launched effort to give a voice to festivals and the festival community in the exceptional work they do every day, somewhere in Europe. We wanted to invite and involve as many festivals as possible and to acknowledge their quality. And we wanted a program that is beneficial to all those involved with festivals, artists, directors, visitors, citizens, the media, politicians, as well as a program to strengthen the culture project of Europe. For us, it was important to also give a sign that Europe, first of all, is a culture project. So that was the basic line for us to say those festivals can be instruments in the talk, in the debate to underline that Europe is a culture project. Today, when festivals are being killed, killed off by questions about their economic impact, when their values to society is measured in facts and figures, a program such as effort is about the story of festivals tells, the mission is pursue, the added value it gives to the work of the artist to a place in time to the people that participate in it. It gives room to the arts, the artist, the magic and the inexplicable, the unknown and the discover, the surprising and the recognized. And I can announce that two weeks ago, the European Commission decided that EFA, European Festival Association, can go on with this project, Europe for Festivals, Festivals for Europe, for the three years coming, 17, 18, 19. So we will work on the program further and we will have the possibility to give more platform, as we are speaking, the platform as festivals in the future. Festivals are visions in society. I thank you. Thank you very much. Thank you very much. I thank everyone, our Minister Radam Bukosavjevic, Goran Milashinovic, President of the Serbian Committee for UNESCO and our keynote speakers, Mikhail Mishashvikoi and Hugo Legref, of course the artistic director of the festival, Ivan Medenica, for their speeches in this morning. And especially I would like to thank you for mentioning our dearest colleague, Dragan Klajic, who in fact also led for a long time debates within Bittev, so he was very much really linked to Bittev, but in the same time he was initiator of the European Festival Research Project. And after this project, a lot of books and publications about festivals has been produced and that's a good moment also to give some memory to him as a Bill Bolton Theater Scholar for Belgrade, for Serbia and for Yugoslavia. So thank you all very much. And now I invite you for a coffee break. And after coffee break, we are going to have to continue our work, but now relax. And thank you all for coming. Thank you very much. Thank you very much. Thank you. I hope you will have the pleasure to talk again. Do you think I'm going to relax? I'm going to relax. Yeah, yeah. Maybe one day we could arrange a meeting and we'd be very, very glad to have an hour talk or somewhere relax.