Play From Holland Wins 46th Bitef

„Children of the Sun“, performed by Toneelgroep from Amsterdam has been awarded the grand prize 'Mira Trailovic' on Saturday, after the official programme ended.

A scene from "I Hate the Truth" by OIliver Frljic | Photo taken from Youtube

Directed by Ivo Van Hove, a Belgian theatre and opera director, and based on a novel by Russian author Maxim Gorky, the play „Children of the sun“ questions the role of intellectuals in the modern society, examining how are the responsibilities of artists, scientists and philosophers reflected on their personal lives.

„I Hate The Truth!“ (Mrzim istinu), a postmodern play dealing with the stereotypes of family, directed by Croatian director Oliver Frlic received the special prize from the jury for „undertaking a risk to create a play based on his own experience, that is clear and understandable.“

The jury also noted that beside Frljic's  “intelligent direction, and artistic experimenting“, the space in which the play was performed, The Museum of History, added a lot to its meaning.

Young Serbian theatre director Milos Lolic received the prize from the daily newspaper “Politika“ for the best director for the play “Bloody Wedding“ performed by the theatre company Folksbine from Munich.

None of the winners attended the announcement of the awards.

This year’s 46th edition of Bitef included 13 plays from eight countries, selected by the artistic directors Jovan Cirilov and Anja Susa.