Serbian film guilds allege blacklists and funding freeze as industry stalls
Eight Serbian film guilds and professional associations say filmmakers who criticise the government face systemic political interference, informal blacklists and public attacks.
The claim comes in an open letter detailed by Variety. The signatories describe a coordinated campaign of state-sponsored censorship. They also describe a total freeze on funding calls that is starving independent production.
At the centre is Film Center Serbia, the state body that backs local films. It has not announced a public funding call in nearly two years. A funding call is the scheduled round in which producers apply for state money. Without it, small companies cannot plan shoots, hire crews or finish scripts.
The dispute follows a national tragedy. A concrete canopy at Novi Sad railway station collapsed in November 2024, killing 16 people. The disaster sparked nationwide protests against the government of Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić. Prime Minister Miloš Vučević stepped down in the aftermath.
Work is still reaching audiences. Director Jelena Maksimović made her debut feature Until the Day Ends, set against student protests in Serbia and bound for Venice. The production shows how crews keep shooting when state support stalls. A film of 200 people still needs pay, locations and time.
Concerns about pressure are not new. In February, Serbian film associations accused Belgrade officials of “open hostility” toward filmmakers critical of the government, as reported by The Hollywood Reporter. The Reuters Institute 2026 Digital News Report found that Serbia’s media landscape deteriorated significantly during the ongoing political crisis this year, according to Reuters Institute.
The screen sector has lost assets before. In 2015, Serbia sold a famed Yugoslav-era film studio for eight million euros ($8.59 million), signing away rights to an archive of films, Reuters reported at the time.
For audiences, this means fewer Serbian stories may get finished. For writers, directors and crews, it means longer gaps between paid jobs and less certainty about what can be said on screen.
