On the last weekend of December 2025, a guerrilla edition of the MikroFAF festival, titled Illegal Edition, took place at KC Magacin in Belgrade.

The year 2025 will be remembered as the moment when, after years of persistent efforts by state authorities against art and free thought, art was officially removed from Serbia’s cultural policies. Like the “ALPHA 60” machine in Godard’s Alphaville, all terms evoking free artistic expression were rapidly erased from the vocabulary of the Ministry of Culture and its affiliated institutions, while the cultural scene was forced to seek new forms of existence.

In response to this situation, MikroFAF emerged from the underground, in a radically different format, from detention. Without any support from public or other cultural funds, and without the usual competitive structure, jury, or awards. Attendance at the short film screenings was limited to one person per showing, while any other gathering was considered illegal, left to the personal responsibility of those present. Of course, our audience ignored these restrictions, enjoying the screenings collectively, engaging in discussions, and “remaining in detention.”

Photos by: Luka Knežević Strika i Lidija Antonović

The screenings (on loop) on a TV screen, which were the central part of the installation in the Basement of KC Magacin, lasted 70 minutes and included 17 short films, ranging from one to nine minutes, created over the last 15 years. Thematically, they unfortunately continue to resonate with the social ills, cultural problems, and the erosion of freedom in Serbia.

The program concluded with a clear message of solidarity and resistance: Death to fascism, freedom to film!

The festival took place at KC Magacin, where Satibara is a regular participant, and whose collective decided to name this year’s showcase ‘Šouruk.’

MikroFAF: Illegal Edition was organized by Satibara, without support from the Ministry of Culture or the City of Belgrade, in line with the current minister’s strategy—Zero Percent for Culture.