Life
Summer at Kastel Finds a New Rhythm
When night falls over the Vrbas River, few places in the region look quite like Kastel Fortress. Ancient stone walls, an open sky above, and the river flowing just steps away have long created an atmosphere that makes every concert here feel a little different. This summer, that atmosphere is gaining a new chapter in the festival.
How Biljana Čekić Became Popular on Both Sides of the Atlantic at the Age of 13
At just thirteen years old, she became famous almost overnight on both sides of the Atlantic. With deep emotions written across her face and a steel determination to save her younger brother, she guided audiences through the horrors of an infamous concentration camp. Long before the public had the opportunity to watch Dara of Jasenovac, the controversy and debate surrounding the film had already made headlines in political and artistic circles.
Kotor and the Alchemy of Good Conversations
Not every event is remembered through the number of panels, speakers, or attendees. Some stay with us because of their atmosphere. Because of the city that hosted them. Because of conversations that lasted longer than planned and ideas that emerged long after the official programme had ended. That was precisely the spirit of this year’s CIM Forum in Kotor.
Marilyn Monroe: The Woman Who Became Bigger Than Her Own Life
There are very few people in the world whose names require no introduction. Marilyn Monroe is one of them. There is no need to mention that she was an actress. No need to list films, dates, or biographical details. A single photograph is enough. The white dress lifted by the wind above a New York subway grate. Red lipstick. Blonde hair. A smile that seems both seductive and vulnerable.
CIM Forum in Kotor: The Mediterranean Still Knows How to Talk
Last night, Kotor smelled of the sea, wine, and long conversations that do not end after the first drink. In the stone labyrinth of the Old Town, the fifth anniversary edition of the CIM Forum opened - a regional festival of creative industries and media that, over the years, has evolved into far more than a traditional conference.
Can Pleasure Save Print?
The intoxicating scent of paper. The soft rustle beneath one’s fingers. A feeling of satisfaction. Inspiration. Creation. An indescribable force without which there can be no pleasure in thinking itself. These are the words magazine and newspaper lovers - or, as we would say today, lovers of print - use to describe something they still consider timeless and deeply valuable.
What the West Pays Expensively for Today, the Balkans Still Have Right Outside Their Homes
There are places in the Balkans where the day still does not end with the glow of a screen turning off. In the evening, when the sun softens the facades and the asphalt finally stops radiating the day’s heat, chairs begin appearing in front of houses. First one. Then another. Someone brings out a small wooden stool. Someone else carries a beer. Someone slices a watermelon. Someone simply brings silence.
Marlon Brando and the Time When Hedonism Wasn’t Content for Social Media
There are people who have never had to perform charisma. The moment they entered a room, the atmosphere changed before they even spoke their first word. Marlon Brando was one of those people.
Science Shaping the Future: Dr Staša Stanković Arrives at the CIM Forum in Kotor
There are people whose work does not change just one field, but the way we imagine the future itself. One such name is arriving in Kotor this May. At the fifth anniversary edition of the CIM Forum - Festival of Creative Industries and Media, taking place from May 28 to 31, guests will have the opportunity to hear Dr Staša Stanković, one of the most promising scientists of the new generation in biotechnology, genomic medicine, and artificial intelligence.
Stojan Vranješ for HEDONIST: Goals Are My Fuel
The English often say that goals are like double-decker buses - you wait and wait, and then several arrive at once. Few understand that better than Stojan Vranješ, who recently made his 300th appearance for FK Borac Banja Luka. One of the most decorated footballers ever to come from the city on the Vrbas River, Vranješ won four Bosnian Premier League titles with the red-and-blue side.
How Panini Created the First Social Network
Before Instagram, TikTok, and endless scrolling, there was a different kind of algorithm. It didn’t run through the internet, but through school hallways, parks, apartment courtyards, and lunch breaks. Its name was simple - Panini.
Adriana Trujillo: How I Went from Tijuana and San Diego, Through Barcelona, to Banja Luka
The heroine of this story lived on different continents and in various parts of the world before eventually finding peace and happiness in Banja Luka. Adriana’s story is anything but ordinary. Born in Mexico, raised in San Diego, educated in Barcelona, and in love in Berlin, she ultimately settled in the largest city of Republika Srpska. It was in Berlin that she met her husband Marko, a professor at the Academy of Arts in Banja Luka.
When Mysteries Lose Their Magic: Stories Science Eventually Explained
There is something irresistible about mysteries. They invite us to imagine, to doubt, to believe in the unknown. The world has always been full of stories that defy logic - ships without crews, signals from space, unexplained sounds from the depths of the ocean. And perhaps that is exactly why we love them: they leave room for wonder. But what happens when a mystery finds an answer?
The Night When Europe Speaks Through Its Walls
One night a year, fortresses across Europe stop being silent witnesses of history and become stages once again. The stone that once guarded borders now brings people together. Light replaces darkness, music replaces silence, and the walls, once built for defense, take on the role of hosts.
Offline Is the New Luxury: When an App Makes You Put Your Phone Down
There was a time when the goal of digital platforms was simple - keep you there as long as possible. Today, an opposite concept is emerging: apps that want you to leave. Not metaphorically, but literally. To step outside, meet people, and return to a life that doesn’t fit inside a screen.
Zdravko Mamić for HEDONIST: I Spent Two or Three Million Euros on Music
“I have to thank all the people of Bosnia and Herzegovina, not just here in Međugorje, but everywhere. It’s incredible how kind people are to me. I have a close relationship with Bosnia and Herzegovina. I don’t miss Zagreb at all, but I do miss football matches. I’m a ‘match addict’ - I watch everything: the leagues of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Croatia, and of course European competitions.”
Unusual Animals of the World: Nature That Never Stops Surprising
Nature doesn’t follow the rules we expect. The longer you observe it, the clearer it becomes that “normal” doesn’t really exist in the animal world. Some species look as if they were created by accident, others like experiments that turned out better than anyone planned.
CIM in Vienna: A City Where Ideas Meet Before They Become Projects
Vienna doesn’t leave much room for improvisation. Everything about it feels precise, almost predetermined. That’s exactly why, when the energy of creative industries enters such an environment, an interesting contrast emerges - a blend of structure and spontaneity, system and idea. In that space, somewhere between history and modernity, the CIM Vienna - Networking Event: The Alchemy of Connection took place. An event that doesn’t try to impress with numbers, but with relationships.
CIM Forum in Vienna: HEDONIST Among Partners of a Major Step Toward Europe
In the heart of Vienna, at the very entrance to the impressive Hofburg, the CIM Vienna - Networking Event will take place on April 15, an event that confirms the growing position of the CIM Forum on the European map of creative industries. The organizer, CIM Forum Kotor, is utilizing this gathering as a crucial step toward international networking and closer integration with the European Union market, at a time when Montenegro marks two decades of independence and intensifies its European path.
