10.12.2018. – Regional Platform for advocating media freedom and safety of journalists in the Western Balkans has the honour of presenting outputs of Small Grants Programme, which took place during years 2017 and 2018 within the bigger project “Protecting Media Freedom and Freedom of Expression in the Western Balkans”. The documentary “Using power on the seventh – Montenegro case”, was created by NGO “35mm” in cooperation with “Vijesti” journalists Svetlana Đokić and Tatjana Ašanin within the project “Untold stories: Journalists endangered”.
The documentary was created with a desire to leave a heritage to future generations, as well as a reminder on dramatic stories of Montenegrin journalists and their lives endangered only because of the job they have chosen, as well as aspiration to investigate and inform citizens about that. The conclusion of the documentary is that intimidating atmosphere has been created, that the public has the impression that there is no rule of law, and that there is a conspiratorial cooperation between state authorities and the attackers.
Besides the documentary, the project Untold stories: Journalists endangered implied the promotion of documentary through advertisements and trailers, two roundtables, TV shows and debates, newspaper articles and similar, aiming to promote freedom of media and freedom of speech and put into public focus the problem of impunity of those who attack journalists.
The special goal was to increase pressure and the present danger on journalists only because of the job they chose- in order to raise public awareness and start up activities to launch concrete actions, protect journalists and stop the violence against them.
35mm is non-governmental, non-profit organization with the vision to promote universal democratic values, respect of human rights and the rule of law, in order to help in access of Montenegro to the European Union and other integration processes.
Watch the documentary “Using power on the seventh – Montenegro case” HERE.
Read the report from the Public debate “Protection of the freedom of the media and freedom of expression in Montenegro” HERE.
About Small Grants Programme
During 2017. and 2018. 15 projects were funded through the Small Grants Programme in two LOTs (4 regional and 11 national projects) in Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Kosovo* and Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia.
The Small Grants Programme supported locally and regionally rooted civil society initiatives, engaging human rights activists, journalists and media, aiming to protect the freedom of expression and freedom of media.
The small grants programme was funded by IPA /EU with co-financing from the Croatian Government Office for NGOs and matching funds from grantees; it is part of a regional project Western Balkan’s Regional Platform for Advocating Media Freedom and Journalists’ Safety implemented through partnership of five regional journalists’ associations and one journalists’ union– Independent Journalists Association of Serbia (IJAS), Association of BH Journalists (BHJ), Croatian Journalists Association (CJA), Association of Journalists of Kosovo (AJK), Association of Journalists of Macedonia (AJM) and the Trade Union of Media of Montenegro (TUMM).
Croatian Journalists’ Association and its regional partner journalists’ associations thank all subgrantees and other participants for their interest and effort in engaging in the Small Grants Programme and for their cooperation throughout the whole application and project implementation process.
