Kino Klubs served as a hub for cinephilia and filmic experimentation in the former Socialist Yugoslavia. They were creative gathering places that welcomed the visions and voices that would go on to shape and define a generation of filmmakers in the realm of experimental cinema, outside the conventions of the time. In 2026, we extend an invitation for an informal gathering to pay tribute to one of the homes of experimental cinema.

In Belgrade, in 1958, the Akademik Kino Klub was founded, later known (and still known today) as the Academic Film Center. Many renowned filmmakers from the region took their first steps in cinema in this place - which remains active to this day. The AFC’s main activities include film workshops, lectures, and film production (experimental and documentary). In 1982, they founded the Alternative Film Archive to preserve the works produced by the AFC, which includes over 600 films.

BEAST has curated a program focusing on female filmmakers whose works were created within this context. Creating a path that invites us, from the very first moment, to take steps from the outside to the inside, from the present to the past.