The Silent House at FIAT Identity 2022 — Best Play Award

The Festival of International Alternative Theatre — FIAT has been held in Podgorica for more than three decades. Founded around the idea of creating a space for the exchange of artistic ideas, FIAT has developed a particular place for alternative and contemporary theatre in Montenegro, with a focus on new forms of theatrical expression and work that crosses established boundaries.

In 2022, the festival brought performances from across Europe and Asia to Podgorica. The competitive programme included artists from Iran, Italy, France, Lithuania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Poland, the United Kingdom, and Slovenia. The year’s programme was shaped around the theme “Identity”, looking at contemporary theatre’s responses to uncertainty, fear, destruction, entropy, and hopelessness.

Among the performances in the competition was The Silent House by Saye Theatre from Iran.

The jury, chaired by choreographer and ballerina Sonja Vukićević, with actress Jelena Minić and dramaturg Aleksandar Radunović, awarded The Silent House the FIAT Identity 2022 Best Play Award. The jury highlighted the minimalist approach of the production and the subtle partnership between Benyamin Esbati and Mina Zaman.

For Saye Theatre, the presentation in Podgorica became another encounter between The Silent House and an international audience, within a festival whose history and artistic direction are closely connected to alternative theatre.

Award

FIAT Identity 2022 — Best Play

The Silent House
Directed by Mehdi Mashhour
Produced by Saye Theatre, Iran

Jury

Sonja Vukićević — President of the Jury, choreographer and ballerina
Jelena Minić — Actress
Aleksandar Radunović — Dramaturg

Credits

Written and Directed by: Mehdi Mashhour
Cast: Benyamin Esbati, Mina Zaman
International Affairs Manager: Sara Rasoulinejad

Festival

FIAT — Festival of International Alternative Theatre
Podgorica, Montenegro
September 2–11, 2022

Audience members on the stage after the performance of The Silent House at FIAT Identity 2022: