FIST
21st Festival of International Student Theatre (FIST 2026)
SAFE PLACE
from 20th to 24th of May
The times we live in leave little room for compromise. Living in your twenties is challenging enough, but living through them in today’s world, which offers no clear promise of a future, can feel less like a choice and more like an obligation.
Wars, revolutions, violence, defeat; young people in prison, in solitary confinement, beaten and killed in the streets. Unrest, hope, ruins, strength, unease.
In the battles we fight every day, we are often forced to choose perseverance over our own needs. To persist is taken for granted - a responsibility we accept without hesitation.
Each of us, in our own struggle, quietly carries what comes our way, and seeks our own safe place – one that is distinct, personal, and uniquely our own.
What all our safe places have in common is the feeling they give us: the freedom to be vulnerable, along with warmth, and support, reminding us that before facing new battles, we sometimes need to pause and embrace both ourselves and those around us.
This year, FIST is envisioned as such a place - a safe space where every struggle gains a new meaning. A space where we can speak openly about what we feel and what we face, where our troubles are not dismissed, and where even the most overwhelming emotions can be expressed.
This safe place heals us, just enough for us to begin healing ourselves.
This safe place is made of people, someone’s gaze, smile, presence. We are a safe place for one another.
This year’s FIST guides the audience through the eyes of young people confronting wars, revolutions, and the everyday challenges of today’s world. From shared upheavals to intimate stories and questions about the future, the festival explores how identity, choice, and responsibility are shaped in a complex world. In this world, theatre is not escapism - it is a safe place where questioning is not only allowed but necessary. A safe space to search for both personal and collective answers.
The five days of the festival serve as a reminder that struggles matter only if we emerge from them empowered and ready to be become better – to one other and to ourselves.
The plays at this year’s FIST speak about the battles that define our time, as well as the wounds they leave behind, reminding us that a safe place does not happen by chance. We build it together, in moments of danger and resistance – and pass it on to those who come after us.
Because FIST, in all its forms over the past 20 years, has been and remains a safe place for new voices that demand to be heard.
MAIN PROGRAM OF 21st FIST:
20th of May
19h / NON PLACE
Greece, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki
21st of May
17h / CIRCLE
Iran, Faculty of Arts, Islamic Azad University, Central Tehran Branch
19h / THE TRAVELLING TROUPE SOPALOVIC
Serbia, Academy of Arts, Novi Sad
22nd of May
19h / TO BE A REAL BOY
Slovenia, University of Ljubljana, Academy of Theatre, Radio, Film and Television
23rd of May
17h / EN ATTENTENT
Germany, Academy of Performing Arts Baden-Württemberg
19h / YAKAMOZ
Switzerland, University of the Arts Bern
24th of May
19h / LUNGS
FIST PRODUCTION, Faculty of Dramatic Arts in Belgrade