Montenegro

The first notable thing about Biljana Tutorov and Petar Glomazić’s observational documentary To Hold a Mountain is the breathtaking landscapes. Filmed in and around the highlands of Montenegro on the Sinjajevina plateau, the topography has an ancient, almost mystical quality. That’s where shepherdess Gara and her adoptive daughter Nada work and connect with the land of their heritage. The film’s framework is around the struggle to keep this land protected. A Montenegrin plan to use the heretofore Unesco-protected land for a military training ground and shooting range is threatening their livelihood and pristine landscape. It is true that Gara becomes a leader in the fight to “hold a mountain”, and keep Sinjajevina sacred and unspoiled, but that is just the stepping off point for a deeper exploration of personal struggles.