Thursday, 18 June 2026 at 10 am
From 17 to 19 June 2026, Documenta – Centre for Dealing with the Past is organising the second edition of the ‘No-Oblivion’ Festival, dedicated to the culture of remembrance, human rights and social responsibility. The festival brings together researchers, artists, journalists, activists and representatives of civil society with the aim of opening up a space for dialogue on the legacy of the 1990s, the challenges of confronting the past and the importance of preserving memory in contemporary society.
The programme begins on Wednesday, 17 June with the memorial walk “Zagreb and the 90s”, which will introduce participants to the places, events and social processes that characterised the capital during the wartime and post-war period. The walk will explore locations associated with the rocket attacks on Zagreb, places of detention such as Pavilion 22 at the Zagreb Fair, 30a Gajeva Street, Kerestinec, the murders of Aleksandra, Marija and Mihajlo Zec, and the Wall of Pain in Mirogoj Cemetery. During the walk, participants will also visit authentic locations important to the work of the Croatian Anti-War Campaign.
The main part of the festival will take place on 18 and 19 June at the Cultural and Information Centre (KIC) in Zagreb.
This year's programme features a series of public discussions addressing some of the most important questions concerning society's relationship with the past. The discussions will cover the rehabilitation of war criminals and the consequences of historical revisionism, the status and rights of civilian victims of war, as well as the places of trauma and anti-war resistance today. Special attention will be paid to the role of art, film, literature and cultural criticism in shaping a culture of remembrance, and to considering how artistic practices can contribute to understanding the past and building a more democratic society.
The festival will also provide a space for discussion on the legacy of 1990s civil activism and independent culture, through the presentation of the Anti-war Campaign platform and a debate on the importance of archiving, documenting, and preserving the social initiatives that marked the period of war, and transition from socialism to capitalism.
The evening programme will feature documentaries produced by Factum: Pavilion 22 (Nenad Puhovski, 2002) and The Boy Who Rushed (Biljana Čakić-Veselič, 2001), which, through personal stories and a documentary approach, explore themes of memory, responsibility and the social consequences of war.
The ‘No-Oblivion festival continues to create a space for critical reflection on the past, mutual learning and dialogue on topics that remain important for understanding contemporary Croatian society. We invite everyone interested to join us and take part in the programme.
Festival Programme:
Wednesday, 17 June
• 5 pm | “Zagreb and the 90s” Walk – Tena Banjeglav, Jurica Vitković, a witness of the time
Thursday, 18 June
• 10 am | Festival Opening – Vesna Teršelič, Refik Hodžić, Jurica Vitković, Hrvoje Hribar
• 10:30 am | The Rehabilitation of War Criminals – Aleksandar Maršavelski, Hrvoje Klasić, Slađana Čanković, Branka Vierda (moderator)
• 4 pm | Echoes of the Nineties: An Artistic, Critical and Cultural Memory Perspective – Hrvoje Pukšec, Agata Juniku, Petar Milat, Katarina Luketić, Andrijana Kos-Lajtman (moderator)
• 6 pm | Screening of the film “Pavilion 22” (Nenad Puhovski, Factum, 2002, 52 min)
Friday, 19 June
• 10 am | Places of Trauma and Anti-War Resistance Today – Valentina Otmačić, Tita Mikulaš, Danijela Kvesić Stojanac, Branka Vierda (moderator)
• noon | Equality of Civilian Victims and Survivors – Nela Pamuković, Marijana Senjak, Marija Lugarić, a representative of the Office of the Ombudsman, Vesna Teršelič (moderator)
• 4 pm | Remembering Resistance: The Anti-war Campaign Platform and Archives of Independent Culture and Civic Activism – Sanja Burlović, Matija Mrakovčić, Hana Marta Jurčević Bulić, Nikola Mokrović (moderator)
• 6 pm | Screening of the Film “The Boy Who Rushed” (Biljana Čakić-Veselič, Factum, 2001, 53 min)
The festival is organised as part of the project ‘Between Remembrance and Oblivion’, run by Documenta – Centre for Dealing with the Past, with the support of the British Council through the regional programme ‘Different Memories, Shared Futures: Towards Inclusive Memorialisation’.
The programme will be held in Croatian.