This award was given for his masterful direction of Antigone in the Amazon, performed by the NTGent City Theatre from Belgium. With this recognition, Milo Rau becomes the 46th recipient of the renowned Politika's Award, joining a list of previous laureates that includes some of the greatest names in theatre, such as Pina Bausch, Günter Krämer, Roberto Ciulli, Jerzy Jarocki, Anatoly Efros, Haris Pašović, Nikita Milivojević and Ingmar Bergman.
The award includes a painting titled Orchestra—an 80x60 acrylic on canvas from the Music series created by Jelena Merkur, Doctor of Fine Arts. Her solo exhibition, commemorating 30 years of artistic work, opened on the same evening as the performance of Antigone in the Amazon, along with the presentation of the Politika award.
The jury praised Antigone in the Amazon, directed by Milo Rau, as a powerful and visually striking production, noting its inventive adaptation of Sophocles' Antigone within the framework of a modern tragedy of rebellion set in Brazil in 1996, during a police massacre of a movement resisting capitalism, colonialism, and environmental destruction fuelled by an insatiable thirst for profit. The performance unfolds in a complex and multifaceted manner, characterized by openness, multimedia, fragmentation, an unusual aspect, and analytical depth. It employs Brechtian alienation and critical reflection, intertwining narrative and dramatic threads that collectively explore the universal meanings of the ancient Antigone.
Although the form and meanings are multifaceted, the performance is remarkably clear and precise, delivering a powerful impact that resonates deeply with the audience. The jury further highlighted the crucial role of music and choral singing, echoing the ancient chorus and the power of the community, affirming Nietzsche’s assertion that the spirit of tragedy is rooted in music. Although its form is fundamentally contemporary, characterized by the intricate interplay between live actors on stage and their counterparts in prerecorded films, the performance simultaneously embraces tradition, preserving the ritualistic essence from which tragedy is born.
This was the unanimous decision of the five-member jury of the traditional Politika’s Award for Best Direction at 58Bitef24, composed of directors András Urban and Nebojša Bradić, Politika Culture Section Editor Gordana Popović, theatre critic Ana Tasić, and journalist Borka Golubović Trebješanin.
Milo Rau (Bern, 1977) is a renowned director, writer, and resident artist at NTGent, and since last year, the artistic director of the Vienna Festival. He studied sociology, German and Romance languages and literature in Paris, Berlin, and Zurich. Belgrade audiences are already well-acquainted with his production Orestes in Mosul, based on Aeschylus’ Oresteia, which opened the 53Bitef19, while his work Compassion. The History of the Machine Gun was performed at the 50Bitef16.
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