On behalf of the festival, journalists were addressed by the festival director Radoslav Zelenović, president of the festival council Branislav Lečić, director of the Open University (executive producer of the festival) Blažo Perović, executive director of the festival Miroslav Mogorović and programme selectors - Nikolai Nikitin, selector of the Competitive Programme, and Petar Mitrić, selector of Parallels and Encounters, Young European Filmmakers and editor of the music programme.

Radoslav Zelenović briefly reviewed the history of the Festival pointing out that the biggest success of this event is the fact that it will be held at the same level as last year, despite the economic crisis and almost halved budget. Although some of the last year’s plans have not been carried out, such as expanding the number of cinema halls and festival points, duration of the festival and number of films have remained the same. "I think this council would not even be able to organize the festival in normal circumstances," Blažo Perović concluded humorously, alluding to the fact that the festival managed to retain the international character even during the sanctions in the 90's. 

At this year's festival, films will be shown within the following programmes: Parallels and Encounters, Young European Filmmakers, New Finnish Film, New Hungarian Film and Ecological Film. Mr Zelenović pointed out that, considering the quality and reputation of films, the Parallels and Encounters programme has become almost equal with the Official Selection. "I hope we will not have a celebratory festival, but one with a critical approach towards the time we live in," said the festival director. Petar Mitrić emphasized the search for great yet ignored values, primarily in the East European cinemas, as the main goal in the selection of eight films for the Parallels and Encounters programme. The selector singled out the Bulgarian film Zift, Polish film The Offsiders and Czech-French-German co-production The Country Teacher directed by Bohdan Sláma who is already known to the Palić audience. The programme will include one domestic film, too, of which journalists will be informed later. 

"The Young European Filmmakers programme will be fresh and extreme once again," said selector Petar Mitrić, laying emphasis on the intriguing documentary-animated film Capucine directed by Luis Nieto. This year’s Underground Spirit Award for outstanding achievement in independent film production will be given to Uli Schüppel, a veteran of the Berlin 70s underground movement. Schüppel is known for the first digital film shown at cinemas - Planet Alex, awarded at the festival in Rotterdam in 2001. Thanks to the significant shift made in the local music scene over the last year, the music programme will be marked by Serbian alternative bands. 

According to the selector Nikolai Nikitin, this year's Competitive Programme is comprised of the European films which proved to be most interesting in the past few months and “shows how thin the line between drama and comedy is”. In addition to already well-established cinemas such as the Romanian and Israeli, the programme will also include films from lesser-known cinemas such as the Finnish and Belgian. Having pointed out that most films deal with historical and sociopolitical issues such as cultural diversity, he singled out this year's Cannes winner White Ribbon by Michael Haneke, as well as Ordinary People by Vladimir Perišić. The amusing aspect of the Competitive Programme has not been ignored either. However, it never turns into mainstream, but deals with modern time in a critical way, like the film The Happiest Girl in the World that introduces humour into the Romanian new wave. Nikolai Nikitin said he was particularly proud of the film Infernal City directed by Vladimir Paskaljević, which will have its premiere at the festival. 

Executive director of the festival Miroslav Mogorović announced that this year’s jury will be presided by Alberto Barbera, former director of the Venice Festival. In addition to this year's Aleksandar Lifka Award winners - director Ken Russell, who will spend four days at the festival which will allow more opportunities for interviews than last year, and Miki Manojlović, who will stay in Palić during the second half of the Festival - journalists and visitors will also have the opportunity to meet a number of film directors from the Competitive Programme, as well as four directors whose films will be shown in the New Hungarian Film selection. 

This year viewers will also have the opportunity to discuss films with the directors after the screening. Two round tables will be held - Serbia before the Environmental Challenges and Two Decades of Transition and Serbian Film. At the end of his four-year-long term of office in the festival council, Branislav Lečić took the opportunity to look back at the previous period and to wish for the Festival and new council members that in the future the European Film Festival Palić becomes the most important film event in the region.