PLANINA
Serbia, France, Montenegro, Slovenia, Croatia
2026 | 105 min. | Documentary

TO HOLD A MOUNTAIN is an intimate, multilayered portrait of a mother and daughter living on Montenegro’s Sinjajevina plateau, one of Europe’s last great pastoral highlands. Each summer, Gara and her 13-year-old daughter Nada return to their ancestral pastures at 2,000 meters, where they herd animals, gather herbs and live in symbiosis with the mountain they call “Mother.” Their days follow the ancient rhythms of transhumance, a tradition handed down through generations of local women.

But their fragile world comes under threat when the Montenegrin government advances plans for a NATO-backed military training ground in the heart of this protected landscape. As helicopters descend and the community fractures under pressure, Gara emerges as an unexpected leader — riding her white horse across the highlands to unite neighbors and defend the land that sustains them.

For Nada, the fight for Sinjajevina intertwines with a more private struggle. Gara is not her biological mother but her aunt, who raised her after Nada’s mother was murdered by her father. As Nada grows into young womanhood, the encroaching violence on the land awakens questions about her past, her future and the cycle of harm she hopes to break.

Filmed over seven seasons, TO HOLD A MOUNTAIN weaves an environmental drama with a deeply human story of care, resilience and the quiet resistance of women in a patriarchal society. The film reveals how the threads of motherhood, land stewardship and survival are bound together — and how the fight to protect a mountain can become a fight to heal a family.

Directed by: Biljana Tutorov, Petar Glomazić
Written by: Biljana Tutorov, Petar Glomazić
Produced by: Biljana Tutorov, Petar Glomazić, Quentin Laurent, Rok Biček, Dijana Mladenovic
Cinematography: Eva Kraljević
Editing: George Cragg, Catherine Rascon
Original Score: Draško Adžić
Sound: Julij Zornik, Samo Jurca
Cast: Mileva Jovanović (as herself), Nada Stanišić (as herself), Rajka Radonjić (as herself), Ljiljana Šaranović (as herself)

Statement of the director:
It was 2017 when we first discovered this place — a plateau at 2,000 meters above sea level, the second-largest pastureland in Europe — whose mysterious name can be interpreted as “Shining Heights” or “Mountain Ocean.” We met Gara and Nada at the very moment news arrived that this precious mountain, whose snows provide water for the entire region, was to be turned into a military shooting range. From our first encounter, it was clear that there was something more to them — that they were part of a larger story, reminiscent of epics from ancient times but rooted in a painful present. Their destiny carried the echo of Greek tragedy, and we felt compelled to share their lives and understand their paths. For more than seven years, we quietly explored, lived together and gathered elements that carry the power of this place and its people. We did not ask — we listened, until the story revealed itself. Gara and Nada represent mothers and daughters across centuries who, despite everything, have nurtured a culture of love. The film also reflects our contemplation of the deep connections between women and land, patriarchy and militarization, duty and love.

— Biljana Tutorov and Petar Glomazić

Production:
Wake Up Films
https://www.wakeupfilms.net

World Sales:
Submarine Entertainment
https://www.submarine.com