"I am especially glad that both the programmers and the audience, and the jury approved that love can be a powerful political tool," said Biljana Tutorov in Park City, Utah.

To Hold a Mountain was shot entirely on Sinjajevina Mountain in northern Montenegro over a period of seven years (from 2018 to 2025), totalling 230 days and seven seasons.

“This visually and emotionally stunning film transported us to a remote mountain top and into the most intimate moments of a family fighting to protect not only their land, but their way of life. The truest example of the power of cinema to make the personal political,” reads the Jury citation.

This is the third documentary directed by producer and founder of CIRCLE Biljana Tutorov, and the first film directed by Petar Glomazić, who was an aviation expert before entering the film industry as a producer. Biljana Tutorov’s company Wake Up Films, based in Novi Sad, Serbia, is the main producer of the film.

To Hold a Mountain / Planina (Serbia, France, Belgium, Montenegro, Slovenia, Croatia) was produced by Wake Up Films in coproduction with Les Films de l'œil sauvage, Stenola Productions, Ardor Films, Kinematograf, and Cvinger Film, having Cut-Up d.o.o as associate producer. It was supported by Film Center Serbia, the Film Centre of Montenegro, CNC France - Cinéma du Monde, the Slovenian Film Centre, the Croatian Audiovisual Centre, PACA Fund of the Southern France Region, RTV Slovenia, Tax Shelter Belgium, InMaat Foundation, Doc Society Climate Story Fund, Uniqua See Future Foundation, Catapult Film Fund, Chicken & Egg Films, Diane Weyermann fellowship, IDA Enterprise Grant, the Council of Europe, and Eurimages.

Romanian producer Bianca Oana, who produced the Oscar nominated documentary collective / colectiv by Alexander Nanau and Golden Bear winner Touch Me Not by Adina Pintilie, was among the executive producers of the film.

The Sundance Film Festival 2026 was held 22 January – 1 February in Park City, Utah, U.S.