The mountains in the Sinjajevina range in Montenegro are largely above treeline. They form the highest grazing land in Europe. Residents use the rolling hills and valleys to raise cattle and sheep. It's a hard, austere life marked by isolation and rough weather.
When politicians in the capital city of Podgorica announce plans to use the Sinjajevina region for NATO military exercises, the residents band together to fight back. To Hold a Mountain follows their efforts to preserve their land, with news and archival footage filling out details about the conflict.
Directors Biljana Tutorov and Petar Glomazić spend most of their film covering activist Mileva Gara Jovanović, one of the leaders of the community. Forceful and articulate, Gara is devoted to her ancestral home, despite the troubles she and her neighbors have faced over the years.
When not milking and herding cows, preparing cheeses, repairing her farm, and seeing to the endless chores that demand her attention, Gara raises her teenage stepdaughter Nada Stanišić, who will soon be leaving for school.
The daily routines are visually fascinating, but so far removed from life in the US that viewers may not register how difficult they are. Just moving from one farm to another, or to a meeting place in a valley, is physically arduous.
The directors gradually reveal a troubling back story involving Nada's deceased mother and her father, who is about to be released from jail. Scenes in which Nada breaks down while contemplating her future veer uncomfortably close to exploitation.
To Hold a Mountain joins a growing list of documentaries about how people are displaced by modern society. Honeyland (2019), directed by Tamara Kotevska and Ljubomir Stefanov, is one Oscar-nominated example. Kotevska's The Tale of Silyan (2025) focuses on farmers being forced off their lands. Set in Mexico, La Reserva, by first-time director Pablo Pérez Lombardini, offers a similar story line, only without a happy ending. Lucrecia Martel's first documentary feature, Nuestra Tierra, covers the aftermath of a land grab in Argentina.
Apart from Gara's strong personality, the most distinctive element of To Hold a Mountain is Eva Kraljević's bold cinematography. The spectacular landscapes, ever-changing weather, and intimate details of farm life are remarkably involving.
Screened in the World Documentary Competition at Sundance. Photo credit: Mileva Gara Jovanović and Nada Stanišić appear in To Hold a Mountain by Biljana Tutorov and Petar Glomazić, an official selection of the 2026 Sundance Film Festival. Courtesy of Sundance Institute | photo by Eva Kraljeviċ