Stories and legends are certainly essential parts of cultural heritage. Montenegro, a beautiful Balkan country rich in cultural heritage, can boast numerous legends that are part of its history and tradition. As the word says, legends represent stories passed down from generation to generation. They were often part of beliefs and religious rituals and are often linked to specific regions, peoples or cultures. We can learn more about the values, customs, beliefs, and lifestyles of the people who created them through legends. They are also crucial for tourist representation and promotion of a country. The specificity of Montenegro lies in the national diversity of the population that lives there. Given that it is located at the junction of the Mediterranean and continental Europe, numerous peoples and ethnic groups live there: Montenegrins, Serbs, Albanians, Bosniaks, Croats, Muslims, and Roma. The combination of Orthodoxy, Catholicism and Islam led to incredible cultural diversity and developed Montenegro throughout the centuries. Those relations strongly impacted the culture, history and tradition of a small country in the Balkans. The coexistence of these three religions is reflected in the daily life of the inhabitants of this country, in the cultural heritage, architecture, music, gastronomy and other aspects of life. Montenegro is often called "the window to the east and the west" because of the connection that played an essential role in shaping the country's identity and rich cultural heritage. This project will aim to show the richness and beauty of the cultural heritage of Montenegro when it comes to legends and stories.

The goal of the project is to create a digital collection of animated short films that will show stories and legends from the cultural heritage of Montenegro. The idea is to preserve and promote the rich cultural heritage of Montenegro and to attract and interest audiences of all ages, especially young people, through the audio-visual presentation of stories and legends. In cooperation with experts from institutions that inherit the specific cultural heritage of their community, a dozen stories/legends will be chosen to be adapted into short animated films. Stories and legends will be selected based on their importance in the cultural heritage of Montenegro, the interest of the audience and their diversity. After the selection, the stories and legends will be adapted to the format of animated short films. This includes creating a scenario, set design, choosing a narrator, and choosing a motive artist because the animation will be based on hand-drawn drawings. Those drawings will contain the central motifs of the story or legend, based on which a short animated record will be made. After adapting the stories and legends, producing animated short films will include creating animated characters, backgrounds, music, sounds, and editing. Once the animated shorts are completed, the promotion will be done through various channels, including online platforms, social media and all available media. The project will be promoted in cooperation with cultural institutions, schools and other relevant organisations. Animated films will have English subtitles. To realise this project, it is necessary to include the following experts: project producer, cultural heritage expert, screenwriter, animator, draftsman/artist, image and sound recorder, editor, music composer, narrator/s, and translator.

The project aims to create more understanding and respect for the common culture through research and documentation of various stories and legends from the cultural heritage of the involved peoples living on the territory of Montenegro. In addition, this project uses new technologies to bring stories and legends closer to a broader audience, especially younger generations. This project is also important for Europe because cultural heritage and artistic creativity are the primary sources of European identity. The European dimension of this project includes various activities and initiatives carried out at the European level to preserve and promote cultural heritage, as well as its connection with other areas such as tourism, education, science and technology. Stories and legends are also essential and help us nurture tradition. They are inspiring and motivating and help us develop empathy and compassion for others. Stories and legends can be used as a tool for learning and education, mainly when used in the context of travel and tourism. They help us understand various aspects of society, such as customs, religion, mythology, art and science.