Open Cultural Forum (OCF) was founded in 2001 in Cetinje. The very idea to found a cultural non-governmental organization in Cetinje arose in May 2000, when the "Group 99" visited Montenegro. Intellectuals and writers from the republics of former Yugoslavia were impressed by the cultural heritage and ambient of Cetinje, and they unanimously agreed that this town could be an ideal place to meet writers and cultural activists from the region. Together with Milorad Popovic, the OCF cofounders are Nenad Popovic, prominent publisher, publicist and translator from Zagreb, and Ivan Lovrenovic, eminent writer from Sarajevo. The programs of OCF, especially in the framework of the magazine ARS, the most relevant literature publication in Montenegro, bring together the most affirmed Montenegrin creators engaged in the programs are Pavle Goranovic, Mladen Lompar, Balsa Brkovic, Andrej Nikolaidis, Aleksandar Becanovic…

OCF has two main priorities in his work: local mission to make vibrant cultural life in Cetinje, which was political, spiritual and cultural center of Montengro in period from XV to XX century. And the other one is to make more intensive cultural cooperation among writers, publishers, and cultural publications in ex-Yugoslav region and in wider Balkan one. Great number of associates and partners in Montenegro and region, with which the Open Cultural Forum realizes its projects in several domains of publishing, culture and social life, establishing our long-term plans to take over spaces for contemporary literature production and its exchange in the South-Slavic countries and to enable free exchange of information and ideas that confirm values of the multicultural ambience as ours is.

Our intentions have already been recognized and supported by numerous creators in Montenegro and abroad, as well as the cultural foundations among which are Swiss cultural foundation Pro Helvetia, Kultur Contact from Vienna, European Cultural Foundation from Amsterdam and Open Society Institute Montenegro. According to the three-year strategy done by OCF, the last two mentioned foundations joined our organization to the Kultura Nova program. It is about three-year plan that stimulates and ensues on development and work of selected non-governmental organizations from Croatia, Serbia, Macedonia and Montenegro. With our participation in the program Kultura Nova we support development of our programs in the framework of non-governmental sector that work in domain of culture in the region. At the same time we enclose our primary initiative "capital" - it is to become referral center of literature production in South Slavic languages and of the presentation of expression wealth of a multicultural space.