Wake Up Serbia! The Student Uprising

S02 E05 • Thursday, Sep 18, 2025 • Sep 18

In a Europe where youth drift between political apathy and the lure of far-right populism, Serbia’s students rise in defiance. What began with the deadly collapse of Novi Sad’s train station — a tragedy that exposed endemic corruption — ignited the longest student strike in modern European history. From university occupations to peaceful marches challenging Aleksandar Vučić’s regime, a new generation dares to imagine democracy against fear, repression, and the shadows of the Balkan wars. Can a nonviolent revolution succeed in the 21st century? Why is Europe silent? And can Serbia break free from ultranationalism to claim a plural and democratic future? With exclusive access inside Belgrade’s University of Dramatic Arts — the birthplace and nerve center of the uprising — Point of No Return captures the victories, contradictions, and struggles of a movement whose battle of ideas could shape not only Serbia’s destiny, but that of a Europe in crisis.