05-04-2023

PRODUCTION: Bosnian Director Una Gunjak in Postproduction with Excursion

By

    SARAJEVO: Bosnian director Una Gunjak, whose first directorial debut Chicken (2014) won the European Film Award for Best Short Film, is currently in postproduction with her feature debut Excursion. The film is a coproduction between Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Croatia, Norway and France.

    Excursion is a story of a teenager Iman, who catches the eye of an older boy while her class is preparing for the excursion to celebrate the end of primary school. Rumour about her being pregnant puts the whole excursion in jeopardy, and Iman finds herself in the storm of expectations, limitations and rules that life of a teenager in Bosnia and Herzegovina brings with it.

    The film was shot from 22 April to 29 May 2022 in the Canton of Sarajevo with a group of teenagers. Gunjak commented on the process for FNE: “Working with teenagers was challenging of course, but worthy and inspirational. The hardest part was to get them to just be in the scene. It’s not just that they are at the age when that’s very hard for them, they are the generation that grew up with the image of themselves. Selfies did what they did, and they all know which angle they look best when shot from. Often, we had to be silly together so we could forget how ‘it should be’ and just 'be’. Then, everything would go easy as they are wonderful just the way they are.”

    Amra Bakšić Čamo and Adis Đapo are producing through Bosnian SCCA/pro.ba in coproduction with Jelena Mitrović of Serbian Baš Čelik, Siniša Juričić of Nukleus Film (Croatia), Gary Craner of Mer Film (Norway) and Francois Morisset of Salaud Morisset (France).

    The budget of 511,292 EUR / 1 m BAM has been supported by the Ministry of Culture and Sport of Canton Sarajevo, Film Fund Sarajevo, the Croatian Audiovisual Centre, Sorfond, Film Center Serbia, Hubert Bals Fund and Eurimages.

    Production Information:

    Director Una Gunjak, photo by Olivia HarrisProducer:
    SCCA/pro.ba (Bosnia and Herzegovina)
    This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

    Coproducers:
    Baš Čelik (Serbia)
    Nukleus Film (Croatia)
    Mer Film (Norway)
    Salaud Morisset (France)

    Credits:
    Director: Una Gunjak
    Scriptwriter: Una Gunjak
    DoP: Matthias Pilz
    Editor: Clémence Diard
    Sound designer: Igor Čamo
    Set designer: Emina Kujundžić
    Costume designer: Katarina Pilić
    Casting director: Timka Grin
    Make-up artist: Lamija Hadžihasanović-Homarac
    Cast: Asja Zara Lagumdžija, Nađa Spaho, Maja Izetbegović, Mediha Musliović, Izudin Bajrovići, Muhamed Hadžović