Dealing with the Past programme of the 29th Sarajevo Film Festival will present authors who became famous with films about real events, as well as new authors who question the position of individuals whose lives have been marked by trauma from the recent past.

The Dealing with the Past programme is an additional platform for testimonies and stories that can serve as a base for developing film scripts, projects and films. The aim of the program is to initiate dialogue in the countries formed from the disintegration of former Yugoslavia and to deal with problems arising as a result of the wars in the region. As part of the "Dealing with the Past" programme, the True Stories Market was launched, the purpose of which is the presentation of stories and collected materials (personal testimonies).

Two films in this year's programme, MAMULA ALL INCLUSIVE by Aleksandar Reljić and WAR SOUVENIRS by Georg Zeller, will have their world premieres at the 29th Sarajevo Film Festival, and both are based on stories that were presented as part of the previous editions of True Stories Market

The "Dealing with the Past" programme will also host 20 young people from the Western Balkans region as part of the "In Youth Eyes" section, which includes a series of panel discussions, closed conversations and debates on peace activism and reconciliation practices. That part of the programme was organized in cooperation with The Friedrich Ebert Stiftung, The Civic Forum for Peace Service - ForumZFD and The PRO-future project of the US Agency for International Development. 

The Dealing with the Past programme is supported by the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung (FES).

DEALING WITH THE PAST PROGRAMME

CINÉ-GUERRILLAS: SCENES FROM THE LABUDOVIĆ REELS 
Serbia, France, Croatia, Montenegro, Qatar, 2022, 94 min. 
Director: Mila Turajlić

CINÉ-GUERRILLAS: SCENES FROM THE LABUDOVIĆ REELS is a feature-length documentary that take us on an archival road trip through the birth of the Third World project, based on unseen 35mm materials filmed by Stevan Labudović, the cameraman of Yugoslav President Josip Broz Tito. The film plunges us into the media battle that played out during the Algerian War of Independence, where cinema was mobilised as a weapon of political struggle against colonialism. Together with NON-ALIGNED, the film forms a documentary diptych.

DELEGATION / HA’MISHLAHAT 
Poland, Israel, Germany, 2023, Colour, 99 min. 
Director: Asaf Saban 
Cast: Yoav Bavly, Neomi Harari, Leib Lev Levin, Ezra Dagan, Alma Dishy

Three Israeli high-school friends take part in class trip visiting Holocaust sites in Poland – their last time together before going into the army. During the trip, shy Frisch, aspiring artist Nitzan, and class heartthrob Ido deal with issues of love, friendship, and politics against the backdrop of concentration camps and memorial sites. This journey will change them forever.

FACING DARKNESS 
France, Switzerland, Bosnia and Herzegovina, 2023, 110 min. 
Director: Jean-Gabriel Périot

The Siege of Sarajevo lasted from April 1992 to February 1996. Young men were called up to protect their city; a few of them took along their video cameras to face the violence they witnessed throughout those gruelling 1,425 days. Now, thirty years later, they show us their films and share their wartime filming experiences and thoughts on cinema as a means of survival and resistance.

MAMULA ALL INCLUSIVE - World Premiere
Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, 58 min. 
Director: Aleksandar Reljić

Ivo Marković, a surviving former inmate of the Mamula prison camp, opposed the decision of Montenegro's government to build a luxury hotel at the location of a World War II prison camp where countless civilians suffered.

SOUVENIRS OF WAR - World Premiere
Italy, 2023, 75 min. 
Director: Georg Zeller

When does a war come to its end? SOUVENIRS OF WAR takes us on a reflective trip around Bosnia and Herzegovina more than two decades after the country was the site of the first post-World War II armed conflict in Europe, where many sites of genuine sorrow have been turned into tourist attractions. A walk along the fine line between dark tourism and an empathetic culture of remembrance, where some enjoy playing war games on the battlefields of a real conflict, while others struggle with turning their very real traumatic legacy into an opportunity.

THE HAPPIEST MAN IN THE WORLD / NAJSREЌNIOT ČOVEK NA SVETOT
North Macedonia, Belgium, Slovenia, Denmark, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, 2022, 95 min. 
Director: Teona Strugar Mitevska 
Cast: Jelena Kordić, Adnan Omerović, Labina Mitevska, Ana Kostovska, Ksenija Marinković, Izudin Bajrović, Irma Alimanović, Vedrana Božinović, Mona Muratović, Nikolina Kujača, Siniša Vidović, Kemal Rizvanović

Asja, a forty-year-old single woman, lives in Sarajevo. In order to meet new people, she ends up spending her Saturday at a speed-dating event. She’s matched with Zoran, a forty-three-year-old banker. However, Zoran is looking not for love but for forgiveness.

THE MARCH ON ROME / MARCIA SU ROMA 
Italy, 2022, 98 min. 
Director: Mark Cousins 
Cast: Alba Rohrwacher

Through little-seen archives and his characteristically cinematic analysis, Mark Cousins narrates the ascent of fascism in Italy and its fallout across 1930s Europe. At once essay film and historical document, the film contextualises history through the now, holding up a mirror to a political landscape of a creeping far right and manipulated media.

THE UNCLE / STRIC 
Croatia, Serbia, 2022, 104 min. 
Director: Andrija Mardešić, David Kapac 
Cast: Miki Manojlović, Ivana Roščić, Goran Bogdan, Roko Sikavica, Kaja Šišmanović

Yugoslavia, late 1980s. A family welcomes their beloved uncle, who is coming home for the holidays from Germany. The joyful Christmas lunch is interrupted by a smartphone ringing. It becomes clear it’s not the 1980s, it’s not Christmastime, and it is not just the festive turkey that can be cut with a knife, but the tension as well. 

The 29th Sarajevo Film Festival will take place from 11th to 18th of August 2023.

Download the press release HERE. 

Ticket sales for the 29th Sarajevo Film Festival in the Main Box Office (Bosanski kulturni centar, Branilaca Sarajeva 24) start on Monday, August 7th.

Tickets for all films in the programmes of the 29th Sarajevo Film Festival will be on sale.

We reward the first ten customers with ten free tickets to films in different programs and a poster of this year's Festival.

You can find more information about Box Office HERE.

Tickets are available for online sale: through the official website www.sff.ba, on tickets.sff.ba or on the new Sarajevo Film Festival mobile application. By purchasing tickets online with Mastercard you get a 20% discount. Valid for all Mastercard users. Get additional 10% discount on ticket purchases with UniCredit Bank d.d. Mastercard cards.

The 29th Sarajevo Film Festival will take place from 11th to 18th of August 2023.

In recognition of her outstanding contribution to the Art of Film, Scottish director, screenwriter and producer Lynne Ramsay will receive the Honorary Heart of Sarajevo Award at the 29th Sarajevo Film Festival.

The Honorary Heart of Sarajevo Award will be given to Ramsay on August 16th at the Coca-Cola Open Air Cinema, followed by a gala screening of YOU WERE NEVER REALLY HERE starring Joaquin Phoenix.

Based on the book by Jonathan Ames, YOU WERE NEVER REALLY HERE premiered at the Cannes Film Festival in 2017, where it won the awards for Best Screenplay (ex-aequo) and  Best Actor (Joaquin Phoenix).

Born in Glasgow, Lynne Ramsay is considered one of the most original and exciting voices working in independent cinema today. She has a long-running relationship with the Cannes Film Festival, where she won the Prix de Jury in 1996 for her short graduation film, SMALLS AND DEATH, and for her third short, GASMAN, in 1998. RATCATCHER, her debut feature film, had its premiere in Un Certain Regard, winning a Special Mention.

Her next feature film MORVERN CALLAR premiered at the 2002 Cannes Film Festival in the Directors' Fortnight section, where it was awarded the Award of the Youth for Best Foreign Film.

Ramsay's third feature film WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT KEVIN was the only British film nominated for the Palme d'Or in Official Competition at the 2011 Cannes Film Festival.  Tilda Swinton was nominated for a Golden Globe for her performance in the film, which also went on to receive several BAFTA nominations and won Best Director at the British Independent Film Awards, Best Film at the London Film Festival, and Best Screenplay from the Writers Guild of Great Britain.

Ramsey recently directed the 18th contribution to Miu Miu’s WOMEN’S TALES Series, a sensitive and cathartic short documentary BRIGITTE about French photographer Brigitte Lacombe, which premiered at Venice Film Festival in 2019.

The 29th Sarajevo Film Festival will take place from August 11th to 18th, 2023.

Download the press release HERE.

The Kinoscope programme of the 29th Sarajevo Film Festival will include a total of 18 film screenings of which six belong to Kinoscope section, six to Kinoscope Real section and six to Kinoscope Surreal section.

„Our Kinoscope programme is broken into three different parts, Kinoscope Real, which tackles our reality either through fiction or documentary; Kinoscope, in which we present the arthouse films we deem most impressive from the current year; and Kinoscope Surreal, where we show genre films with distinctive original narrative and stylistic elements“, said Mathilde Henrot and Alessandro Raja, programmers of the Kinoscope programme.

KINOSCOPE 

BAAN 
Portugal, 2023, 101 min. 
Director: Leonor Teles 
Cast: Carolina Miragaia, Meghna Lall

When home stops feeling like home, wandering becomes routine. Time, space, and emotions implode, blurring Lisbon with Bangkok. Past, present, or perhaps future intertwine in a story that begins when L meets K.

DISCO BOY 
France, Italy, Belgium, Poland, 2023, 91 min. 
Director: Giacomo Abbruzzese 
Cast: Franz Rogowski, Morr Ndiaye, Laëtitia Ky, Leon Lučev, Matteo Olivetti, Robert Więckiewicz, Michał Balicki

After a long and difficult journey through Europe, Aleksei arrives in Paris to join the Foreign Legion. Looking for a new life, he is ready for anything in order to obtain the promised passport. On the Niger River delta, Jomo fights the oil multinationals that threaten life in his village. One day, while he is at the head of an armed group, he kidnaps French citizens. To intervene is a command of the Foreign Legion, led by Aleksei. The meeting between these two will have unexpected implications. Aleksei and Jomo’s destinies will overlap, continuing beyond borders, bodies, life, and death.

FEMME 
United Kingdom, 2023, 99 min. 
Director: Sam H. Freeman, Ng Choon Ping 
Cast: George MacKay, Nathan Stewart-Jarrett

FEMME follows Jules, who is targeted in a horrific homophobic attack, destroying his life and career. Some time after that event he encounters Preston, one of his attackers, in a gay sauna. Jules wants revenge.

SAINT OMER 
France, 2022, 122 min. 
Director: Alice Diop 
Cast: Kayije Kagame, Guslagie Malanda, Valérie Dréville, Aurélia Petit, Xavier Maly, Robert Cantarella

The Saint Omer court of law. Young novelist Rama attends the trial of Laurence Coly, a young woman accused of killing her 15-month-old daughter by abandoning her to the rising tide on a beach in northern France. As the trial continues, the words of the accused and witness testimonies will shake Rama’s convictions and call into question our own judgement.

THE VANISHING SOLDIER 
Israel, 2023, 98 min. 
Director: Dani Rosenberg 
Cast: Ido Tako, Mika Reiss, Efrat Ben Zur, Tiki Dayan, Shmulik Cohen

A year from today. Shlomi, an eighteen-year-old soldier, flees the Gaza battlefield and makes his way back to his girlfriend, Shiri. When Shlomi discovers that the military elite is convinced he was kidnapped during the fog of war, he no longer hides from the soldiers he believed were chasing him, but instead from his own identity, which has become a trap. In spite of his parents’ pleas that he return to his unit before it’s too late, Shlomi takes a desperate chance on love, with dramatic consequences.

TOTEM 
Mexico, Denmark, France, 2023, 95 min. 
Director: Lila Avilés 
Cast: Naíma Sentíes, Monserrat Marañon, Marisol Gasé, Saori Gurza, Teresita Sánchez, Mateo García Elizondo

TOTEM is a choral film about life. Seven-year-old Sol spends the day at her grandfather’s home, helping her aunts Nuri and Alejandra with a surprise party they are throwing for Sol’s father, Tonatiuh. As daylight fades, a strange and chaotic atmosphere takes over, shattering the bonds that hold a family together. Sol will come to understand that her world will change dramatically, embracing the essence of letting go and cherishing the breath of life.

KINOSCOPE REAL

APOLONIA, APOLONIA 
Denmark, Poland, France, 2023, 116 min. 
Režija / Director: Lea Glob

Apolonia was born in an underground theatre in Paris, grew up in an artists' community, and studied at one of the most prestigious art academies in Europe. Over the years, Danish filmmaker Lea Glob filmed Apolonia and her struggle to find her place in the art world, grappling with the agonies and joys of womanhood, relationships with others, and her own body and creation. As time passes and a special bond grows between Apolonia and Lea, we witness a film being born and a painter rising to fame. Thirteen years on, the two women continue to reflect on each other’s paths in this mesmerising film about art, love, motherhood, sexuality, representation, and how to succeed in a world dominated by patriarchy, capitalism, and war without losing oneself.

FOUR DAUGHTERS / LES FILLES D'OLFA 
France, Tunisia, Germany, Saudi Arabia, 2023, 107 min. 
Director: Kaouther Ben Hania 
Cast: Hend Sabri, Nour Karoui, Ichraq Matar, Majd Mastoura

The life of Olfa, a Tunisian mother of four daughters, oscillates between light and shadow. One day, her two elder daughters disappear. To fill their absence, director Kaouther Ben Hania calls upon professional actors and sets up an extraordinary film mechanism to unveil the story of Olfa and her daughters. This intimate journey full of hope, rebellion, violence, intergenerational transmission, and sisterhood questions the very foundation of our societies.

MOTHERLAND 
Sweden, Ukraine, Norway, 2023, 92 min. 
Director: Alexander Mihalkovich, Hanna Badziaka

As young Nikita apprehensively enters his military conscription, Svetlana travels the country looking for justice for her son, who was murdered while in military training. It is 2020, and activists rage in the street against state-led violence rooted in “dedovshchina” – the cruel abuse that supposedly turns boys into soldiers but that is instead the very mechanism of fear and violence the government uses to control its populace.

MY WORST ENEMY / MON PIRE ENNEMI 
France, Switzerland, 2023, 82 min. 
Director: Mehran Tamadon

Mojtaba, Hamzeh, and Zar are among individuals who have been thrown into prison and ideologically interrogated in Iran. In this documentary, the director wants them to interrogate him as agents of the Islamic Republic might. He would like the real torturer in Iran to see himself through the film, as if in a mirror. The subjects' violent experience of putting themselves in the torturer's headspace confronts them with their own limits and the ambivalence of the project itself.

ORLANDO – MY POLITICAL BIOGRAPHY / ORLANDO, MA BIOGRAPHIE POLITIQUE
France, 2023, 98 min. 
Director: Paul B. Preciado 
Cast: Oscar-Roza Miller, Janis Sahraoui, Liz Christin, Elios Levy, Victor Marzouk

In 1928, Virginia Woolf wrote "Orlando", the first novel in which the main character changes gender in the middle of the story. A century later, trans writer and activist Paul B. Preciado decides to send a film letter to Woolf: her Orlando has come out of her fiction and is living a life she could have never imagined.

THE PERMANENT PICTURE / LA IMATGE PERMANENT 
Spain, France, 2023, 94 min. 
Director: Laura Ferrés 
Cast: María Luengo, Rosario Ortega, Saraida Llamas, Claudia Fimia, Mila Collado, Dolores Martínez

In rural southern Spain, Antonia, a teenage mother, disappears in the middle of the night. Fifty years later and much further north, Carmen, an introverted casting director, is looking for people to share their memories when they arrive in a new city. In her search, she meets Antonia, whose impulsiveness intrudes into Carmen’s solitude. Who said time heals all wounds?

KINOSCOPE SURREAL

ANIMAL KINGDOM / LE RÈGNE ANIMAL 
France, 2023, 130 min. 
Director: Thomas Cailley 
Cast: Romain Duris, Adèle Exarchopoulos, Paul Kircher, Jean Boronat

In a world hit by a wave of mutations that are gradually transforming some humans into animals, François does everything he can to save his wife, who is affected by the mysterious condition. As some of the creatures disappear into a nearby forest, François embarks with Emile, his sixteen-year-old son, on a quest that will change their lives forever.

INFINITY POOL 
Canada, Hungary, Croatia, 2022, 117 min. 
Director: Brandon Cronenberg 
Cast: Alexander Skarsgård, Mia Goth, Cleopatra Coleman, Jalil Lespert, Thomas Kretschmann, Jeffrey Ricketts, John Ralston, Amanda Brugel, Caroline Boulton

While staying at an isolated island resort, James and Em enjoy a perfect vacation of pristine beaches, exceptional staff, and soaking up the sun. But guided by the seductive and mysterious Gabi, they venture outside the resort grounds and find themselves in a culture filled with violence, hedonism, and untold horror. A tragic accident leaves them facing a zero tolerance policy for crime: either you’ll be executed, or, if you’re rich enough to afford it, you can watch yourself die instead.

OMEN / AUGURE 
Belgium, Netherlands, Democratic Republic of Congo, France, South Africa, 2023, 90 min. 
Director: Baloji 
Cast: Eliane Umuhire, Marc Zinga, Lucie Debay, Yves-Marina Gnahoua

Four people are accused of being witches and sorcerers. Despite their misfortune, they find a way to guide each other away from their socially imposed destinies and into the phantasmagoria of Africa.

PERPETRATOR 
USA, France, 2023, 100 min. 
Director: Jennifer Reeder 
Cast: Kiah McKirnan, Alicia Silverstone, Christopher Lowell, Melanie Liburd, Ireon Roach

Jonny Baptiste, a reckless teenager, is sent to live with her estranged Aunt Hildie. On her eighteenth birthday, Jonny experiences a radical metamorphosis: a family spell called Forevering, which redefines her. When several teen girls go missing at her new school, a mythically feral Jonny goes after the Perpetrator.

SUPERPOSITION 
Denmark, 2023, 105 min. 
Director: Karoline Lyngbye 
Cast: Marie Bach Hansen, Mikkel Boe Følsgaard, Mihlo Olsen

The creative couple Stine and Teit and their young son Nemo leave their urban life in Copenhagen behind in favour of an isolated forest in Sweden, where they hope to find themselves as individuals while documenting their new lifestyle in an ongoing podcast series. Regretfully, they realise there is couple across the lake, who are surprisingly like themselves. Soon, old grudges and selfish desires begin to take over, forcing the family to confront their own egos.

VINCENT MUST DIE / VINCENT DOIT MOURIR
France, Belgium, 2023, 108 min. 
Director: Stéphan Castang 
Cast: Vimala Pons, Karim Leklou

Random strangers have suddenly started attacking Vincent with murderous intent. His life as an unremarkable man is upended and, as things spiral violently out of control, he is forced to flee and change his life completely. 

The 29th Sarajevo Film Festival will take place from 11th to 18th of August 2023.

Download the press release HERE.

The series of talks in the Masterclasses programme of the 29th Sarajevo Film Festival will present some of the most famous film artists.

This year's Sarajevo Film Festival Masterclasses programme provides a unique opportunity to learn from experienced film professionals about various aspects of film production, directing, screenwriting, acting and other key aspects of the film industry.

Meeting professionals from the film industry allows creatives and film lovers to gain a deeper understanding of the filmmaking process and to improve their skills in the world of film art.

The series of Masterclass talks will be held in the period from August 13 to 17. The talks will take place in the Festival Center (Bosanski kulturni centar, Branilaca Sarajevo 24) according to the following schedule:

August 13, from 10:00 am to 11:30 am - Mark Cousins 
August 14, from 10:00 am to 11:30 am - Charlie Kaufman 
August 16, from 10:00 am to 11:30 am - Lynne Ramsay 
August 17, from 10:00 am to 11:30 am - Jessica Hausner

Entry to the Masterclasses is free, with tickets being collected online at tickets.sff.ba or at the Main Box Office of the Sarajevo Film Festival (Bosanski kulturni centar, Branilaca Sarajevo 24). Tickets for the Masterclasses are already available, and must be collected no later than half an hour before the start of the Masterclass. The number of tickets is limited. 

MASTERCLASS with MARK COUSINS / Sunday / August 13 / 10:00 – 11:30

Mark Cousins is a Scottish-Irish filmmaker known for films that explore themes of cinema, cities, walking, childhood, archives and recovery.

His 930 minute film, THE STORY OF FILM: AN ODYSSEY (2011), was screened at some of the most prominent international film festivals, and in cinemas worldwide.

WHAT IS THIS FILM CALLED LOVE? (2012) was released in 20 countries, presented at the ICA in London, and nominated for Best Director by BAFTA Scotland. His film HERE BE DRAGONS, a film about the vital role of film archives, especially in Albania. It won the Grand Prix at the Romania Film Festival.

His films often explore themes of sexism, racism and feminist views, such as LIFE MAY BE, which he co-directed with Mania Akbari. His works have been recognized around the world, and the film WOMEN MAKE FILM attracted a lot of attention and won the award for innovative storytelling from the European Film Academy.

In recognition of his outstanding contribution to the art of film, Mark Cousins will receive the Honorary Heart of Sarajevo Award at the 29th Sarajevo Film Festival.

MASTERCLASS WITH CHARLIE KAUFMAN / Monday / August 14 / 10:00 – 11:30

Charlie Kaufman is an American screenwriter, director and producer, and an Oscar® winner.

He was nominated for a Writers Guild Award, an Academy Award and a Golden Globe Award for his 1999 groundbreaking screenplay BEING JOHN MALKOVICH, for which Kaufman won the Independent Spirit Award for Best First Screenplay.

In 2002 Kaufman wrote two high-profile adaptations: CONFESSIONS OF A DANGEROUS MIND and the meta comedy ADAPTATION., for which he earned his second Writers Guild Award and second Academy Award.

For the screenplay for Michael Gondry's 2004 film ETERNAL SUNSHINE OF THE SPOTLESS MIND, Kaufman again won the Writers Guild of America and the Academy Award® for Best Original Screenplay. In 2008, he won a second Independent Spirit Award, this time for directing the postmodern psychological drama SYNECDOCHE, NEW YORK.

Charlie Kaufman is the recipient of the Honorary Heart of Sarajevo at the 29th Sarajevo Film Festival in recognition of his exceptional contribution to the art of film. 

MASTERCLASS WITH LYNNE RAMSAY / Wednesday / 16. august / 10:00 – 11:30

Lynne Ramsay is a Scottish director, screenwriter and producer.

Born in Glasgow, Lynne Ramsay is considered one of the most original and exciting auteurs working in independent cinema today.

RATCATCHER, her debut feature, premiered as part of the Un Certain Regard program at the Cannes Film Festival, where she received the Special Mention award.

Her film WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT KEVIN was the only British film nominated for the Palme d'Or in the official competition at the 2011 Cannes Film Festival. The film had several BAFTA nominations and won Best Director at the British Independent Film Awards (BIFA), Best Film at the London Film Festival and the Writers Guild of Great Britain's Best Screenplay Award.

Ramsey recently directed the 18th contribution to Miu Miu’s WOMEN’S TALES Series, a sensitive and cathartic short documentary BRIGITTE about French photographer Brigitte Lacombe, which premiered at Venice Film Festival in 2019.

In recognition of her outstanding contribution to the Art of Film, Lynne Ramsay will receive the Honorary Heart of Sarajevo Award at the 29th Sarajevo Film Festival.

MASTERCLASS WITH JESSICA HAUSNER / Thursday / 17. august / 10:00 – 11:30

Jessica Hausner was born in Vienna in 1972. Her feature debut, LOVELY RITA, premiered at the Cannes Film Festival as part of the Un Certain Regard program in 2001. And with his second film, HOTEL, he was again in the Un Certain Regard program in 2004. In 2009, LOURDES was included in the competition program of the Venice Film Festival, where it won the FIPRESCI award. AMOUR FOU (2014) premiered in the Un Certain Regard program, and LITTLE JOE (2019), Jessica Hausner's fifth feature film and her English-language debut, was in the Cannes Film Festival's top program, where Emily Beecham won the "Prix d'interpretation féminine" for best actress.

Her latest film CLUB ZERO had its world premiere at the 76th Cannes Film Festival. Among the producers of the film CLUB ZERO is the Obala Art Centar from Sarajevo, as part of a joint project with TRT and the Doha Film Institute. The producers of the film on behalf of Obala Art Centar are Mirsad Purivatra and Jovan Marjanović.

The 29th Sarajevo Film Festival will pay tribute to the director, screenwriter and producer Jessica Hausner and present a selection of films by the respected author in the festival programme "Tribute to". In the programme will be screened Jessica Hausner's feature films: CLUB ZERO (2023), LITTLE JOE (2019), AMOUR FOU (2014), LOURDES (2009), HOTEL (2004) and LOVELY RITA. 

The 29th Sarajevo Film Festival will take place from August 11th to 18th, 2023.

Download the press release HERE. 

The 29th Sarajevo Film Festival’s In Focus programme brings thematically extremely diverse films. Some of the films deal with questions of identities and the general world, some take us to a post-apocalyptic world where people fight for their lives, some films deal with growing up in a realistic way, and some directly deal with the position of a woman in society.

„The variety and breadth of the view of reality that is plural and extremely dependent on the point of view. In every film there is a strong viewpoint of the main characters. This is actually a selection of strong main characters and characters in general“, said Elma Tataragić, the programmer of In Focus.

IN FOCUS

ABOUT DRY GRASSES / KURU OTLAR USTUNE
Türkiye, France, Germany, 2023, 197 min.
Director: Nuri Bilge Ceylan
Cast: Deniz Celiloğlu, Merve Dizdar, Musab Ekici, Ece Bağci, Erdem Şenocak, Yüksel Aksu, Münir Can Cindoruk, Onur Berk Arslanoğlu

Samet, a young art teacher, is finishing his fourth year of compulsory service in a remote village in Anatolia. After a turn of events he can hardly make sense of, he loses hope of escaping the grim life he seems to be stuck in. Will his encounter with Nuray, herself a teacher, help Samet overcome his angst?

BELONGING / BERABER
Netherlands, Türkiye, Belgium, 2023, 83 min.
Director: Mete Gümürhan
Cast: Alihan Sahin, Sinan Eroğlu, Hayat van Eck, Mina Dermirtaş, Lorin Merthart

Fourteen-year-old Zeki struggles with the recent loss of his mother. His life is turned upside down again when his father, Mahir, decides to move from Rotterdam to Istanbul. Zeki and Mahir arrive to live in a luxurious gated community, sealed off from the city by high walls. While Mahir goes to work at the bank to work every day, Zeki has to spend the rest of his summer holidays in the compound. In his desire for freedom, he decides to climb over the wall and explore the city on the other side while free-running. Zeki ends up in a varoş, a poor neighbourhood, and befriends Kemal and a group of street kids who spend their days pickpocketing. Zeki is soon included in the merry group but, out of fear of losing their friendship, he conceals the fact that he lives in the posh gated community.

BLAGA'S LESSONS / UROTCITE NA BLAGA
Bulgaria, Germany, 2023, 114 min.
Director: Stephan Komandarev
Cast: Eli Skorcheva, Gerasim Georgiev, Rozalia Abgarian, Ivan Barnev, Stefan Denolyubov, Ivaylo Hristov

When a retired, recently widowed teacher falls prey to a phone scam, she is robbed of her life savings and without any money to pay for her late husband’s grave. Her life is turned upside down when she realises there is no way of getting her money back, until she receives an alluring, yet suspicious, offer for work. The tables turn as she takes matters into her own hands and cash begins rolling in, this time claiming her most prized attribute: her values, as she slowly and surely transforms into a scammer herself.

INSIDE
Greece, Germany, Belgium, 2023, 105 min.
Director: Vasilis Katsoupis
Cast: Willem Dafoe, Gene Bervoets, Eliza Stuyck

Nemo, an art thief, breaks into a collector’s penthouse apartment hunting for valuable works of art. As he enters, the security system locks everything down. Then, it malfunctions. Nemo is locked in. At first, he expects his partner-in-crime to arrive, then security guards or the police. Or the owner. But no one comes. He hopes and prays that a cleaning lady will come. A servant. Anyone. But no one comes. Days stretch out into weeks and months. Now, he must use all of his cunning and invention to survive.

HAVE YOU SEEN THIS WOMAN? / DA LI STE VIDJELI OVU ŽENU?
Serbia, Croatia, 2022, 79 min.
Director: Dušan Zorić, Matija Gluščević
Cast: Ksenija Marinković, Isidora Simijonović, Boris Isaković, Alex Elektra, Ivana Vuković, Vlasta Velisavljević, Goran Bogdan, Jasna Đuričić, Radoje Čupić

In the heat of a summer's day, Draginja discovers a dead body that resembles her. In the heat of a summer's day, Draginja hires a fake husband to show off in front of her friends. In the cold of a winter's night, Draginja roams the streets hoping to recover her lost memory. Through three different life possibilities, a middle-aged woman tries to get out of her skin.

PERO
Slovenia, 2023, 98 min.
Director: Damjan Kozole

A homage to the life, career, and fears of actor Peter Musevski (1965–2020). Nicknamed Pero, Musevski was an icon of Slovenian cinema, appearing in more than 50 films, which received prizes including the Lion of the Future at the Venice Film Festival and Best Director at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival. Among numerous awards, he received the Heart of Sarajevo for Best Actor. At the end of 2019, together with director Damjan Kozole, Musevski began working on a film about himself and his demons. At the beginning of the pandemic, in March 2020, before shooting of the film had begun, Musevski committed suicide. Kozole felt the need to make this film anyway, as a way of saying goodbye. While working on it, the director realised this film is not only about Musevski but also about himself; not just about a friend's departure, but also about society and the world they believed in, which is slowly disappearing too.

WHITE PLASTIC SKY / MŰANYAG ÉGBOLT
Hungary, Slovakia, 2023, 111 min.
Director: Tibor Bánóczki, Sarolta Szabó
Cast: Tamás Keresztes, Zsófia Szamosi

In the year 2123, faced with diminishing resources, the human race can only survive through a trade-off: at the age of 50, every citizen is gradually turned into a tree. When Stefan discovers his beloved wife Nora has voluntarily signed up to donate her body before her time, he sets out on an adventurous journey to save her at all costs.

29th Sarajevo Film Festival will take place from 11th to 18th of August 2023.

Download the press release HERE.

The 29th Sarajevo Film Festival was opened with a ceremony at the Sarajevo National Theater.

The Honorary Heart of Sarajevo was awarded to the director Mark Cousins, in recognition of their outstanding contribution to film art.

The festival opened with a screening of the film KISS THE FUTURE by Nenad Čičin-Šain, whose script was signed by Čičin-Šain and Bill Carter.

The opening ceremony was attended by members of the KISS THE FUTURE crew: Nenad Čičin-Šain, Bill Carter, Bono Vox, The Edge, Blake Levin, Sarah Anthony, Drew Vinton, Christiane Amanpour, Ned O'Hanlon, Vesna Andree Zaimović, Senad Zaimović, Mirsad Purivatra, Boris Šiber, Enes Zlatar , Srđan Gino Jevđević, Alma Ćatal, Asja Dupanović, Nurdžahan Rešo, Bradley Stonesifer, Samir Fočo, Eric Burton, Howard Berstein, Molly Butler and Perla Ovadija Mosca.

In addition to the Sarajevo National Theater, the audience enjoyed the opening film KISS THE FUTURE in the Coca-Cola Open Air Cinema, the Open Air Cinema Stari Grad and the Open Air Cinema Centar "Safet Zajko".

Tonight, the programme of the Sarajevo Film Festival in Mostar and Tuzla began with the film KISS THE FUTURE. Screenings were held in BH Telecom Open Air Cinema Mostar and Bingo Open Air Cinema Tuzla.

The honor of hosting the opening ceremony of the 29th edition of the Sarajevo Film Festival went to the young actor Lazar Dragojević.

At the 29th Sarajevo Film Festival, 235 films in 18 Festival programmes. There are 49 films in competition for the Heart of Sarajevo awards.

Download the press release HERE.

The award ceremony for the best achievements in the category of TV Series at the 29th Sarajevo Film Festival was held tonight in the Hotel Hills Sarajevo.

The winners of the Hearts of Sarajevo Awards for TV Series are: 

The winner in the Best Drama Series category: THE HOLLOW 

The Best Leading Actress in Drama Series: Jovana Stojiljković (VERA) 

The Best Leading Actor in Drama Series: Feđa Štukan (THE HOLLOW) 

The Best Supporting Actress in Drama Series: Ida Keškić (THE HOLLOW) 

The Best Supporting Actor in Drama Series: Boris Ler (THE HOLLOW) 

The Rising Star: Denis Murić (GOLDEN BOY) 

The Best Director for the Episode of Drama Series: Danis Tanović and Aida Begić  (THE HOLLOW) 

The Best Screenplay for the Episode of Drama Series: Danis Tanović, Amra Bakšić Čamo, Nikola Kuprešanin and Adnan Lugonić (THE HOLLOW) 

The winner in the Best Comedy category: MUM AND DAD ARE PLAYING WAR 2

The Best Director in Comedy: Gordan Kičić (MUM AND DAD ARE PLAYING WAR 2) 

The Best Screenplay in Comedy: Gvozden Đurić, Marko Manojlović and Gordan Kičić (MUM AND DAD ARE PLAYING WAR 2) 

The Best Leading Actress in Comedy: Nina Janković Dičić (MUM AND DAD ARE PLAYING WAR 2) 

The Best Leading Actor in Comedy: Gordan Kičić (MUM AND DAD ARE PLAYING WAR 2) 

The Rising Star in Comedy: Aleksej Bjelogrlić (MUM AND DAD ARE PLAYING WAR 2) 

For the Heart of Sarajevo awards for TV Series of the 29th Sarajevo Film Festival, 19 series were nominated. The award ceremony was hosted by actor and TV presenter Tarik Filipović. 

The following series were nominated for the Hearts of Sarajevo TV Series Award: “The Well”, “The Hollow”, „Inhumanum: The Inhumanity of Man”, “The Fall”, “The Clan 2&3”, „Trigrad“, „Vera“, “Golden Boy”, “Walking with a Lion”, “No Trespassing 2”, „South Wind – On the Edge”, „Civil Servant 3”, “Debt to the Sea 3”, “Professor Mišković’s Notebook 2”, „Tender“, “Mum and Dad Are Playing War 2”, “On the Edge of Reason 2”, “United Brothers – Next Generation 2” and “Preacher’s Wife”.

Among the nominees for the Heart of Sarajevo for TV Series of the Sarajevo Film Festival were: Vedrana Božinović, Anica Dobra, Jovana Gavrilović, Milica Janevski, Katarina Stegnar, Jovana Stojiljković, Aleksandar Dimitrijević, Andrija Kuzmanović, Marko Mandić, Milan Marić, Denis Murić, Momčilo Otašević, Feđa Štukan, Milica Gojković, Anđela Jovanović, Ida Keškić, Suzana Krevh, Anita Mančić, Gorica Popović, Vesna Trivalić, Igor Benčina, Zoran Cvijanović, Nikola Kojo, Žarko Laušević, Boris Ler, Krešimir Mikić, Miralem Zupčević, Ana Lečić, Lenka Petrović, Admir Šehović, Timon Šturbej, Jovan Veljković, Nedeljko Kovačić, Kristina Đuković, Gregor Fon, Nina Zupančić, Sonja Prosenc, Aleksa Ršumović, Slobodan Boban Skerlić, Danis Tanović, Amra Bakšić Čamo, Nikola Kuprešanin, Adnan Lugonić, Bojan Vuletić, Ognjen Janković, Aida Begić, Aida Bukva, Nina Janković Dičić, Tarik Džinić, Admir Glamočak, Gordan Kičić, Aleksej Bjelogrlić, Amar Ćorović, Dražen Pavlović, Gvozden Đurić, Marko Manojlović, Adnan Kapetanović, Srđan Vuletić, Elmir Jukić, Amra Mehić. 

The winners of these awards were decided by a jury of more than 450 film professionals from the region. 

For the first time, the gastronomic region partner of the ceremony is the Kvarner Tourist Board, a candidate for the title of European Gastronomic Region 2026. An exclusive dinner, in collaboration with the renowned gastronomic guide Gault&Millau Croatia, was prepared by chef Deni Srdoč, whose restaurant "Nebo," located in the Hilton Hotel in Rijeka, is this year's best restaurant in the Kvarner region according to the same guide, rated with 4 toques and 17/20 points. 

The media partner award for TV series is Deadline. 

Download the press release HERE. 

The 21st edition of the CineLink Industry Days was held at the 29th Sarajevo Film Festival, where projects in different formats and stages of development from Southeast Europe and the MENA region were presented.

The CineLink Awards ceremony took place at Villa Braun.

CINELINK AWARD WINNERS

CINELINK CO-PRODUCTION MARKET AWARDS

Eurimages Co-Production Development Award jury:
Eleni Chandrinou, Greek National Representative Eurimages
Labina Mitevska, Sisters&Brother Mitevski
Oliver Neumann, FreibeuterFilm GmbH

EURIMAGES CO-PRODUCTION DEVELOPMENT AWARD
MY MOTHER, THE MONSTER
Director: Olivér Rudolf
Production company: KINO ALFA
COUNTRY: Hungary
Award in the amount of 20.000 €

Film Center Serbia and Film Center Montenegro CineLink Award jury:
Ivan Karl, Film Center Serbia
Sanja Jovanović, Film Center Montenegro
Behrooz Hashemian, Silkroad Production
Čedomir Kolar, A.S.A.P. Films

FILM CENTER SERBIA CINELINK AWARD
PRIMAVERA
Director: Dušan Kasalica
Production Company: Meander Film
Country: Montenegro
Award in the amount of 10.000 €

FILM CENTER MONTENEGRO CINELINK AWARD
A LONG EMBRACE
Director: Gabriel Tzafka
Production Company: Wild At Heart
Country: Greece
Award in the amount of 10.000 €

ARTEKino International Prize jury:
Mathilde Hersant, ARTE France Cinéma

ARTEKINO INTERNATIONAL PRIZE
ANTONIVKA
DIRECTOR: Kateryna Gornostai
PRODUCTION COMPANY: Moon Man LLC
COUNTRY: Ukraine
Award in the amount of 6.000 €

CINELINK CO-PRODUCTION MARKET & CINELINK DRAMA  

Female Voices CineLink Award jury:
Nataša Bučar, Film Center Slovenia
Anamaria Antoci, Tangaj Productions
Tamara Tatishvili, Focal Medici

FEMALE VOICES CINELINK AWARD SPONSORED BY SLOVENIAN FILM CENTRE

CONNECTIONS
Creators: Tea Korolija, Maja Todorović, Srđan Šaper
Production companies: Adrenalin
Country: Serbia
Award in the amount of 10.000 €

CINELINK DRAMA AWARDS

Jury:
Srđan Vuletić, director
Cia Edström, Göteborg Film Festival
Danna Stern, In Transit Productions

CROATIAN AUDIOVISUAL CENTER DRAMA AWARD
ADVENTURES OF A TURBO FOLK PRINCESS
Creators: Andrey Volkashin, Peter Vulchev
Production company: OXO Production
Countries: North Macedonia, Bulgaria
Award in the amount of 15.000 €

TV DRAMA VISION PITCH AWARD
AMAZONS OF ISTANBUL
Creators: Nisan Dağ, Müge Özen
Production company: Solis Film
Country: Turkey

CINELINK WORK IN PROGRESS AWARDS

CineLink Work In Progress jury:
Sébastien Chesneau, Cercamon
Petra Gobel, Post Republic
Esra Demirkiran, Turkish National Radio Television
Jim Kolmar, South by Southwest Film Festival
Jean-Marc Zekri, Quinzaines Des CinÉastes

TURKISH NATIONAL RADIO TELEVISION AWARD
AS IF YOU WERE NEVER HERE
Director: Eti Tsicko
Production companies: Lama Films, Intrigó Internazionale and 20 Steps
Countries: Israel, Italy, Georgia
Award in the amount of 25.000 €

POST REPUBLIC AWARD
ONE OF THOSE DAYS WHERE HEMME DIES
Director: Murat Fıratoğlu
Production company: Nefes Films
Country: Turkey
Award in the amount of 30.000 € in kind

CINELINK IMPACT AWARD
Jury:
Faridah Gbadamosi, Tribeca Enterprises
Amy Shepherd, Think-Film Impact Production
Rory Thost, Participant

THINK-FILM IMPACT AWARD
KANTO
Director: Ensar Altay
Production company: Fikirdöküm
Country: Turkey
Award in the amount of 20.000 € in kind

DOCU ROUGH CUT BOUTIQUE AWARDS

Docu Rough Cut Boutique jury:
Jury:
Tereza Keilova, HBO Europe
Eugen Kelemen, Avanpost
Catherine LeClef, CAT&Docs
Marcel Maiga, DOK Leipzig
Lejla Dedić, Al Jazeera Balkans
Sofia Tocar, Institute of Documentary Film

AVANPOST AWARD
ADELINA: SYMPHONY OF LONGING AND ESTRANGEMENT
Director: Rati Tsiteladze
Production company: ArtWay Film
Country: Georgia
Award in the amount of 20.000 € in kind

CAT&DOCS AWARD
YOUR LIFE WITHOUT ME
Director: Anna Rubi
Production company: Somnus Film
Countries: Hungary, Sweden
Award in the amount of 2.000 €

HBO MAX AWARD
ADELINA: SYMPHONY OF LONGING AND ESTRANGEMENT
Director: Rati Tsiteladze
Production company: ArtWay Film
Country: Georgia
Award in the amount of 2.000 €

AL JAZEERA BALKANS DOCUMENTARY FILM FESTIVAL/ AJB DOC AWARD
PAVILLION 6
Director: Goran Dević
Production company: 15th Art Productions
Country: Croatia
Award in the amount of 2.000 €

EAST SILVER CARAVAN AWARD
YOUR LIFE WITHOUT ME
Director: Anna Rubi
Production company: Somnus Film
Countries: Hungary
Award in the amount of 3.500 € in kind

DOK LEIPZIG PREVIEW AWARD
PAVILLION 6
Director: Goran Dević
Production company: 15th Art Productions
Country: Croatia
Invitation to present a project at DOK Leipzig 2023

Download the press release HERE.

 Honorary Heart of Sarajevo

Mark Cousins, director and screenwriter
Lynne Ramsay, director, screenwriter, and producer
Charlie Kaufman, screenwriter, director, and producer

The Honorary Heart of Sarajevo is awarded in recognition of exceptional contribution to the art of film.

COMPETITION PROGRAMME - FEATURE FILM
President of the Jury:
Mia Wasikowska (Actor, Director, Australia)
Members of the Jury:
Zlatko Burić (Actor, Croatia, Denmark)
Danica Čurčić (Actor, Serbia, Denmark)
Juraj Lerotić (Director, Actor, Croatia)
Josh Siegel (Curator of MoMA’s Department of Film, USA)

HEART OF SARAJEVO FOR BEST FEATURE FILM
BLACKBIRD BLACKBIRD BLACKBERRY
Georgia, Switzerland
Director: Elene Naveriani
Producer: Britta Rindelaub, Thomas Reichlin, Ketie Danelia
The monetary prize in the amount of €16,000 is co-funded by the Tourism Association of Canton Sarajevo.

HEART OF SARAJEVO FOR BEST DIRECTOR
Philip Sotnychenko, LA PALISIADA
Ukraine
The monetary prize in the amount of €10,000 is sponsored by the United Nations in Bosnia and Herzegovina in cooperation with UNESCO.

HEART OF SARAJEVO FOR BEST ACTRESS
Ekaterine Chavleishvili, BLACKBIRD BLACKBIRD BLACKBERRY
Georgia, Switzerland
Monetary prize in the amount of €2,500.

HEART OF SARAJEVO FOR BEST ACTOR
Jovan Ginić, LOST COUNTRY
Serbia, France, Croatia, Luxembourg, Qatar
Monetary prize in the amount of €2,500.

COMPETITION PROGRAMME - DOCUMENTARY FILM

Jury:
Iva Dimitrova (Program Manager at Chicken and Egg Pictures, USA)
Niklas Engstrom (Artistic Director at CPH:Dox, Denmark)
Péter Kerekes (Director, Producer, Slovakia)

HEART OF SARAJEVO FOR BEST DOCUMENTARY FILM
BOTTLEMEN
Serbia, Slovenia
Director: Nemanja Vojinović
The monetary prize in the amount of €4,000 is sponsored by the Government of Switzerland.

HEART OF SARAJEVO FOR BEST SHORT DOCUMENTARY FILM
VALERIJA
Croatia
Director: Sara Jurinčić
Monetary prize in the amount of €2,000.

HUMAN RIGHTS AWARD
SILENCE OF REASON
North Macedonia, Bosnia and Herzegovina
Director: Kumjana Novakova
The Human Rights Award is presented for the best film from the Competition Programme - Documentary Film that addresses human rights issues. The monetary prize in the amount of €3,000 is sponsored by the Kingdom of the Netherlands.

SPECIAL JURY AWARD
FAIRY GARDEN
Hungary, Romania, Croatia
Director: Gergő Somogyvári
Monetary prize in the amount of €2,500.

COMPETITION PROGRAMME - SHORT FILM

Jury:
Turai Balazs (director, animation artist, Hungary)
Nina Rodriguez (Head of Programming at Guanajuato Film Festival, Mexico)
Wim Vanacker (Programmer at Cannes Official Competition Short Film, France)

HEART OF SARAJEVO FOR BEST SHORT FILM - eligible for Oscar® nomination
27
Hungary, France
Director: Flóra Anna Buda
Monetary prize in the amount of €2,500.

COMPETITION PROGRAMME - STUDENT FILM

Jury:
Kumjana Novakova (Programmer, Professor, Producer and Filmmaker, North Macedonia)
Tomek Popakuł (Director, Animation Artist, Poland)
Damir Šagolj (Journalist, Photographer, Director of Photography, Professor at Academy of Performing Arts Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina)

HEART OF SARAJEVO FOR BEST STUDENT FILM
FALLING
Hungary, Belgium, Portugal
Director: Anna Gyimesi
The monetary prize in the amount of €1,000 is sponsored by the Regional Cooperation Council.

JURY SPECIAL MENTION
SHORT CUT GRASS
Croatia
Director: David Gašo

SPECIAL AWARD FOR PROMOTING GENDER EQUALITY

Jury:
Jay Van Hoy (Producer, USA)
Nashen Moodley (Director of the Sydney Film Festival, Australia, South Africa)
Mila Schlingemann (Head of Programming at Eye Filmmuseum, Netherlands)

DE FACTO
Austria, Germany
Director: Selma Doborac
The monetary prize in the amount of €7,500 is sponsored by Mastercard.

List of Heart of Sarajevo Awards for TV Series HERE.
List of Partners' Awards HERE
List of 21st CineLink Industry Days Awards HERE.

Download the press release HERE.

Press Office - Sarajevo Film Festival
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