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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+387 33 209 - 411
www.sff.ba

 Elma Tataragić, programmer of the Competition Programme – Feature Film will present 11 titles. The selection in the competition programme features two world premieres, one international and five regional premieres. The programme includes two gala and one special screening.

„We live in extremely turbulent times. And that feeling, unfortunately, is global. What is true for this year's selection of the Competition programme is that it reflects the author's attitude not only towards the region but also towards the world. That is why this selection is a selection of regional films, but it reflects the one global spirit of the time in which we live. There are different themes, from love topics to identity, globalization, the meaning of life, political engagement, and adulthood. What characterizes this selection are the extremely strong heroes and heroines, as well as the way the authors allow us to approach them without any reservations,“ said Elma Tataragić.

Films in the Competition Program - Feature film of the 29th Sarajevo Film Festival are in competition for awards:

HEART OF SARAJEVO FOR BEST FEATURE FILM
Award in the amount of €16,000, co-sponsored by the Tourism Association of Canton Sarajevo

HEART OF SARAJEVO FOR BEST DIRECTOR
Award in the amount of €10,000, sponsored by the United Nations in Bosnia and Herzegovina in cooperation with UNESCO

HEART OF SARAJEVO FOR BEST ACTRESS
Award in the amount of €2,500

HEART OF SARAJEVO FOR BEST ACTOR
Award in the amount of €2,500

WORLD PREMIERES

EUROPA
Austria, United Kingdom, 2023, 100 min.
Director: Sudabeh Mortezai
Cast: Lilith Stangenberg, Jetnor Gorezi, Steljona Kadillari, Mirando Sylari, Tobias Winter

Beate is an ambitious executive working at Europa, a mysterious corporation looking to expand into the Balkans region. Seemingly promoting philanthropy and investment in underdeveloped areas, Europa actually needs to buy off lands from locals in a remote valley in Southern Albania using Beate as the main negotiator for the ambiguous mission. But things don’t go as planned when she is challenged by Jetnor, a stubborn and spiritual farmer who refuses to leave the land of his ancestors.

MEDIUM
Greece, Bulgaria, 2023, 100 min.
Director: Christina Ioakeimidi
Cast: Aggeliki Beveratou, Nikolakis Zeginoglou, Katerina Zisoudi, Konstantinos Aspiotis, Martha Frintzila, Natassa Xintaveloni

Sixteen-year-old Eleftheria, a stranger in a strange world, meets Angelos, a mysterious neighbour, who invites her into his fascinating grown-up world. Roaming the streets of the scorching-hot August city on his bike, Eleftheria embarks on a journey to discover herself through the ferocity of first love.

INTERNATIONAL PREMIERE

LIBERTATE
Romania, Hungary, 2023, 109 min.
Director: Tudor Giurgiu
Cast: Alex Calangiu, Cătălin Herlo, Ionuț Caras, Iulian Postelnicu, Alexandru Papadopol, Leonid Doni, Andi Vasluianu, Toma Cuzin, Mirela Oprișor

In the chaotic days of the December 1989 revolution that overthrew the Communist regime in Romania, the Transylvanian city of Sibiu becomes the scene of a violent assault on a police unit that quickly escalates into a bloody confrontation between soldiers, policemen, civilian protesters, and representatives of the secret police. In a desperate attempt to escape the siege, police captain Viorel is captured by the army and thrown into an empty swimming pool along with hundreds of prisoners accused of terrorism.

REGIONAL PREMIERES

ANIMAL
Greece, Austria, Romania, Cyprus, Bulgaria, 2023, 116 min.
Director: Sofia Exarchou
Cast: Chronis Barbarian, Ilias Chatzigeorgiou, Danai Petropoulea, Dimitra Vlagopoulou, Flomaria Papadaki, Ahilleas Hariskos, Voodoo Jürgens

Under the hot Greek sun, the hosts at an all-inclusive island resort prepare for the busy tourist season. Kalia is the leader of the pack. Paper decor, glitzy costumes, and dance shows fill the stage. As summer intensifies and the work pressure builds up, nights become violent and Kalia’s struggle is revealed in the darkness. But when the spotlights come up again, the show must go on.

BLACKBIRD BLACKBIRD BLACKBERRY / SHASHVI SHASHVI MAKVALI Georgia, Switzerland, 2023, 110 min.
Director: Elene Naveriani
Cast: Ekaterine Chavleishvili, Teimuraz Chinchinadze

Etero, a 48-year-old woman living in a small village in Georgia, never wanted a husband. She cherishes her freedom as much as her cakes. But her choice to live alone is the cause of much gossip among her fellow villagers. Unexpectedly, she finds herself passionately falling for a man, and is suddenly faced with the decision of pursuing a relationship or continuing a life of independence. Etero must grapple with her feelings and decide how to find her own path to happiness. BLACKBIRD BLACKBIRD BLACKBERRY is based on the novel of the same name by Tamta Melashvili.

DAY OF THE TIGER / TIGRU
Romania, France, Greece, 2023, 80 min.
Director: Andrei Tănase
Cast: Cătălina Moga, Paul Ipate, Alex Velea

Vera is a small-town veterinarian from Transylvania, whose marriage to actor-director Toma is going through a difficult period since the couple lost their new-born son. Vera becomes obsessed with providing him with the proper Eastern Orthodox burial rituals and spends more and more time at work. On a particular day, while a new tiger is brought to the zoo where she works, Vera finds out her husband is hiding something.

LA PALISIADA
Ukraine, 2023, 100 min.
Director: Philip Sotnychenko
Cast: Stepan Barabash, Serhii Luzanovskyi, Oleksandr Mavrits, Andrii Zhurba, Novruz Pashayev, Oleksandr Parkhomenko, Valeria Oleinikova, Olena Mamchur, Oleksandr Maleev

Ukraine, 1996. Five months before the moratorium on capital punishment, two old friends, a police detective and a forensic psychiatrist, investigate the murder of a colleague. A long time ago, both of them were in love with the widow of the deceased. Immersed in the complicated case and long-forgotten memories, the friends create a future in which their children will have to live, and will inherit the unrealised aspirations of their parents.

LOST COUNTRY
Serbia, France, Croatia, Luxembourg, Qatar, 2023, 98 min.
Director: Vladimir Perišić
Cast: Jovan Ginić, Jasna Đuričić, Miodrag Jovanović, Lazar Ković, Pavle Čemerikić

Serbia, 1996. During the student demonstrations against the Milosević regime, fifteen-year-old Stefan has to go through the hardest revolution of all. He has to confront his beloved mother, spokesperson for and accomplice of the corrupted government his friends are rising up against.

GALA SCREENING, OUT OF COMPETITION

EXCURSION / EKSKURZIJA
Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Serbia, France, Norway, Qatar, 2023, 94 min.
Director: Una Gunjak
Cast: Asja Zara Lagumdžija i Nađa Spaho, Maja Izetbegović, Mediha Musliović, Izudin Bajrović, Muhamed Hadžović

As her ninth-grade class prepares for an excursion, Iman attracts the attention of an older boy. After a game of truth and dare, rumors spread in school that Iman is pregnant, and this jeopardizes the excursion. Iman finds herself in a storm of expectations and limitations, and the events she has caused are getting out of control.

GUARDIANS OF THE FORMULA / ČUVARI FORMULE
Serbia, Slovenia, Montenegro, North Macedonia, 2023, 118 min.
Director: Dragan Bjelogrlić
Uloge: Alexis Manenti, Radivoje Bukvić, Lionel Abelanski, Jérémie Laheurte, Olivier Barthélémy, Ognjen Mićović, Jovan Jovanović, Anne Serra, Alisa Radaković, Jean-Louis Coulloc'h, Cédric Appietto, Miki Manojlović, Dragan Bjelogrlić

In the midst of the Cold War crisis, a group of scientists at the Vinča Institute is implementing a secret project led by Professor Dragoslav Popovic. Due to unforeseen circumstances, they are exposed to a lethal dose of radiation, which is why the Yugoslav secret police are taking them to the Curie Clinic in Paris for treatment. A French team of doctors led by Professor Georges Mathé concludes that their condition is critical and that their days are numbered. Although Professor Mathé has devoted his entire life to the fight against nuclear weapons and deeply despises the project on which Yugoslav scientists worked, he proposes that a delicate and uncertain intervention of replacing the bone marrow of irradiated patients be carried out for the first time in history. Whether it is an experiment on living human beings, or whether he really wants to help them – becomes a tormenting question for Yugoslav scientists.

WORLD PREMIERE, SPECIAL SCREENING, OUT OF COMPETITION

RUMI
Television series, Türkiye, 2023.
Director: Can Ulkaj
Producers: Ahmet Okur, Kerim Ayyildiz
Cast: Devrim Özkan, Kaan Yildirim, Ushan Çakir, Bülent Inal, Ilker Aksum

In 13th century Anatolia, as the Mongol threat looms and internal turmoil rages, Rumi, a wise spiritual figure, emerges to assuage people's fears. His timeless words unite reason and compassion, inspiring change.

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

Download the press material HERE.

Press Office - Sarajevo Film Festival
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This year’s American Film Festival’s visual identity is accompanied by the American agricultural landscape, and so with a clear conscience we can say: time to kick off the cinematic harvest! Today we start selling passes and media and industry accreditations, which will allow you to experience all states of cinema to the fullest. We invite you to this year’s edition of the festival, which will take place from November 7-12, traditionally at Wrocław’s New Horizons Cinema.

We’re also pleased to announce today that the program of the 14th AFF will include Pedro Almodóvar’s film, Strange Way of Life, presented at Cannes. The Spanish maestro has created his own variation on one of the most important American genres – the western, and has invited Ethan Hawke – one of the biggest stars of US cinema – and Pedro Pascal – perhaps the most sought-after actor of the season, in front of the camera.

Purchase a pass
Order a media accreditation
Order an industry accreditation

Strange Way of Life, dir. Pedro Almodóvar

Strange Way of Life: the Wild West with a Spanish temperament

Don’t let the short length fool you: in his latest work, Pedro Almodóvar has fit a dose of emotion that would successfully fuel several longer formats. Throughout the film, we follow the meeting of two gunslingers: Silva (Pedro Pascal), who, after 25 years, visits Jake (Ethan Hawke), now acting sheriff. An initially inconspicuous meeting turns into an exciting excursion into their fiery and tumultuous past.

Strange Way of Life was created in the “most American” part of Europe: the Tabernas Desert in the Spanish province of Almería. It’s a place that deceptively resembles the Southwestern parts of the United States, which has led to dozens of westerns being filmed here since the 1950s, including famous spaghetti westerns.

14th American Film Festival: a bountiful harvest of good cinema

The festival’s program will traditionally feature the latest and best independent films from the US, blockbusters from world festivals (including the recently concluded Venice Film Festival), Hollywood top-shelf films, cult classics and works of known-unknown maestros of cinema. One of these maestros was Robert Altman, whose films about the essence of America we had the pleasure of screening at last year’s AFF. This year, we are excited to present the second part of a retrospective of his work, which focuses on women immersed in gender-determined stereotypes, creating alternative communities and constructing their own language of communication. The program will include 3 Women; Come Back to the 5 & Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean; Images; That Cold Day in the Park; and A Wedding, featuring talented actresses such as Sandy Dennis, Shelley Duvall, Sissy Spacek, Susannah York, Cher, and Glenn Close. We will be revealing more program information in the coming weeks, with the full program announcement scheduled for October 24 at noon. A day later (at the same time), single ticket sales for on-site screenings will begin. This year, the online portion of the event will once bring the American Film Festival into your homes. We will provide details about the virtual installment of the festival soon.

Passes and accreditations

Passes, as well as journalist and industry accreditations (granted to journalists and active film industry professionals), can be purchased via the americanfilmfestival.pl website until October 20 or until they are sold out. Passes and accreditations allow you to experience the festival to the fullest, granting access to up to 26 on-site screenings. Please note that passes and accreditations do not grant access to the online part of the festival. For online screenings, you are welcome to purchase single tickets or access packages (more details coming soon).

Prices:

Pass: 315 PLN
Pass for New Horizons Cinema Friends Club Card holders: 295 PLN
Industry accreditation: 315 PLN
Media accreditation: 225 PLN

Guidelines for using passes and accreditations

Sales regulations

Over the past weeks, 130 students, aged 9 to 11, have been given a unique experience to learn about film through a hands-on approach. Over a ten-day programme, students learnt about cinema, film production, scriptwriting, storyboarding, acting, filming and editing. The culmination of each programme was the shooting of a short film which the students got to develop from a script they cowrote. 

The engaging hands-on curriculum for the programme was developed in collaboration with FACETS, a US based Film Education organisation which was also entrusted with training and mentoring of the film educators delivering the programme. 

This summer camp is one of the various film education initiatives being developed by the film commission with the aim to inspire a new generation of filmmakers while increasing awareness about opportunities in the film industry. 

“Education is the key to future proof Malta’s film industry. It is crucial to start integrating the art of film within our education system for all those who aspire to become Malta’s film makers. The Government together with the Malta Film Commission will continue working hard to offer more new avenues through which more people can enter and work in Malta’s film industry,” outlined Minister for Tourism Clayton Bartolo. 

Malta Film Commissioner Johann Grech insisted that, “we are giving more opportunities to our children in film education to increase awareness about the art of film and the potential of the film industry.  We are incentivizing work in film because we want to create more opportunities for all, where our children can reach their dreams and can have careers in our film industry.” 

This summer camp was made possible through the collaborations of the Malta Film Commission with the Foundation of Educational Services (FES) and the Malta College of Arts Science and Technology (MCAST).