Rada Šešić, programmer of the Sarajevo Film Festival Competition Programme – Documentary Film, revealed July 25 the 21 films she has selected for the festival’s 30th roll-out. Nineteen films are competing for awards: three will have their world premiere, five their international premiere, one its European premiere, eight their regional premieres, and two their Bosnian and Herzegovinian premieres in Sarajevo. Two films will be shown out of competition: one will have its world premiere, and one its Bosnian and Herzegovinian premiere.
“This year’s selection can be described as ‘fishing in the river of time,’” comments Šešić. “This method, creatively applied in a large number of chosen films, offers a unique authorial perspective on the passage of time, whether through exceptional archival material or refined cinematic observation. Documentarians thereby provide the audience with an engaging sensory experience while prompting reflection.”
“This is also a year of personal stories; half of the selection reflects deeply personal or intimate family narratives, yet through subtly depicted micro-worlds, it mirrors the exciting and often provocative macro-world of the environment, political upheavals, and social struggles. Short documentaries boldly blend cinematic styles and push the boundaries of documentary texture into other genres,” Šešić continues. “We proudly highlight seven talented debutantes from the region whose brave and distinctly original cinematic expressions will define this documentary year.”
Organisers remind that Sarajevo Film Festival dedicates its Competition Programme solely to regional film, showing World, International, European and Regional premieres of films from: Albania, Armenia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Georgia, Greece, Hungary, Kosovo*, Malta, Moldavia, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Romania, Serbia, Slovenia, Turkey and Ukraine.
COMPETITION PROGRAMME – DOCUMENTARY FILM 2024
The jury members: Mandy Chang, Founder and Creative Director Fremantle label Undeniable, USA; Marek Hovorka, Founder and Director, Ji.hlava International Documentary Film Festival, Czech Republic; Wang Xiaoshuai, Director, writer and producer, China.
The awards on offer are: Heart of Sarajevo for Best Documentary Film, valued at €4,000 and sponsored by the Government of Switzerland; Heart of Sarajevo for Best Short Documentary Film, valued €2,000; Human Rights Award, valued at €3,000 and sponsored by the Kingdom of the Netherlands; Special Jury Prize, €2,500.
- BIANG BIANG EXPRESS / MIÀN MIÀN JÙ DÀO, Nikola Stojanović (Serbia, China, 2024, 10 min.) – World premiere
- DAD’S LULLABY / TATOVA KOLYSKOVA, Lesia Diak (Ukraine, Romania, Croatia, 2024, 78 min.) – World premiere
- YOUR LIFE WITHOUT ME / AZ ÉLETED NÉLKÜLEM, Anna Rubi (Hungary, Sweden, 2024, 72 min.) – World premiere
- HETEROTOPIA / HETEROTOPIJA, Nikola Nikolić (Serbia, 2024, 7 min.) – International premiere
- LOXY, Dimitris Zahos, Thanasis Kafetzis (Greece, 2024, 87min.) – International premiere
- OUR CHILDREN / NAŠA DJECA, Silvestar Kolbas (Croatia, 2024, 92 min.) – International premiere
- THE SEAGULL / GALEB, David Lušičić (Croatia, 2024, 29 min.) – International premiere
- WHAT WE ASK OF A STATUE IS THAT IT DOESN’T MOVE / AFTO POU ZITAME APO ENA AGALMA INE NA MIN KINITE, Daphné Hérétakis (Greece, France, 2024, 31 min.) – International premiere
- RE:VISITED JASENOVAC, Admir Rahmanović (Bosnia and Herzegovina, Sweden, 2023, 12 min.) – European premiere
- ALICE ON & OFF, Isabela Tent (Romania, 2024, 86 min.) – Regional premiere
- A PICTURE TO REMEMBER / FOTO NA PAM’YAT, Olga Chernykh (Ukraine, France, Germany, 2023, 72 min.) – Regional premiere
- BETWEEN DELICATE AND VIOLENT / ZARAFET VE ŞIDDET ARASINDA, Şirin Bahar Demirel (Turkey, Netherlands, 2023, 15 min.) – Regional premiere
- CENT’ANNI, Maja Prelog (Slovenia, Italy, Poland, Serbia, Austria, 2024, 87 min.) – Regional premiere
- FRAGMENTS OF ICE / FRAGMENTY LYODU, Maria Stoianova (Ukraine, Norway, 2024, 95 min.) – Regional premiere
- …NED, TASSOT, YOSSOT …, Brigitte Weich (Austria, 2023, 99 min.) – Regional premiere
- PAIN / BOL, Ivan Faktor (Croatia, 2024, 22 min.) – Regional premiere
- PAVILION 6 / PAVILJON 6, Goran Dević (Croatia, 2024, 69 min.) – Regional premiere
- AT THE DOOR OF THE HOUSE WHO WILL COME KNOCKING / KO ĆE POKUCATI NA VRATA MOG DOMA, Maja Novaković (Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Belgium, 2024, 85 min.) – B&H premiere
- LIKE A SICK YELLOW / SI E VERDHË E SËMUR, Norika Sefa (Kosovo, 2024, 23 min.) – B&H premiere
- PRASLOVAN, Slobodan Maksimović (Slovenia, Croatia, 2024, 112 min.) – World premiere, Out of Competition
- BEKIM FEHMIU, Valmir Tertini (Albania, 2023, 66 min.) – B&H premiere, Out of Competition.
The 30th Sarajevo Film Festival will take place from 16th to 23rd of August 2024.
