Sarajevo 24

Amidst the desolation of war in Ukraine, nature stands as a silent witness, absorbing and beginning to heal from the scars of conflict. “This is observational meditative journey which contains neither dialogue nor a vocalized narration: its tone is set by the juxtaposition of images, music and sound design,” says Ukrainian producer Polina Herman. “A slow moving camera leads the viewer from harmonious nature to war and its consequences, and nature's attempt to recover."

Hungarian producer Julianna Ugrin discusses her feature doc project Give Love Create, about the ground-breaking scientist and biotech entrepreneur Gyula Dékány, a man dedicated to discovering cures for neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson's and Alzheimer's. “His journey is marked by a relentless drive that transcends societal expectations and personal boundaries,” Ugrin explains to BDE.

“This year’s selection can be described as ‘fishing in the river of time,’” says programmer Rada 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.” Two additional feature docs to play Out of Competition.

In Anna Rubi’s feature doc debut, a group of mothers and caregivers led by the redoubtable Magdi take on the Hungarian state to claim their statutory right to support in the form of care homes for the disabled, in the process securing a dignified future for their sons and daughters after they have passed away. “This is such a unique story. It's my duty to communicate it to an audience,” the director tells BDE. “In a way the story chose me.”

In After the Storm Francesco Rufini looks at amber from an anthropological perspective, examining the everyday lives, struggles and dreams of the people who work with it, but also the rich culture and history of the Lithuanian region where it is found. “Moreover, it tells a story that connects us with nature and our planet, in which people are patiently waiting to take what is offered to them - instead of taking it by force,” producer Valdemar Albert Lovci tells BDE.

UXO stands for unexploded ordnance, of which 1.6 million tons were dumped in the Baltic Sea during the World Wars. These range from bombs and explosives to mustard gas, TNT, white phosphorus and arsenic. “This film offers a poetic exploration of an entirely unexplored and little-known ecological, historical, economic, and, in a certain sense, philosophical problem,” producer Dagne Vildziunaite tells BDE of her urgent new doc project.

At the close of the 30th Sarajevo FF (August 16- 23) the Best Film Award in Documentary Competition went to A Picture To Remember (Ukraine, France, Germany) by Olga Chernykh, while the Human Rights Award was picked up by Your life Without Me (Hungary/Switzerland) by Anna Rubi. The Special Jury Award was won by What We Ask of a Statue Is That It Doesn’t Move (Greece/France) by Daphné Hérétakis. All documentary awards…

Polish master Tomasz Wolski returns with another archive-based doc, this time telling the story of Polish Jew Leopold Trepper, head of the legendary Soviet Red Orchestra and one of the most active spies of the WWII era. “The Big Chief will serve as a compelling narrative delving into the tumultuous and intricate era through which our fathers and grandparents navigated,” says producer Anna Gawlita of the Polish Kijora Film.

Eight new projects from the Czech Republic, Hungary, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, and Ukraine will be presented during the CineLink Industry Days on Sunday August 18. Ji.hlava IDFF will also announce the next cohort of Emerging Producers 2025, and further reminds the doc industry of the August 15 deadline for European and East & Southeast Asian projects applying to Ji.hlava New Visions Forum & Market, as well as for filmmakers from the Caucasus who can have travel/accommodation covered at Ji.hlava.

Small kids, small problems. Big kids, big problems. But then again, parents aren't always without fault. For as long as the Kolbas family can remember, father Silvestar has recorded the process of them growing up, warts and all. A decade ago he decided to turn the footage into a movie, continuing to record his family's ongoing evolution. “I believed that it would be a charming, fun and fluffy film, and not that it would turn into a drama. At that time, it did not seem that family relations would become so complicated," the director tells BDE.