Overview of the competition program at the Sarajevo Film Festival

The Sarajevo Film Festival was born in the midst of the Bosnian War in 1994, during the four-year siege of the city. Sarajevo, the city and the festival have done much to leave this dark history behind them. But as the SFF celebrates its 30th anniversary^th edition, the festival continues to shine a spotlight on films that illuminate contemporary issues and politics, films that celebrate the power of cinema even in the darkest moments.

Among the nine films screened in the SFF competition program, some directly address politics, such as the film by Serbian director Vuk Ršumović. Dwelling among the godswhich addresses questions of identity through the eyes of an Afghan refugee – or obliquely, as in the film by Romanian filmmaker Andrei Cohn Holy Weekwhich takes place in 1900 but around a clash of religions which still resonates today.

“As always, we are looking for original stories, new authors and, above all, new and bold perspectives,” says Elma Tataragić, SFF’s main programming manager. “We appreciate filmmakers who take risks with the subjects they choose, with the visual language, with the ideas they convey. In the end, I am quite satisfied with the selection. It is very diverse, exciting, innovative and tempting.”

The official selection, chosen from 940 applications, includes a world premiere, a European premiere and six regional premieres, with one film – the film directed by Mirjana Karanović Mother Mara — screened out of competition as a world premiere at a gala.

“This year’s selection is both an invitation and an instruction, it is an opportunity and a restriction, a promise and a threat, a safe place and a challenge,” Tataragić explains. “All the directors express in their films various concerns about the world of today, yesterday and tomorrow. It is a polyphony of different and diverse perspectives on war, on history, on love, on betrayal, on the fragile future and on the eternal need of human beings to belong to a group. With this selection, we invite the audience to reflect on the ambivalence of our current world, which seems more fragile than ever.”

The jury that will choose the winners of the four Heart of Sarajevo Awards — for Best Film, Best Director, Best Actor and Best Actress — will be chaired by American director and screenwriter Paul Schrader, joined by Slovenian actor Sebastian Cavazza, Sarajevo-born director, screenwriter and editor Una Gunjak, Finnish director and screenwriter Juho Kuosmanen and The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo star Noomi Rapace.

Announcing the nine selected films, SFF Creative Director Izeta Građević said they represented the region in terms of “diverse filmmaking practices and traditions, diversity of themes, cinematic language and creative affinities.”

Several finalists were presented in competition in Berlin or Cannes, including the fantasy drama by Greek filmmaker Yorgos Zois. Arcadiawhich premiered at Berlinale Encounters and stars Yorgos Lanthimos’ collaborator…