Festival Report

17th Sarajevo Film Festival Final Report

Sarajevo Film Festival is the international festival with a special focus on the South Eastern European region.

Focus on the regional film through the Competition selections for feature, short, and documentary films, strong industry segment (CineLink), an educational platform for young filmmakers (Sarajevo Talent Campus) and presence of the international film industry, film authors and media representatives alongside a paying audience of over 100,000, confirm its status as the leading film festival in the region, recognised by both professionals and the wider audiences.

In an emerging territory of more than 140 million inhabitants, Sarajevo Film Festival serves as a common platform for film businesses from all over the region, setting the future standards in festival organisation, film promotion and presentation in Southeast Europe.

Furthermore, Sarajevo Film Festival sets films, film talents, and future film projects from the South-Eastern Europe in the focus of international media attention. 

17th Sarajevo Film Festival was opened with film LE HAVRE by the Aki Kaurismaki and it was closed with THE GUARD by John Michael McDonagh. At closing night Audience had a chance to see world premiere of Danis Tanović's short film BAGGAGE.

Sarajevo audience will remember this night by a series of events, and especially by a visit of two remarkable film artists – Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt. Jolie and Pitt arrived in Sarajevo on the last day of the Festival, so that during the Gala Closing Ceremony this extraordinary actress could be awarded the Honorary Heart of Sarajevo Award for the outstanding career in the world of film, but also for her exceptional engagement in the real world.

During the nine days, audience of the 17th Sarajevo Film Festival was presented realizations by numerous eminent film makers.

17th SARAJEVO FILM FESTIVAL IN NUMBERS:

• 17 PROGRAMMES
• 220 FILMS FROM 44 COUNTRIES
• 10 VENUES
• MORE THAN 2.500 ACCREDITED GUESTS
• MORE THAN 800 ACCREDITED MEDIA REPRESENTATIVES FROM 34 COUNTRIES
• MORE THAN 100,000 VISITORS

17th SARAJEVO FILM FESTIVAL – OFFICIAL AWARDS

COMPETITION PROGRAMME – FEATURE FILM
Jury:
Jury President:
ARI FOLMAN, Director, Israel

Jury members:
ALBERTO BARBERA, Director of the National Museum of Cinema, Italy
ZANA MARJANOVIĆ, Actress, Bosnia and Herzegovina
MICHELE OHAYON, Director, producer, writer, USA
RIZVAN RADULESCU, Scriptwriter and director, Romania

The Heart of Sarajevo Award for Best Film:
BREATHING / ATMEN
Director: Karl Markovics
Austria

The financial prize for this Award, in the amount of € 25.000.

Special Jury Award:
AVÉ
Director: Konstantin Bojanov
Bulgaria

The financial prize for this Award, in the amount of € 10.000, is provided by Agnes B.

The Heart of Sarajevo Award for Best Actress:
Ada Condeescu (LOVERBOY)
Romania

The financial prize, in the amount of € 2.500, for this Award is provided by the Sarajevo International Airport.

The Heart of Sarajevo Award for Best Actor:
Thomas Schubert (BREATHING / ATMEN)
Austria

The financial prize for this Award is € 2.500.

COMPETITION PROGRAMME  – SHORT FILM

Jury:
Jury President:
MILCHO MANCHEVSKI, Director, Macedonia

Jury members:
JEAN-CHRISTOPHE BERJON, Artistic Director Semaine de la Critique, France
ERZEN SHKOLOLLI, Artist, Kosovo

The Heart of Sarajevo Award for Best Film:
MEZZANINE / MEZANIN
Director: Dalibor Matanić 
Croatia

The financial prize for this Award is € 3.000.

Special Jury Mentions:
TAKE TWO / VTORI DUBAL
Directress: Nadejda Koseva
Bulgaria, Germany

DOVE SEI, AMOR MIO
Director: Veljko Popović
Croatia

COMPETITION PROGRAMME – DOCUMENTARY FILM

Jury:
LUCIANO BARISONE, Director of Visions du Réel Festival, Switzerland
BILJANA GARVANLIEVA, Freelance author and director, Macedonia
DAVID RIEFF, Journalist and author, USA

The Heart of Sarajevo Award for Best Documentary Film:
A CELLPHONE MOVIE / MOBITEL
Director: Nedžad Begović
BiH

This Award, in the amount of € 3.000, is provided by the Swiss Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Human Rights Award:
ECUMENOPOLIS: CITY WITHOUT LIMITS / EKÜMENOPOLIS: UCU OLMAYAN ŞEHIR
Director: Imre Azem
Turkey, Germany

This Award, in the amount of €3.000, is provided by the Swiss Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

HEART OF SARAJEVO HONORARY AWARD

Angelina Jolie, Actress, USA
Emil Tedeschi, Majority owner and President of the Governing Board of Atlantic Group
Jafar Panahi, Director, Iran

CINELINK AWARDS

CineLink A Jury:
BEHROOZ HASHEMIAN
ČEDOMIR KOLAR   
JACQUELINE ADA
GEORGES GOLDENSTERN
ANNAMARIA LODATO
MEHMET DEMIRHAN
REMI BURAH

EAVE scholarship
MARIA DRANDAKI

Living Pictures Service Award, in kind support up to 10.000 Euros
THE WEDNESDAY CHILD
Director: Lili Horvath
Hungary

International Relations Arte Price, 6.000 Euros
HUMIDITY
Director: Nikola Ljuca
Serbia

Centre national de la cinematographie Award, 10.000 Euros
STAGE FRIGHT
Director: Yorgos Zois
Greece

Eurimages Award, 30.000 Euros
YOZGAT BLUES
Director: Mahmut Fazil Coskun
Turkey

Special Mention
TOUCH ME NOT
Director: Adina Pintilie
Romania

CineLink Work in Progress Awards

CineLink Work in Progress Jury:
CAMILLE NEEL                         
REBEKKA GARRIDO                                        
CAROLINE LIBRESCO

Restart Award in kind support in amount of 20.000 Euros
CHILD MINER
Directress: Alexandra Gulea
Romania

Post Republic Award, in kind postproduction services, 80.000 Euros
MOLD
Director: Ali Aydin
Turkey
 
17th SARAJEVO FILM FESTIVAL – PARTNERS AWARDS

SARAJEVO SHORT FILM NOMINEE FOR THE EUROPEAN FILM AWARDS 2011

Jury:
IGOR ČAMO
Sound designer, composer, B&H

ZVONIMIR JURIĆ
Director, screenwriter, Croatia

CAROLINE LIBRESCO
Producer, USA

OUT / TSE
Roee Rosen
Israel

The recipient of this Award thus enters the competition for the European Film Academy (EFA) Award for Best Short Film.

EDN TALENT GRANT

Jury:
LUCIANO BARISONE
Director of Visions du Réel Festival, Switzerland

BILJANA GARVANLIEVA
Freelance author and director, Macedonia

DAVID RIEFF
Journalist and author, USA

MY VOTE / VOTUL MEU
Monica Lazurean-Gorgan and Andrei Gorgan
Romania

The EDN Talent Grant was established as a co-operation between the Sarajevo Film Festival and the European Documentarist Network, with the purpose of helping talented documentary makers from the region.

CICAE AWARD

Jury:
JON BARRENECHEA
General Manager of The Duke of York’s Picturehouse in Brighton, UK

RUTA BOGUZAITE
Director of cinema PASAKA, Lithuania

FRANCESCO CLERICI
Responsable of the educational projects of Barz and Hippo, director, Italy

BREATHING / ATMEN
Karl Markovics
Austria

The International Confederation of Artistic Cinema (CICAE) will present an award to a film in the Competition Programme – Feature Film. The recipient film will be given CICAE's special support in distribution, screening and reaching the audience, by means of CICAE's network of 3000 cinemas.

CINEUROPA AWARD

Jury:
IVAN CORBISIER
Director - Brussels Film Festival, Belgium

AVÉ
Konstantin Bojanov
Bulgaria

This Award is presented by the Cineuropa Portal, which is dedicated to the European film industry and its filmmakers. The film, along with the fact that it undoubtedly possesses artistic qualities, also has to promote the idea of European dialogue and integration. The value of the Award is € 5.000.

DOCU ROUGH CUT BOUTIQUE AWARD

FAMILY MEALS
Dana Budisavljević
Croatia

HT ERONET AUDIENCE AWARD

Best feature film
THE GUARD
John Michael McDonagh

Best documentary film
THE LOVE OF BOOKS
Sam Hobkinson

SARAJEVO CITY OF FILM

Atlantic Grupa Award
Bodily Function
Dane Komljen
Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia

KATRIN CARTLIDGE FOUNDATION

This year marks the 6th year that a one-year scholarship award, inspired by the life and work of late British actress Katrin Cartlidge, is presented in Sarajevo. The winner of this year’s scholarship is Hala Lotfy Egiptyan filmmaker, which was selected and introduced to audiences in Sarajevo by the curator of the Foundation Charlotte Rampling.

MEDIA COVERAGE

17th Sarajevo film Festival was covered by:

AFP, Al Jazeera, AP, BBC, CNN, Der Tagesspiegel, Der Spiegel, Deutsche Welle, DPA, EPA, Euronews, Getty Images, Glasswerk, IndieWIRE, Le Monde, MTV, Reuters, Screen International, Sight & Sound Magazine, AP, The Hollywood Reporter, The Washington Post, The Independent, The Irish Times, The Times, Tindingen kulturen, TRT, Variety, Voice of America, WDR, 24SATA, Adevarul, Anlayis, ARD, Blic, LIK magazine, Danas, Dnevni List, Dnevnik.hr, Delo, Dnevnik,Ekran, E-NOVINE, Globus, Gloria, HRT, Index.hr, Magyar Nemzet, Mladina, MTV Srbija, Nacional, Nepszabadsag, Nicha, Nova revija, Nova TV, Novi radio Beograd, ORF, Plima, Politika, Pop TV, Pravda, Primorske novice, Radio Capris, Radio FRO, Radio Slovenija, RTV Kragujevac, RTV Srbija, Radio Beograd 3, Ray Kino Magazin, RTV Kosovo, RTL Hrvatska, Radio Beograd, RTV B92, RTV Slovenija, RTV Studio B, Sfera, Slobodna Dalmacija, Splitski portal, Standartnews, STINA, Stop Magazine, Story Hrvatska, Story Slovenija, PINK Crna Gora, PINK Srbija, Vienna review, T-portal, Magyar SZÓ, Uncut, Utrinski Vesnik, Večernje Novosti, VIP, Večer, Vesti Vreme, BHRADIO 1, BHRT, Business Magazine, Depo, Dnevni Avaz, FEDERALNA NOVINSKA AGENCIJA (FENA), FTV, Glas Srpske, Global, Gracija, Hayat TV, Magazine, Maxi, Nezavisna novinska agencija Onasa, Nezavisne novine, Oslobođenje, Portal Radio Sarajevo, Radio 8, Radio Kameleon, Radio postaja Vrhbosna, Radio Sarajevo, Radio Slobodna Europa, Red Weekend Magazin, RSG Radio, RSG 1 Sarajevo, RTRS, San, Source, Svijet, TVSA, TV Alfa, TV OBN, TV PINK BH, TV1...

17TH SARAJEVO FILM FESTIVAL GUESTS

INDUSTRY

CINELINK SELECTION 2011
 
365 NEW YEAR'S EVES
Writers: Paul Negoescu and Vlad Trandafir
Director: Paul Negoescu
Romania

A HAPPY MAN
Writer/Director: Davor Kanjir
Croatia

HUMIDITY
Writers: Nikola Ljuca and Staša Bajac
Director: Nikola Ljuca
Serbia

MIRKO'S GONNA FUCK YOU UP
Writer/Director: Saša Hajduković
Bosnia and Herzegovina

ODYSSEUS
Writers: Andro Martinović and Andrej Nikolaidis
Director: Andro Martinović
Montenegro

SPIRIT OF DUST
Writer: Betul Esener
Director: Nesimi Yetik
Turkey

STAGE FRIGHT
Writers: Yorgos Zois and Vasilios Kyriakopoulos
Director: Yorgos Zois
Greece

TIDEWAY
Writers/Directors: Hugo Vieira Da Silva and Heidi Wilm
Austria

THE WEDNESDAY CHILD
Writer/Director: Lili Horváth
Hungary

YOZGAT BLUES
Writer: Tarik Tufan
Director: Mahmut Fazil Coskun
Turkey

CINELINK + SELECTION 2011

MOTHER
Writer/Director: Vlado Škafar
Slovenia

TOUCH ME NOT
Writer/Director: Adina Pintilie
Romania

VIRUS
Writers: Angelos Frantzis and Spyros Kribalis
Director: Angelos Frantzis
Greece

ZERO
Writers: Gyula Nemes and Tamas Beregi
Director: Gyula Nemes
Hungary

Alaverdy / I'm going to change my name
directed by Maria Saakyan
produced by Anniko Films / Victoria Lupik
Armenia
 
In the Last Days of the City
directed by Tamer El Said
produced by Zero Production / Khalid Abdalla, Tamer El Said
co-produced by Cat Villiers
Egypt

When I Saw You
directed by Annemarie Jacir
produced by Philistine Films / Ossama Bawardi
Palestine
 
Copil - Miner / Child of the Mines
directed by Alexandra Gulea
produced by Europolisfilm / Thomas Ciulei
Romania
 
Ustanička Street
directed by Miroslav Terzić
produced by Filmkombajn / Gordan Kičić, Snežana Penev
Serbia
 
Araf
directed by Yesim Ustaoglu
produced by Ustaoglu Film / Yesim Ustaoglu, Serkan Cakarer
Turkey
 
Kuf / Mold
directed by Ali Aydin
produced by Motiva Film, Yeni Sinemacilar / Cengiz Keten, Sevil Demirci, Ali Aydın, Gökçe Işıl Tuna
Turkey

5th SARAJEVO TALENT CAMPUS

Sarajevo Talent Campus took place during the period between 24th and 30th July, 2011. In the focus of this year’s Sarajevo Talent Campus programme there were selections of the various film makers’ points of views. The programme dealt with the problem and necessity of making decisions during the creative process of filmmaking. Regardless of whether it is a fiction, documentary, experimental film, hybrid or trans-media filmmaking, the process of selecting the strongest way of expressing the vision was processed through diverse programme of lectures, panel discussions, and active critical debates, supplemented by workshops, practical drills, film screenings, and festival excursions.

Having in mind that the 2011 Campus has been entitled ‘’Our Time, My Point of View’’, the link we build with Rough Cut Boutique was logical. This newly established project within the Competition Programme – Documentary Film of the Sarajevo Film Festival and Balkan Documentary Center aimed at development, distribution and promotion of regional documentary film. In the focus of this year’s edition of the Sarajevo Talent Campus there were also the ‘networking’ contents, as well as “Pack&Pitch”, segment within which we offered a chance to selected participants to, under professional mentorship, learn how to analyze and prepare projects for presentation. Special attention was paid to short form, as well as to strengthening of existent cooperation with the Minimarket, the platform for promotion of short film.

Sarajevo Talent Campus in numbers:
-    15 actors
-    18 directors
-    14 producers
-    16 scriptwriters

EXPERTS:
Frank Albers, John Appel, Hagar Ben Asher, Philippe Bober, Vassily Bourikas, Gabriele Brunnenmeyer, Reto Bühler, Christian Denier, Licia Eminenti, Cary Joji Fukunaga, Izeta Građević, Segor Hadžagić, Lucile Hadžihalilović, Olivia Hetreed, Alby James, Nebojša Jovanović, Vanja Kaluđerčić, Kate Leys, Hugo Lilja, Leon Lučev, Jovan Marjanović, Zana Marjanović, Joshua Jacob Marston, Pierre-Alain Meier, Iza Razija Mešević, Olivier Müller, Zeynep Özbatur Atakan, Vladmir Perišić, Simon Perry, Andrea Rieder, Erwin M. Schmidt, Katriel Schory, Karin Angela Schyle, Rada Šešić, Abdulah Sidran, Frank Stehling, Stefano Strocchi, Dan Sturman, Béla Tarr, Wim Wenders, Andrea Wink.

SARAJEVO CITY OF FILM

EDINA/EDINA
BiH/Hungary, 2011
Director: Nóra Lakos
Screenplay: Nóra Lakos
Cast: Eszter Tompa, Boris Ler, Amina Begović, Nicolas Moll

POSTHUMNO / POSTHUMOUS
BiH/Turkey, 2011
Director: Cenk Erturk
Screenplay: Cenk Erturk
Cast: Senad Alihodžić, Adnan Hasković, Šerif Aljić, Muhamed Bahonjić

SCENE SA ŽENAMA / SCENES WITH WOMEN
BiH/Serbia, 2011
Director: Nikola Ljuca
Screenplay: Nikola Ljuca
Cast: Marko Cindrić, Borka Tomović, Sadžida Šetić, Jasna Beri, Jelena Kordić

TJELESNA FUNKCIJA / BODILY FUNCTION
BiH, 2011
Director: Dane Komljen
Screenplay: Dane Komljen
Cast: Anel Hasanbašić, Rijad Gvozden
 
OTHER PROGRAMMES

IN FOCUS
Within programme In Focus audience had a chance to see 8 regional films showed at the most prestigious film festivals in world.

TRIBUTE TO...
Sarajevo Film Festival had the great pleasure of presenting retrospective of one of the most renowned directors of today Lucrecia Martel.

NEW CURRENTS
New Currents presented its viewers 7 films. These were pieces with strong character- demanding and disturbing films hailing from all horizons.

NEW CURRENTS - SHORTS
This year’s New Currents-Shorts maintained its continuity in searching for provocative, creative, humorous and poetic films. Audience had a chance to see 15 films within this programme.

PANORAMA
Panorama, gave its audiences the chance to see 28 feature and documentary films. Since 1999, Panorama has strived to bridge avant-garde and mainstream films with exceptional narrative films. Invited directors range from debuting filmmakers to established veterans. The extraordinary quality of work determines its inclusion. Many of the films have been honored at top festivals.

OPEN AIR
This year’s Heineken Open Air was a first-class venture that satisfied the tastes of even the most passionate film lovers. We should also mention that almost all the films in the programme were introduced by either their actors or directors. This cinema attracted around 3000 viewers on each night of the festival. It once again offered an unforgettable experience of watching films beneath a starlit sky, on one of the largest cinema screens in the region.

CHILDREN’S PROGRAMME
This year’s Children’s Programme at SFF showcased 6 feature and animated films geared to our youngest viewers.

TEENARENA
For the sixth year, Sarajevo Film Festival presented TeenArena, programme whose films are devoted to teenage viewers. This year’s TeenArena encompassed 16 feature and short films, with the Best Teen Film Award, according to the decision of a teen jury and viewers’ choice, going to LOST IN AFRICA by Vibeke Muasya.

ALL SHORTS
• Carte Blanche: Clermont - Ferrand
• Carte Blanche: Kurzfilmtage Winterthur
• European Film Academy
   
OPERATION KINO
Within the Operation Kino 3 films were screened.

LAŠKO SUMMER NIGHTS
Within the new programme, Laško Summer Nights, 7 realizations were screened.

SPECIAL SCREENINGS
In its 17th edition, the Sarajevo Film Festival also presented viewers with 8 films as part of its Special Screenings Programme.

BH FILM
Bh. film presents to its viewers 53 feature, documentary, short and animated films.