The prestigious Honorary Heart of Sarajevo was presented to Emily Watson, celebrating an extraordinary career highlighted by her iconic, award-winning performance in Lars von Trier's BREAKING THE WAVES.
In the film Shame and Money, Visar Morina explores poverty, pride, and the struggle to keep your dignity when the world keeps beating you down. The film will open the Competition Programme – Narrative Feature Film of the 32nd Sarajevo Film Festival tonight at the National Theatre Sarajevo
What is the situation on the Ukrainian front? Director Helena Maksyom offers a first-hand account in the film Don’t Ask Me If I Killed that once again proves that the horrors of war are more terrifying than anything you could imagine. How the film, which is being screened in the Competition Programme – Documentary Film of the 32nd Sarajevo Film Festival came about, we will find out from a conversation with the director.
Visar Morina’s new film explores class divides in Kosovo through the story of a rural family. Economic insecurity, pride, and shame lie at the heart of the movie, which opens the Competition Programme – Narrative Feature Film.
Directors Biljana Tutorov and Petar Glomazić talk about the filming process of To Hold a Mountain, arriving at Sinjavina and entering the intimate world of the protagonists.
Diego Luna, one of the most recognisable Mexican actors, directors and producers of his generation, is attending the 32nd Sarajevo Film Festival, where he will receive the Honorary Heart of Sarajevo tonight for his outstanding contribution to cinema.
Tonight, the prestigious Honorary Heart of Sarajevo will be presented to Emily Watson, celebrating an extraordinary career highlighted by her iconic, award-winning performance in Lars von Trier's BREAKING THE WAVES.
Film "The Widower" by Hari Šečić will be screened tonight at the UNIQA Open Air Cinema Stari Grad, as part of the Open Air Premiere programme selection.
The 32nd Sarajevo Film Festival was opened with a with a solemn ceremony at the National Theatre Sarajevo and the screening of Fatherland the new film by Oscar® winning Polish director Paweł Pawlikowski.
Mathilde Henrot and Alessandro Raja on balancing the Kinoscope programme, splited into two subprogrammes (Kinoscope and Kinoscope Surreal), which this year bring the most daring creations from world festivals.
Programmer Elma Tataragić reveals details about the films from the Competition Programmes – Narrative Feature and Short Film and emphasizes that the selected titles bring a rich panorama of contemporary regional film.
Our city has become a place where films produced in our region make their first stop before embarking on the international festival circuit. This is the cumulative result of more than three decades of building trust with the directors who bring their films to our festival.
In cooperation with the Slovenian Cinematheque, a restored version of the Bosnian-Herzegovinian film classic "Woman with a Landscape" by Ivica Matić was screened at the Coca-Cola Open Air Cinema.
The nine films bring together not only different themes, but also a wide range of aesthetic approaches – from animation and “montage of attractions” to precise interviews and inspired re-enactments.
At the 32nd Sarajevo Film Festival, Michael Winterbottom's 1997 film Welcome to Sarajevo, which premiered at Cannes and was also screened at the 3rd Sarajevo Film Festival later that year, will be shown.
Get a 20% discount on online ticket purchases (via Festival website and mobile app) with Mastercard. The offer is valid for all Mastercard cardholders.
Because All We Have Is Us is not just a film about resistance. It reminds us that film art itself can be an act of resistance: Juárez and Donoso open up space for voices that are often not heard in global discussions about development and the green transition.
“It's been many years since I've wanted to go to Sarajevo, so many colleagues have spoken beautifully about the festival and their personal experience there. I feel honored with the recognition of my work,” stated Luna.
A total of 51 films are in competition for the Heart of Sarajevo awards in the Competition Programmes of the 32nd Sarajevo Film Festival, while one film will be screened out of competition.
"My films, especially the last three which are steeped in history, have a very good home there. I'm very happy to be back and very thrilled that it's the opening film of the festival”, said Pawlikowski.
“It is difficult to overstate Asghar Farhadi’s significance to world cinema. His remarkable body of work reminds us that the most profound dramas are often concealed within everyday life. His films do not offer easy answers; instead, they invite us to look more closely, listen more carefully and engage with life’s complexities,” said Jovan Marjanović, Director of the Sarajevo Film Festival.
"The Sarajevo Film Festival is the most important cultural event in the country, and hosting the Opening Ceremony, in the city that shaped me, in front of the people who love me, is one of the greatest professional recognitions I could receive." said Čutuna.
As the leading cinema chain in Southeast Europe, Cineplexx is a natural partner for an award that honours the audience’s choice while supporting the theatrical life of regional films beyond the Festival.
The seven selected projects were officially announced at Slano Film Days 2026, in the presence of a professional audience of filmmakers, producers, and festival representatives.
The winners of the AFA Awards will be announced at a gala ceremony to be held in October in Porto Montenegro in Tivat, Montenegro, which is the main partner of the event.
Festival days are a unique opportunity for establishing and strengthening contacts and unforgettable socializing with numerous film professionals and audiences.
Eligible for submission are rights holders of feature and documentary films, as well as high-end television series (including drama series and sitcoms)
We invite filmmakers from Southeast Europe, Ukraine, North Africa, the Middle East, and Central Asia to submit their fiction and documentary projects by May 15, 2026
Tarr was also a great friend of the Sarajevo Film Festival: in 2006, the Festival dedicated its “Tribute to” programme to him. He was the recipient of the Honorary Heart of Sarajevo at the 19th Sarajevo Film Festival (2013), and in 2014 he served as President of the Jury
The programme, titled Female Filmmakers Support Programme (FFSP), aims to support and empower women in film from the six Southeast European countries in which UNIQA operates
The nominations have been announced for this year’s Adria Film and TV Awards, which will take place on October 25 in Porto Montenegro. These awards build on the tradition of the Heart of Sarajevo Awards for TV series, expanding them with a new concept that also includes film achievements.
After eight days of the Festival, the audience selected the best achievements. The UniCredit Audience Award for Best Feature Film at the 31st Sarajevo Film Festival went to “DJ Ahmet” directed by Georgi M. Unkovski.
Taking its name from Divija, the Slavic goddess of nature, this documentary stands apart from all others about the war in Ukraine - the director turns his lens to nature, to the beautiful living world that silently endures the devastation of war and, with quiet defiance, slowly restores itself.
The avant-garde art collective OHO, founded in 1965 and active until 1971, is one of the most fascinating phenomena not only on the art scene in Slovenia and the former Yugoslavia but also across Central and Eastern Europe. In OHO Film, director Damjan Kozole ensures that it does not fade into obscurity, showing how the perspectives of this unique group remain relevant and applicable to contemporary times
The legacy of the prematurely deceased Danijel Dozet is an immense collection of film footage - analog and digital, unmarked, undated, unsorted, and never viewed. In the hands of his daughter, director Dalija Dozet, this material in the film My Dad’s Lessons opened windows into a world of which she herself had been a part.
In recognition of his exceptional contribution to the art of film, actor Willem Dafoe was awarded the Honorary Heart of Sarajevo at the 31st Sarajevo Film Festival last night.
Azerbaijani director Imam Hasanov brings to Sarajevo the story of Mamed Dadashev, a football coach in a rural Azerbaijani village who dreams of forming a women’s football team—something almost impossible in a world where girls are expected to marry as soon as possible rather than spend their days training.
Director Tarik Hodžić talks about his film Bosnian Knight, which at first appears to be a collection of documentary footage showcasing the beauty of Bosnia, but gradually transforms into a true investigative documentary.
Speaking about his film on Haustor, one of the most influential bands in the region, director Arsen Oremović says it is neither a biography, nor a story about an album, nor about the band reuniting after 40 years, but rather a journey through the magic of everyday life.
In recognition of his outstanding contribution to the art of film, actor Willem Dafoe was presented with the Honorary Heart of Sarajevo Award at the 31st Sarajevo Film Festival.
As part of the 31st Sarajevo Film Festival, and in collaboration with UNIQA Insurance, an exhibition tennis match was held on Franc Lehár Street in the heart of Sarajevo, featuring the legendary tennis player and Wimbledon champion Goran Ivanišević.
In the film „Yugo Florida“, director Vladimir Tagić tells the story of a son who decides to care for his estranged and unbearable father during the final weeks of his life. The film will be screened tonight at National Theatre Sarajevo.
Director Ivana Mladenović returns to Sarajevo with “Sorella di Clausura,” a story about a woman from rural Romania who falls in love with a Balkan musician after seeing him on television.
Willem Dafoe, the world-famous actor who will tonight be awarded the Honorary Heart of Sarajevo at the 31st Sarajevo Film Festival for his outstanding contribution to film art, held a Masterclass this morning moderated by critic Neil Young.
What happens when a homeless single mother sees no other way for her and her daughter to survive than to rent out her body as an incubator for families who cannot have children?
Alban Muja is a Kosovan visual artist and filmmaker who spends his time between Prishtina and Berlin. Muja represented the Republic of Kosovo at the 58th Venice Biennale with "Family Album," a project exploring displacement and identity.
Actor Willem Dafoe, in recognition of his outstanding contribution to the art of film, will be receiveded the Honorary Heart of Sarajevo tonight at 8:30 PM at the KSC Skenderija.
The short documentary “Dance Arena: The Temple of Electronic Music“ will be shown as part of the 31st Sarajevo Film Festival. Directed by Ivan Đurović, the film takes viewers behind the scenes of one of the world’s most renowned festival stages, EXIT’s Dance Arena, and will be available to audiences free of charge worldwide on the online platform Ondemand.kinomeetingpoint.ba until August 29.
“What this spectacle is all about it’s bringing together those people who were fighting to make films. And I don’t think there is another festival in the world that has thought of that. And that makes me very proud to have this award. Thank you very very much”, said Winstone
Actresses Ebada Hasan and Safiyya Ingar were guests of the Grand Coffee with... Programme of the 31st Sarajevo Film Festival, and they talked about the film "Brides" by the British director Nadia Fall, in which they play the title characters.
The Green Club and the Sarajevo Film Festival, with the partnership and support of UNDP Bosnia and Herzegovina, organized the international conference “Climate Change – Challenges of Future Prosperity.”
Director Hana Jušić is coming to Sarajevo with the film GOD WILL NOT HELP, about an unusual Chilean woman who, at the beginning of the 20th century, arrives in an isolated shepherd community in the Croatian mountains, claiming to be the widow of their brother who had emigrated.
Director Kristina Nikolova was so captivated by the character and work of Ivo Dimchev that, in the midst of the COVID pandemic, she left America for Bulgaria to make a film about him — an openly gay man, a gifted singer, an eccentric and imaginative painter, and provocative in every possible way, who draws strength from the hardships that have marked his life since childhood.
The film OUR TIME WILL COME by Ivette Löcker is an emotional story of two people who stumble at every step over prejudice and an Austrian system that crushes migrants, yet, like in a fairy tale, their love proves stronger than all obstacles.
Marta Popivoda is a filmmaker, video artist, and researcher living and working between Belgrade and Berlin. Her first feature-length documentary, YUGOSLAVIA, HOW IDEOLOGY MOVED OUR COLLECTIVE BODY, had its premiere at the Berlin International Film Festival in 2013.
Mariam Bakacho Khatchvani graduated from the Shota Rustaveli Theatre and Film University in 2008. . Her short film DINOLA was screened at over 300 festivals, including the Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival, and was nominated for a European Film Award.
Aysel Küçüksu is a Bulgarian filmmaker with Turkish roots. She is based in Denmark, where she has strengthened her foundations in filmmaking through hands-on programmes such as the 48-hour Filmschool at Filmværket and Søndagsfilmskolen at the Danish Film Institute.
