CineLink Books 2025: A Bridge Between the Page and Screen

Initiated by the Sarajevo Film Festival, the program strengthens ties between the publishing and audiovisual sectors across the former Yugoslavia.

Following the successful launch in 2024, which already led to a concrete collaboration - Croatian production company Antitalent acquiring rights to Nađa Petrović’s Meduze žive zauvek dok ih ne uhvate (Geopoetika, Serbia) - CineLink Books reaffirms its mission: to highlight the adaptation potential of regional literature and facilitate the transition from page to screen.

In April this year, the Exploring Synergies forum offered a hands-on simulation of a writers' room using Nađa Petrović’s novel Meduze žive zauvek dok ih ne uhvate as a case study. Organized by the Sarajevo Film Festival, the event served as a central platform for introducing authors and publishers to the complex process of literary adaptation. Led by acclaimed screenwriters and directors Goran Stanković and Vuk Ršumović, the writers' room gathered publishers, authors, and filmmakers from Serbia, Croatia, and Montenegro, fostering a dynamic exchange between the literary and film communities. The session aimed to demystify the adaptation journey - offering practical insight into character arcs, episodic structure, and collaborative storytelling - while reinforcing the essential role of IP ownership and management in shaping viable film and television projects.

 

Through initiatives like Exploring Synergies and CineLink Books, the Sarajevo Film Festival remains committed to continuously nurturing the dialogue between publishing and audiovisual sectors - supporting the growth of both industries and encouraging meaningful collaboration across disciplines.

CineLink Books continues to spotlight the literary richness of the region and create fertile ground for collaboration between authors, publishers, and filmmakers. These stories - whether epic, intimate, dark, or whimsical - are ready for their next chapter on the screen. 

 

Selected books will be presented in a special session during CineLink Industry Days, where they will be pitched to established producers from the region and beyond.

 

 

The destinies of three unusual strangers intertwine as they find themselves in the same car, heading toward the seaside. Relja is trying to escape his meaningless city life and a degrading, transactional relationship with an older woman. Jana seeks peace by visiting the birthplace of her deceased lover. Pepolo wants… well, that remains a mystery. The ever-smiling human giant seems to be chasing an elusive butterfly only he can see. As they approach their destination, a dark truth emerges - each of them has killed someone in the past. Dreamlike flashbacks reveal war trauma and episodes of senseless violence.

 

On a June day in 1914, as Archduke Franz Ferdinand arrives in Sarajevo with great pomp, Rafael Pinto is grinding herbs behind the counter of his apothecary. He has no idea the world is about to erupt in flames. In the trenches of Galicia, Pinto survives the brutal reality of war only through the care of his comrade Osman - his protector, lover, and a man of action whose storytelling complements Pinto’s poetic soul. Together, they escape the trenches, survive near-certain death, encounter spies and Bolsheviks, travel across mountains and deserts, from world to world, all the way to Shanghai - driven by Pinto’s love for Osman and the occasional use of narcotics. This lyrical and haunting epic, infused with Hemon’s signature poetic prose, explores war, survival, exile, and devotion.

 

In his debut novel, Salčinović blends the registers of pulp, noir, and social satire to narrate - through the voice of a crime journalist - the blurred borders of a possible Sarajevo reality. A bizarre suicide of a war veteran, a failed bank robbery, a case of an upper-class pedophile murderer, a mother-in-law killed due to class resentment, and a ritualistic murder committed out of passion. This hybrid novel reveals Salčinović as a rare voice who navigates fluidly between irony and deep philosophical reflection.

 

The central character of Filip Grujić’s new novel is a true “hero of our time” - a young man transitioning from his twenties into his thirties, recently out of a long-term relationship, with no clear idea of what he wants from life. His everyday life - split between family (divorced parents and their new partners, colorful grandparents), friends, girlfriends, and responsibilities - unfolds through comedic episodes, strong self-irony, and painfully honest reflections on what it means to be happy in the third decade of the 21st century. A complex yet masterfully structured literary puzzle, this is arguably the first truly serious millennial novel in Serbian literature. Following two acclaimed earlier works, this novel confirms Grujić as one of the region’s most vital contemporary voices.

Pitanje anatomije / The Anatomy Issue, Marina Vujčić (Fraktura, Croatia) 

When Mr. Florijan Bauer posts a curious ad seeking “a woman to stroke his back - only his back,” he doesn’t know it will upend his ordered life. The only respondent, Veronika Vinter, a bank clerk driven by curiosity and financial need, is equally unprepared for the changes ahead. Together, they navigate emotional barriers and discover the necessity of human touch. With elegant prose and gentle irony, Vujčić crafts a story about vulnerability, longing, and the redemptive power of connection. 

 

For teenagers in urban settings, few things are more brutal than isolation. Pia, rejected and bullied by her peers, attempts to blend in - only to be ridiculed even more. Alone and disarmed, she retreats into herself. But in embracing her outcast status, she discovers unexpected friendships and a fragile, marginal community. Written by a 21-year-old author, this powerful debut novel tackles the emotional violence of adolescence with raw honesty, poetic language, and a fearless voice of a new generation.

 

A heartwarming tale of friendship between a lonely tree named Radoslav and an energetic squirrel, Daca. When Radoslav confesses his sadness, Daca sets off to unite the forest animals to help him. Inspired by an old legend of star magic, the animals plant seeds, and overnight the forest blooms. This charming story, rich in imagination, wit, and warmth, reminds young readers of the power of unity, empathy, and shared effort. A magical fable for children and families alike.