31st Sarajevo Film Festival: 50 films to compete for the Heart of Sarajevo awards

The Festival’s four competition sections – for feature, documentary, short and student film – will feature 16 world, 5 international, 28 regional and 2 national premieres.

This year, the Sarajevo Film Festival Programmers team led by Creative Director Izeta Građević, has seen 1036 films, including 195 feature fiction films, 291 documentary, 550 short and student titles.

 

"The competition programs of the 31st Sarajevo Film Festival bring together filmmakers who, each from their own perspective and in various film formats and genres, explore how we live and how we survive within complex and unstable social frameworks. The backbone of this year's competition programs are films that, transcending national boundaries, remain true to the universal stories that shape our lives. In this range – from topics that deal with today to those that question the past – this selection opens up space to remember, through film stories, what we all have in common: the need for meaning, for closeness, for understanding - ourselves and others," said Građević.

 

 

 

 

HEART OF SARAJEVO FOR BEST FEATURE FILM

Award in the amount of €16,000

 

HEART OF SARAJEVO FOR BEST DIRECTOR

Award in the amount of €10,000, sponsored by the United Nations in Bosnia and Herzegovina in cooperation with UNESCO

 

HEART OF SARAJEVO FOR BEST ACTRESS

Award in the amount of €2,500

 

HEART OF SARAJEVO FOR BEST ACTOR

Award in the amount of €2,500

 

Elma Tataragić, the programmer of the Competition Programme – Feature Film, has included 9 films in the programme, of which three films will have a world premiere in the competition for awards, and six films will have a regional premiere.

“With nine outstanding films, this year's Sarajevo Film Festival Competition Programme for Feature Films is an impressive and diverse panorama of contemporary regional cinema. The programme is a dynamic mix of bold narration, visual innovation and fresh perspectives that reflect the richness of the region's cultural tapestry. Highlighting a new wave of filmmakers, the programme includes six debut films that bring original voices and bold creative approaches to the big screen. From intimate personal stories to socially relevant dramas, the selection manages to portray the complexity and vitality of today's film scene, promising audiences an immersive journey through diverse styles, themes, and experiences. This year, the Competition Program - feature film is not only a celebration of established talents, but also a platform for new artists ready to shape the future of Balkan and Southeast European cinema," Tataragić said about the selection.

 

1. OTTER / VIDRA, Srđan Vuletić (Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Italy, Croatia, Kosovo*, 2025, 88 min.) – World premiere

2. STARS OF LITTLE IMPORTANCE / MINDEN CSILLAG, Renátó Olasz (Hungary, 2025, 83 min.) – World premiere

3. YUGO FLORIDA, Vladimir Tagić (Serbia, Bulgaria, France, Croatia, Montenegro, 2025, 112 min.) – World premiere

4. DJ AHMET, Georgi M. Unkovski (North Macedonia, Czech Republic, Serbia, Croatia, 2025, 99 min.) – Regional premiere

5. FANTASY, Kukla (Slovenia, North Macedonia, 2025, 98 min.) – Regional premiere

6. GOD WILL NOT HELP / BOG NEĆE POMOĆI, Hana Jušić (Croatia, Italy, Romania, Greece, France, Slovenia, 2025, 135 min.) – Regional premiere

7. SORELLA DI CLAUSURA, Ivana Mladenović (Romania, Serbia, Italy, Spain, 2025, 103 min.) – Regional premiere

8. WHITE SNAIL, Elsa Kremser, Levin Peter (Austria, Germany, 2025, 115 min.) – Regional premiere

9. WIND, TALK TO ME / VETRE, PRIČAJ SA MNOM, Stefan Đorđević (Serbia, Slovenia, Croatia, 2025, 100 min.) – Regional premiere

 

 

 

Rada Šešić, the programmer of the Competition Programme – Documentary Film, included 20 films in the competition programme; 12 feature-length and 8 short documentary films, four of which will have a world premiere, four international, 10 films will have a regional premiere and two films will have a Bosnian premiere. In addition, one film has been selected for the out-of-competition programme and will have an international premiere.

"Selection inevitably reflects a complex socio-political situation, but also shows the enviable resilience of documentary creativity with the continuous emergence of interesting new authors. More than half of the titles in this year's programme reflect the need to reconceptualize human relationships as a particularly necessary value. It is interesting that in most films in these gloomy times, or precisely because of this, the authors celebrate the power of love as the strongest driver of life, whether they are family or war stories. What is especially valuable is that even through these seemingly only family stories, we learn a lot about the complex conditions of life in a particular environment," Šešić said.

 

 

HEART OF SARAJEVO FOR BEST DOCUMENTARY FILM

Award in the amount of €4,000, sponsored by the Government of Switzerland

 

AN OSCAR® QUALIFYING FILM

 

HEART OF SARAJEVO FOR BEST SHORT DOCUMENTARY FILM

Award in the amount of €2,000

  

SPECIAL JURY PRIZE

Award in the amount of €2,500

 

1. BOSNIAN KNIGHT / BOSANSKI VITEZ, Tarik Hodžić (Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, 2025, 79 min.) - World premiere

2. I SAW A 'SUNO' / SUNO DIKHLEM, KATALIN BARSONY (Hungary, Belgium, 2025, 92 min.) - World premiere

3. KITE / CHARTAETOS, Thanos Psichogios (Greece, 2025, 15 min.) - World premiere

4. STEEL HOTEL SONG, Bojan Stojčić (Bosnia and Herzegovina, 2025, 19 min.) - World premiere
5. THIRD WORLD / TREĆI SVIJET, Arsen Oremović (Croatia, 2025, 101 min.) - World premiere

6. LETTERS / PISMA, Aysel Küçüksu (Bulgaria, 2025, 11 min.) - International premiere

7. MY DAD'S LESSONS / LEKCIJE MOG TATE, Dalija Dozet (Croatia, 2025, 62 min.) - International premiere

8. RED SLIDE / CRVENI TOBOGAN, Nebojša Slijepčević (Croatia, 2025, 27 min.) -  International premiere

9. CUBA & ALASKA, Yegor Troyanovsky (Ukraine, France, Belgium, 2025, 93 min.) - Regional premiere

10. DIVIA, Dmytro Hreshko (Ukraine, Poland, The Netherlands, USA, 2025, 79 min.) - Regional premiere

11. DREAMERS: PEOPLE OF THE LIGHT / XƏYALPƏRƏSTLƏR: İŞIĞIN UŞAQLARI, Imam Hasanov (Azerbaijan, 2025, 86 min.) - Regional premiere

12. EVERYTIME YOU LEAVE, YOU ARE BORN AGAIN / SVAKI PUT KAD ODEŠ, PONOVO SE RAĐAŠ, Mladen Bundalo (Bosnia and Herzegovina, Belgium, 2025, 24 min.) - Regional premiere

13. I BELIEVE THE PORTRAIT SAVED ME / MUA BESOJ MË SHPËTOJ PORTRETI, Alban Muja (Kosovo*, The Netherlands, 2025, 10 min.) - Regional premiere

14. IN HELL WITH IVO, Kristina Nikolova (Bulgaria, USA, 2025, 80 min.) - Regional premiere

15. MILITANTROPOS, Yelizaveta Smith, Alina Gorlova, Simon Mozgoviy (Ukraine, Austria, France, 2025, 111 min.) - Regional premiere

16. OUR TIME WILL COME / UNSERE ZEIT WIRD KOMMEN, Ivette Löcker (Austria, 2025, 105 min.) - Regional premiere

17. THE MEN'S LAND / KACEBIS MITSA, Mariam Bakacho Khatchvani (Georgia, Hungary, 2025, 15 min.) - Regional premiere

18. SLET 1988, Marta Popivoda (Serbia, Germany, France, 2025, 22 min.) - Regional premiere

19. 9-MONTH CONTRACT, Ketevan Vashagashvili (Georgia, Bulgaria, Germany, 2025, 77 min.) – B&H premiere

20. TATA, Lina Vdovîi, Radu Ciorniciuc (Romania, Germany, The Netherlands, 2025, 82 min.) – B&H premiere

21. OHO FILM, Damjan Kozole (Slovenia, Croatia, 2025, 93 min.) - International premiere, out of competition

 

 

 

In the Competition Programme – Short Film, selected by the programmer Elma Tataragić, this year there are 10 films: three will have a world premiere and seven will have a regional premiere.

"This year's Competition Programme for the Heart of Sarajevo for the best short film brings ten outstanding achievements. The program brings together debutants, but also established authors who are already known to the audience of the Sarajevo Film Festival for their earlier work. It is a dynamic and diverse selection, with films that are characterized by a bold and daring approach both in content and form. This diverse selection of short films, which includes three world premieres, demonstrates the courageous storytelling of both young talents and renowned authors. Through a powerful mix of social dramas, psychological thrillers, and innovative narratives, the program captures the spirit of the modern moment and demonstrates universal human experiences. The audience can expect a powerful film journey that pushes the boundaries both thematically and stylistically," said Tataragić.

 

 

HEART OF SARAJEVO FOR BEST SHORT FILM AN OSCAR® QUALIFYING FILM

Award in the amount of €2,500

 

EUROPEAN FILM ACADEMY SHORT FILM CANDIDATE

 

1. BERNA'S EYES / SYTË E BERNËS, Ermal Gërdovci (Kosovo*, North Macedonia, 2025, 17 min.) – World premiere

2. DESERT, SHE / IERIMOS, Ioanna Digenaki (Greece, 2025, 14 min.) – World premiere

3. PROCEDURE / PROSEDÜR, Rabia Özmen (Türkiye, 2025, 18 min.) – World premiere

4. ALIȘVERIȘ, Vasile Todinca (Romania, 2025, 15 min.) – Regional premiere

5. ERASERHEAD IN A KNITTED SHOPPING BAG, Lili Koss (Bulgaria, 2025, 19 min.) – Regional premiere

6. HYSTERICAL FIT OF LAUGHTER / HISTERIČNI NAPAD SMEHA, Matija Gluščević, Dušan Zorić (Serbia, Croatia, 2025, 15 min.) – Regional premiere

7. INDEX, Radu Muntean (Romania, 2025, 28 min.) – Regional premiere

8. THE SPECTACLE, Bálint Kenyeres (Hungary, France, 2025, 17 min.) – Regional premiere

9. UPON SUNRISE / KAD SVANE, Stefan Ivančić (Serbia, Spain, Slovenia, Croatia, 2025, 15 min.) – Regional premiere

10. WINTER IN MARCH / LUMI SAADAB MEID, Natalia Mirzoyan (Armenia, Estonia, France, Belgium, 2025, 16 min.) – Regional premiere

 

 

 

Asja Krsmanović, programmer of the Competition Programme – Student Film, has included 11 films in the programme, five of which will have a world, one international, and five films will have a regional premiere.

"Each year brings new discoveries and the selection process is the most exciting part of the preparation of the Sarajevo Film Festival. This year's selection of the Competition Program – Student Film brings eleven films, quite different in tone and style, but through which very similar motifs intertwine, so we might say that it's about the general thematic preoccupation of young people, as well as their specific view of the world," Krsmanović said.

 

HEART OF SARAJEVO FOR BEST STUDENT FILM

Award in the amount of €1,000, sponsored by the Regional Cooperation Council

 

1. AFTER CLASS / DUPĂ ORE, Marius Papară (Romania, 2025, 18 min.) – World premiere

2. FOUND & LOST, Reza Rasouli (Austria, 2025, 17 min.) – World premiere

3. HOME, A SPACE BETWEEN US, Effi Rabsilber (Greece, 2025, 16 min.) – World premiere

4. RAHLO, Jozo Schmuch (Croatia, 2025, 19 min.) – World premiere

5. TARIK, Adem Tutić (Serbia, 2025, 27 min.) – World premiere

6. CURFEW / KOMENDANTSKA HODYNA, Yelyzaveta Toptyhina (Ukraine, 2025, 23 min.) – International premiere

7. BACKSTROKE / SIRTÜSTÜ, Asya Günen (Türkiye, 2025, 14 min.) – Regional premiere

8. LIVING STONES / ÉLŐ KÖVEK, Jakob Ladányi Jancsó (Hungary, 2025, 20 min.) – Regional premiere

9. MILK AND COOKIES / FURSECURI ȘI LAPTE, Andrei-Tache Codreanu (Romania, 2025, 21 min.) – Regional premiere

10. PENINSULA / POLUOTOK, David Gašo (Croatia, 2025, 19 min.) – Regional premiere

11. WISH YOU WERE EAR, Mirjana Balogh (Hungary, 2025, 10 min.) – Regional premiere

 

“The Competition Programmes of the Sarajevo Film Festival are a space for showcasing new voices from Southeast Europe. We are proud to present a strong selection of films this year that reflect artistic courage, social relevance and a diversity of perspectives - proving that exciting things are indeed happening in the cinematic landscape of our region,” stated Jovan Marjanović, Director of the Sarajevo Film Festival.