Talents Sarajevo 2026 Announces Full Programme and Key Guests

The Sarajevo Film Festival announces the full programme and key guests for the 20th edition of Talents Sarajevo, taking place from August 15 to 20, 2026, under the theme Reality, Rewritten.

 

Marking two decades of supporting emerging filmmakers from Southeast Europe and the Southern Caucasus, this year’s edition brings together 50 young directors, producers, actors and other film professionals for six days of workshops, masterclasses, conversations, project development and meetings with leading figures from the international film industry. Across the programme, participants will explore how filmmakers interpret reality, transform personal and social experiences into stories, and make the creative and professional choices that shape how those stories reach audiences.

 

The programme begins with the Taking Off session, led by Alec von Bargen, Head of Studies of TorinoFilmLab’s ComedyLab, creative production expert for Cannes Film Festival’s Cannes Makers programme, visual advisor to the Venice Film Festival’s Biennale College Cinema. 

 

The official opening of the 20th edition will follow with Diego Luna, the acclaimed Mexican actor, director and producer known for films including Y TU MAMÁ TAMBIÉN, ROGUE ONE: A STAR WARS STORY and NARCOS: MEXICO, who will receive the Honorary Heart of Sarajevo at the 32nd Sarajevo Film Festival.

 

Among the programme highlights are the In Conversation sessions, which offer individual conversations with four guests whose work spans production, film institutions, acting and directing. Ewa Puszczyńska, the Polish producer behind films including Paweł Pawlikowski’s IDA and COLD WAR, Jonathan Glazer’s THE ZONE OF INTEREST and Jesse Eisenberg’s A REAL PAIN, will discuss producing, long-term creative partnerships and the international life of independent films. She also produced FATHERLAND, Pawlikowski’s latest film and the opening film of the 32nd Sarajevo Film Festival. Matthijs Wouter Knol, CEO and Director of the European Film Academy and former Director of the European Film Market at the Berlinale, will reflect on the current European film landscape and its opportunities and challenges. Niamh McCormack, the Irish actress known for EVERYTHING NOW, THE WITCHER, WILLOW and HOUSE OF GUINNESS, will share her experience of working across film and television and developing a career as an actor. The series will also feature Croatian director Igor Bezinović, whose FIUME O MORTE! won the Tiger Award at the International Film Festival Rotterdam and the European Documentary Award at the 38th European Film Awards, in a conversation about authorship and the making of the film.

 

The Acting Studio focuses on the collaborative processes that shape a film from casting to performance. It features casting director Timka Grin, with more than 50 film and TV credits and collaborations with filmmakers including the Dardenne brothers, Jean-Luc Godard, Aida Begić, Danis Tanović and Jasmila Žbanić. A member of AMPAS and EFA, Grin also served as President of ICDA from 2020 to 2024. North Macedonian actress Sara Klimoska, a European Shooting Star 2021, is known for films including SISTER BROTHER MANHOLE COVER, WILLOW, YOU WON’T BE ALONE and HOUSEKEEPING FOR BEGINNERS, as well as her international work in NICO and REPLY. Producer Tina Hajon brings her experience in international production and talent development, with a focus on the producer’s role in casting and developing actors and creative teams.

 

Questions of what happens to a film once it is completed are at the centre of the panel Reality, Rewritten: The Unwritten Future of a Film, moderated by Asja Makarević, member of the Berlinale Forum selection team. Mathilde Henrot, Adjunct Artistic Director of the Locarno Film Festival, co-founder of Festival Scope and curator of the Sarajevo Film Festival’s Kinoscope programme, and Elad Samorzik, film programmer, industry consultant and member of the Berlinale selection committee, will discuss how films are selected, contextualised and presented to audiences.

 

The Producers Summit brings Amra Bakšić Čamo, Dominique Welinski and Anamaria Antoci, offering complementary perspectives on international production, co-production and project development. Amra Bakšić Čamo, co-founder of SCCA/pro.ba and former head of CineLink, has produced numerous award-winning films and series and brings extensive experience in regional and international production. Dominique Welinski, independent producer and international film consultant, has over 20 years of experience in film distribution and created the Factory programme at Cannes’ Directors’ Fortnight, later launching Next Step Studio in 2026. Anamaria Antoci, founder of Tangaj Production, focuses on auteur cinema and international co-production, with extensive experience across European productions.

 

The programme also puts a strong emphasis on developing sustainable careers and navigating leadership roles within the film industry. Nikola Joetze, Project Manager of Berlinale Talents, will work with participants on leadership, collaboration and sustainable working practices. Michael Stütz, Co-Director of Film Programming at the Berlinale, will focus on career development, industry positioning and professional opportunities. Michael Frenschkowski, a Vienna- and Berlin-based producer and strategist with 30 years of experience in film, television and cross-media, will lead Reinventing Yourself in the User-Centric Era, exploring how AI, changing audience behaviour and new business models are reshaping the future of content.

 

The 20th edition will conclude with Liam Cunningham, the acclaimed Irish actor best known for his role as Davos Seaworth in HBO’s GAME OF THRONES. With an extensive career spanning film and television, Cunningham has appeared in THE WIND THAT SHAKES THE BARLEY, HUNGER, WAR HORSE, SAFE HOUSE, CLASH OF THE TITANS, and, more recently, Netflix’s 3 BODY PROBLEM.

 

Beyond the dedicated Talents Sarajevo programme, participants will also have access to the Sarajevo Film Festival’s Masterclasses, with confirmed guests including Diego Luna, Paweł Pawlikowski, Rodrigo Sorogoyen, Woody Harrelson, Emily Watson, Asghar Farhadi and Céline Sciamma.

 

Founded in partnership with the Berlin International Film Festival and Berlinale Talents, Talents Sarajevo celebrates its 20th anniversary in 2026. Over the past two decades, the programme has become an important meeting point for emerging filmmakers from Southeast Europe and the Southern Caucasus, providing a space for professional development, creative exchange and regional collaboration.

 

Talents Sarajevo is supported by the Creative Europe MEDIA Programme.