Objave

AFA Awards Honour the Best of Adriatic Film and Television


Winners were selected by a professional jury comprising over 550 members of the Film and TV Academy of the Adriatic Region

The inaugural Adriatic Film & TV Awards (AFA Awards) concluded with a two-day celebration recognising the region’s best achievements in film and television.

The AFA Award for Best Film was presented to “Fiume o morte!” (Croatia, Italy, Slovenia), directed by Igor Bezinović, who also received the AFA Awards for Best Director and Best Screenplay.

The AFA Award for Best Leading Actress went to Jara Sofija Ostan for her performance in “Kaj ti je deklica”, directed by Urška Djukić. Leon Lučev won the AFA Award for Best Leading Actor for his role in “The Working Class Goes to Hell”, directed by Mladen Đorđević. The Rising Star Award was presented to Lidija Kordić for her performance in “The Working Class Goes to Hell.” The AFA Award for Best Debut Film was awarded to “Kaj ti je deklica” (Slovenia, Italy, Croatia, Serbia) by Urška Djukić

In television, the AFA Award for Best TV Series went to “Operation Sabre” / “Sablja” (Serbia, Bulgaria), created by Vladimir Tagić and Goran Stanković. The AFA Award for Best Leading Actress in a TV Series was awarded to Milica Gojković and Dragan Mićanović won the AFA Award for Best Leading Actor in a TV Series, both for their roles in “Operation Sabre” (Sablja).

Winners were selected by a professional jury comprising over 550 members of the Film and TV Academy, currently being established to bring together professionals from across the Adriatic region and various fields of the film industry. The Adriatic Film and TV Academy is being founded by members of the Adriatic Region Festival Network: the Sarajevo Film Festival, the Festival of Auteur Film Belgrade and the Zagreb Film Festival.

“The first edition of the Adriatic Film Awards is everything we have dreamed of and planned for years. We celebrate the creativity of this entire region and hope this will become an additional form of recognition for our directors and actors. The turnout for the awards ceremony shows that such recognition was truly needed,” said Mirsad Purivatra, President of the AFA Committee.

“This is not just an award ceremony. It is a space for ongoing dialogue, knowledge exchange and intergenerational solidarity. A place where experienced filmmakers and producers pave the way for newcomers, where learning and sharing occur and where the entire region is recognized for what it truly is — one of the most vital and creative film spaces in Europe. This event connects not only film professionals but also audiences, representing a cultural treasure of tomorrow,” said Jovan Marjanović, Director of the Sarajevo Film Festival.

For Boris T. Matić, Director of the Zagreb Film Festival, the AFA Awards mark a new step in the collaboration between the Sarajevo Film Festival, Zagreb Film Festival and Festival of Auteur Film. The strength of this initiative lies in connection and cooperation – in shaping a shared cinematic identity from diversity, recognizable on the European and global scene.

“Most of the nominated films are the result of co-productions between our countries, and that collaboration is precisely the strength of this project. Together with the Academy being established, these awards will help our creatives, authors, and producers connect even further and gain greater visibility on the international market,” said Boris T. Matić.

Igor Stanković, Director of the Festival of Auteur Film in Belgrade, described the AFA Awards as a bridge between different poetics - those born in small auteur productions and those already resonating throughout the region. “It is precisely this diversity that will become the key identity of the project. I believe that through future co-productions and collaborations, a new era of joint filmmaking will emerge and that the AFA Awards will be the ones to safeguard and promote creative freedom and the courage of artistic expression,” said Stanković.

The AFA Awards are presented at the beginning of the international film awards season, with the aim of creating a platform from which films and series from the Adriatic region can confidently enter the global awards circuit. The recognition and visibility brought by the AFA Awards are expected to further support their placement on the international scene and market.

The first AFA Awards ceremony took place from 24–26 October 2025 at Porto Montenegro in Tivat, Montenegro, the main partner of the event.