The Sarajevo Film Festival was born during the Bosnian War, in the midst of the nearly four-year siege of the city. “I don’t know of another festival that was founded in a city under siege, in a city without running water and electricity,” notes festival director Jovan Marjanović, who didn’t experience the siege himself — a teenager at the time he was evacuated from the city and spent the war abroad as a refugee — but is keenly aware of the festival’s unique history and legacy.
From the start, Sarajevo looked beyond Bosnia and Herzegovina, seeing itself as a pan-regional event with the goal of reconnecting, and rebuilding, links between the countries of the former Yugoslavia that had descended into nationalist conflict and war.
In the decades since, Sarajevo has expanded its scope, becoming a hub for Central Europe and beyond, and a meeting place for the film and...
From the start, Sarajevo looked beyond Bosnia and Herzegovina, seeing itself as a pan-regional event with the goal of reconnecting, and rebuilding, links between the countries of the former Yugoslavia that had descended into nationalist conflict and war.
In the decades since, Sarajevo has expanded its scope, becoming a hub for Central Europe and beyond, and a meeting place for the film and...
- 8/16/2023
- by Scott Roxborough
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
To step inside Sarajevo’s Apollo Cinema 30 years ago, you first had to find the door.
The streets of the Bosnian capital were pitch black. Power cuts brought on by a crippling siege, which started in 1992 when Bosnian Serb forces surrounded the city, left the town plunged in darkness. Residents fortunate enough to own gasoline-powered generators were reluctant to use them, for fear that lights would attract sniper fire. Shelling left giant holes in the streets and pavement. The locals referred to them as “rosebuds.”
The Apollo was housed in the basement of the Sarajevo Academy of Performing Arts, where the Obala Art Center — a group that had risen to prominence in the 1980s — mounted acclaimed stage productions that traveled around the world. Visitors entered through a hole in the wall ringing the perimeter of the academy, crossed a small courtyard to the building’s back door and descended a steep flight of stairs.
The streets of the Bosnian capital were pitch black. Power cuts brought on by a crippling siege, which started in 1992 when Bosnian Serb forces surrounded the city, left the town plunged in darkness. Residents fortunate enough to own gasoline-powered generators were reluctant to use them, for fear that lights would attract sniper fire. Shelling left giant holes in the streets and pavement. The locals referred to them as “rosebuds.”
The Apollo was housed in the basement of the Sarajevo Academy of Performing Arts, where the Obala Art Center — a group that had risen to prominence in the 1980s — mounted acclaimed stage productions that traveled around the world. Visitors entered through a hole in the wall ringing the perimeter of the academy, crossed a small courtyard to the building’s back door and descended a steep flight of stairs.
- 8/15/2023
- by Christopher Vourlias
- Variety Film + TV
It’s a welcome sight for any longtime visitors returning to Sarajevo, the white-jacketed waiters circling the terrace of the majestic, Austro-Hungarian-built Hotel Europe as film and TV industry professionals parse scripts and close deals amid the espresso-fueled chatter. Around them a haze of cigarette smoke hovers like the mist that settles each morning over the green hills that ring this scenic Bosnian city.
Each summer hundreds of industry guests from around the globe descend on the historic, 140-year-old Hotel Europe, which survived two World Wars and the shelling that razed Sarajevo in the 1990s and serves as the de facto hub of industry events during the Sarajevo Film Festival. Twenty years after its launch in a city still emerging from the rubble of a brutal, four-year siege, CineLink Industry Days has grown into the leading film and TV industry event in the Balkan region — a success story as improbable...
Each summer hundreds of industry guests from around the globe descend on the historic, 140-year-old Hotel Europe, which survived two World Wars and the shelling that razed Sarajevo in the 1990s and serves as the de facto hub of industry events during the Sarajevo Film Festival. Twenty years after its launch in a city still emerging from the rubble of a brutal, four-year siege, CineLink Industry Days has grown into the leading film and TV industry event in the Balkan region — a success story as improbable...
- 8/12/2023
- by Christopher Vourlias
- Variety Film + TV
When the Sarajevo Film Festival returned to full strength last year after successive, slimmed-down pandemic editions, a robust turn-out was to be expected. For nearly three decades, the audience-facing event has been the cultural lifeblood of the lively, cosmopolitan city it calls home.
The 2022 edition broke attendance records set in 2019, and just days after its online ticketing system launched this month, the fest appears on pace to surpass that mark again. It is a testament to the enduring love affair between a city and a festival that was founded in impossible circumstances in 1995, at the tail end of a brutal, four-year siege — proof that even in times of war and scarcity, cinema could endure.
The festival returns Aug. 11 – 18, with organizers insisting the event’s 29th edition will stay true to its roots. “We wanted to keep the festival focused on its main goals: presenting the best of cinema today to...
The 2022 edition broke attendance records set in 2019, and just days after its online ticketing system launched this month, the fest appears on pace to surpass that mark again. It is a testament to the enduring love affair between a city and a festival that was founded in impossible circumstances in 1995, at the tail end of a brutal, four-year siege — proof that even in times of war and scarcity, cinema could endure.
The festival returns Aug. 11 – 18, with organizers insisting the event’s 29th edition will stay true to its roots. “We wanted to keep the festival focused on its main goals: presenting the best of cinema today to...
- 8/11/2023
- by Christopher Vourlias
- Variety Film + TV
The Sarajevo Film Festival has long been the biggest showcase of Southeast European cinema and this year’s edition, which unspools on August 11, is on course to be its most reflective and regionally focused edition yet.
“Our manifesto has always been to support young filmmakers and productions from the region while rebuilding an international film industry around it and this year our aim is to strengthen that even further,” says festival director Jovan Marjanović, who is currently in his second year in the role after taking over from festival founder Mirsad Purivatra, who started the event in 1995 during the siege of Sarajevo in the Bosnian War.
This year’s official selection will see 49 films compete for Heart of Sarajevo awards across its four competition sections – feature, documentary, short and student film – and included in this are 22 world, two international, 22 regional and three national premieres. Films in the official line-up include...
“Our manifesto has always been to support young filmmakers and productions from the region while rebuilding an international film industry around it and this year our aim is to strengthen that even further,” says festival director Jovan Marjanović, who is currently in his second year in the role after taking over from festival founder Mirsad Purivatra, who started the event in 1995 during the siege of Sarajevo in the Bosnian War.
This year’s official selection will see 49 films compete for Heart of Sarajevo awards across its four competition sections – feature, documentary, short and student film – and included in this are 22 world, two international, 22 regional and three national premieres. Films in the official line-up include...
- 8/7/2023
- by Diana Lodderhose
- Deadline Film + TV
Matt Damon and Ben Affleck produced the film.
The 29th Sarajevo Film Festival is to open with Kiss The Future, a documentary that recounts how rock band U2 came to play a concert in Sarajevo in the wake of the Bosnian War.
The feature, directed by Nenad Cicin-Sain, will screen as part of the festival’s Open Air programme on August 11. It previously received its world premiere at the Berlinale in February.
The documentary explores how a US aid worker in war-torn Sarajevo enlisted the help of U2 to shine a light on the Bosnian War.
Produced by Matt Damon...
The 29th Sarajevo Film Festival is to open with Kiss The Future, a documentary that recounts how rock band U2 came to play a concert in Sarajevo in the wake of the Bosnian War.
The feature, directed by Nenad Cicin-Sain, will screen as part of the festival’s Open Air programme on August 11. It previously received its world premiere at the Berlinale in February.
The documentary explores how a US aid worker in war-torn Sarajevo enlisted the help of U2 to shine a light on the Bosnian War.
Produced by Matt Damon...
- 7/28/2023
- by Michael Rosser
- ScreenDaily
Polish cinematographer Ula Pontikos will mentor the female cinematographers.
US actor and filmmaker Edward Norton has joined the programme of the third Ponta Lopud Film Festival in Croatia, where he will give lectures and workshops to emerging talent from the Balkan region.
Fight Club and American History X actor Norton will give a main masterclass to all participants in this year’s event, before conducting further sessions focusing solely on the eight actors.
Scroll down for the selected participants.
Polish cinematographer Ula Pontikos, who has shot films including Film Stars Don’t Die In Liverpool, Weekend and Lilting as well...
US actor and filmmaker Edward Norton has joined the programme of the third Ponta Lopud Film Festival in Croatia, where he will give lectures and workshops to emerging talent from the Balkan region.
Fight Club and American History X actor Norton will give a main masterclass to all participants in this year’s event, before conducting further sessions focusing solely on the eight actors.
Scroll down for the selected participants.
Polish cinematographer Ula Pontikos, who has shot films including Film Stars Don’t Die In Liverpool, Weekend and Lilting as well...
- 4/26/2023
- by Ben Dalton
- ScreenDaily
Ostlund will give talks to around 20 filmmakers from the Balkan region.
Swedish director Ruben Ostlund will hold a series of masterclasses at the third edition of Ponta Lopud Festival, which will take place from June 20-24 on the island of Lopud in Croatia.
Ostlund will address a group of around 20 filmmakers from the Balkan region, composed of directors, actors and cinematographers.
His attendance at the event marks his latest collaboration with Ponta Lopud Festival and Sarajevo Film Festival founder Mirsad Purivatra, who was an associate producer on Ostlund’s Palme d’Or-winning Triangle Of Sadness through Bosnia and Herzegovina’s Obala Art Centar.
Swedish director Ruben Ostlund will hold a series of masterclasses at the third edition of Ponta Lopud Festival, which will take place from June 20-24 on the island of Lopud in Croatia.
Ostlund will address a group of around 20 filmmakers from the Balkan region, composed of directors, actors and cinematographers.
His attendance at the event marks his latest collaboration with Ponta Lopud Festival and Sarajevo Film Festival founder Mirsad Purivatra, who was an associate producer on Ostlund’s Palme d’Or-winning Triangle Of Sadness through Bosnia and Herzegovina’s Obala Art Centar.
- 2/15/2023
- by Ben Dalton
- ScreenDaily
Croatian writer-director Juraj Lerotić’s “Safe Place,” an emotional story of a family reeling in the wake of a suicide attempt, took the top prize at the Sarajevo Film Festival, which wrapped a record-setting 2022 edition in the Bosnian capital on Friday night.
The Heart of Sarajevo Award for best feature film was given by a jury headed by Austrian filmmaker Sebastian Meise (“The Great Freedom”), which included French filmmaker Lucile Hadžihalilović (“Earwig”), Croatian writer-director Antoneta Alamat Kusijanović (“Murina”), Serbian actor Milan Marić (“Dovlatov”) and Israeli producer and consultant Katriel Schory.
“Safe Place” plays on Lerotić’s own pained family history, with the Croatian multihyphenate taking on the lead role in his deeply personal story — a performance that also earned him the award for best actor in Sarajevo.
Fresh off a triumphant world premiere in Locarno, where the film won three awards including best first feature, “Safe Place” was described by...
The Heart of Sarajevo Award for best feature film was given by a jury headed by Austrian filmmaker Sebastian Meise (“The Great Freedom”), which included French filmmaker Lucile Hadžihalilović (“Earwig”), Croatian writer-director Antoneta Alamat Kusijanović (“Murina”), Serbian actor Milan Marić (“Dovlatov”) and Israeli producer and consultant Katriel Schory.
“Safe Place” plays on Lerotić’s own pained family history, with the Croatian multihyphenate taking on the lead role in his deeply personal story — a performance that also earned him the award for best actor in Sarajevo.
Fresh off a triumphant world premiere in Locarno, where the film won three awards including best first feature, “Safe Place” was described by...
- 8/20/2022
- by Christopher Vourlias
- Variety Film + TV
Click here to read the full article.
New Sarajevo Film Festival director Jovan Marjanović is promising “a vintage edition” for the 28th Sff.
“We had a great opening film — Triangle of Sadness by Ruben Östlund — and we have a great closing film — May Labour Day by the Bosnian director Pjer Žalica, who’s one of the most beloved local filmmakers — so it’s going to be an emotional end to the festival,” says Marjanović who took over from Mirsad Purivatra, the festival’s original founder who started the festival in 1995 during the siege of Sarajevo in the Bosnian War.
Marjanović joined the Sff team in 1999, straight after high school, and started the top job after two years running the festival’s industry section and two years serving as Sff co-director alongside Purivatra. From the start, the Sff staked out its claim to be the premier festival for cinema from Southeastern Europe.
New Sarajevo Film Festival director Jovan Marjanović is promising “a vintage edition” for the 28th Sff.
“We had a great opening film — Triangle of Sadness by Ruben Östlund — and we have a great closing film — May Labour Day by the Bosnian director Pjer Žalica, who’s one of the most beloved local filmmakers — so it’s going to be an emotional end to the festival,” says Marjanović who took over from Mirsad Purivatra, the festival’s original founder who started the festival in 1995 during the siege of Sarajevo in the Bosnian War.
Marjanović joined the Sff team in 1999, straight after high school, and started the top job after two years running the festival’s industry section and two years serving as Sff co-director alongside Purivatra. From the start, the Sff staked out its claim to be the premier festival for cinema from Southeastern Europe.
- 8/16/2022
- by Stjepan Hundic
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
When the first edition of what would become the Sarajevo Film Festival was held in 1995, the Bosnian capital was in the final year of a devastating, four-year siege. Electricity shortages plunged the city into darkness, while food and hard currency were scarce. The inaugural screenings were held in the basement of a bombed-out building – a literal hole-in-the-wall – where tickets could be purchased with cigarettes instead of cash.
The annual event that emerged from the rubble didn’t just contribute to the cultural life of the city. In the early days after the siege, organizers and local clean-up crews got to work around Sarajevo, refurbishing historic buildings that had been destroyed by the shelling and converting them into festival venues. “Everyone who was involved felt that they were contributing to this rebuilding,” says festival director Jovan Marjanović. “The city was almost fully destroyed. And the festival was the place, and this time in the summer,...
The annual event that emerged from the rubble didn’t just contribute to the cultural life of the city. In the early days after the siege, organizers and local clean-up crews got to work around Sarajevo, refurbishing historic buildings that had been destroyed by the shelling and converting them into festival venues. “Everyone who was involved felt that they were contributing to this rebuilding,” says festival director Jovan Marjanović. “The city was almost fully destroyed. And the festival was the place, and this time in the summer,...
- 8/13/2022
- by Christopher Vourlias
- Variety Film + TV
Jovan Marjanović has been with the Sarajevo Film Festival for more than two decades and while he is what he describes as “a true child of the festival” this year marks the first edition where he’ll sit as director of the much-loved Balkan event, taking the reins from founder and long-time director Mirsad Purivatra.
“We owe Mirsad so much, but he’s very much still involved – there was no avoiding that,” quips Marjanović of the much-loved Purivatra, who has recently launched boutique Croatian event Ponta Lopud Film Festival. “He’s a remarkable leader and we will all miss him as our leader. I hope I’ve learned enough from him to continue where he stopped.”
With the Sarajevo Film Festival, it’s perhaps unsurprising that there’s a unique comradery within those who work at the festival. Founded in 1995 during a near four-year siege on the city, few industry...
“We owe Mirsad so much, but he’s very much still involved – there was no avoiding that,” quips Marjanović of the much-loved Purivatra, who has recently launched boutique Croatian event Ponta Lopud Film Festival. “He’s a remarkable leader and we will all miss him as our leader. I hope I’ve learned enough from him to continue where he stopped.”
With the Sarajevo Film Festival, it’s perhaps unsurprising that there’s a unique comradery within those who work at the festival. Founded in 1995 during a near four-year siege on the city, few industry...
- 8/5/2022
- by Diana Lodderhose
- Deadline Film + TV
Two-time Palme d’Or winner Ruben Östlund will receive an Honorary Heart of Sarajevo Award at the 28th edition of the Sarajevo Film Festival, which will open Aug. 12 with the Swedish director’s 2022 Cannes winner “Triangle of Sadness.”
Östlund’s English-language debut, which earned a rowdy eight-minute standing ovation in Cannes, is a provocative social satire starring Harris Dickinson as a male model struggling with his shallow industry and the unchecked capitalism he benefits from, and Woody Harrelson as the rabid Marxist captain of a cruise for the super-rich. The film was acquired by Neon for North American distribution.
Östlund will be presented with the award during the festival’s opening ceremony on Aug. 12, which will be followed by a screening of his latest feature. Last week the festival announced it would also be giving an Honorary Heart of Sarajevo Award to U.S. director and screenwriter Paul Schrader.
Sweden...
Östlund’s English-language debut, which earned a rowdy eight-minute standing ovation in Cannes, is a provocative social satire starring Harris Dickinson as a male model struggling with his shallow industry and the unchecked capitalism he benefits from, and Woody Harrelson as the rabid Marxist captain of a cruise for the super-rich. The film was acquired by Neon for North American distribution.
Östlund will be presented with the award during the festival’s opening ceremony on Aug. 12, which will be followed by a screening of his latest feature. Last week the festival announced it would also be giving an Honorary Heart of Sarajevo Award to U.S. director and screenwriter Paul Schrader.
Sweden...
- 7/20/2022
- by Christopher Vourlias
- Variety Film + TV
The Sarajevo Film Festival has set Ruben Östlund’s Triangle Of Sadness as its opening night film for its 28th edition, which kicks off on August 12. The film was the winner of the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival in May.
Swedish director Östlund, who was president of Sarajevo’s Jury Competition program a few years ago, will be presented with an Honorary Heart of Sarajevo award at the opening ceremony of the festival this year, just before the screening of the film.
Triangle Of Sadness, which is directed and written by Östlund, is a satire that reveals roles and classes: Carl and Yaya, a couple of models, go through the excitement of Milan Fashion week before arriving on an exclusive yacht cruise in the Caribbean. There are well-to-do passengers on board and the ship is maintained flawlessly but when bad weather results in passengers getting seasick, the...
Swedish director Östlund, who was president of Sarajevo’s Jury Competition program a few years ago, will be presented with an Honorary Heart of Sarajevo award at the opening ceremony of the festival this year, just before the screening of the film.
Triangle Of Sadness, which is directed and written by Östlund, is a satire that reveals roles and classes: Carl and Yaya, a couple of models, go through the excitement of Milan Fashion week before arriving on an exclusive yacht cruise in the Caribbean. There are well-to-do passengers on board and the ship is maintained flawlessly but when bad weather results in passengers getting seasick, the...
- 7/20/2022
- by Diana Lodderhose
- Deadline Film + TV
Ostlund was jury president of the Sarajevo Competition in 2019.
Palme d’Or winner Triangle Of Sadness will open the 28th Sarajevo Film Festival on August 12, with director Ruben Ostlund receiving an honorary Heart of Sarajevo award at the opening ceremony.
The award is given in recognition of Ostlund’s ‘oustanding contribution to the art of film’, the festival says.
The Sarajevo screening is part of a festival tour for Triangle Of Sadness since its Cannes victory in May. It played at Sydney Film Festival last month, will open Jerusalem Film Festival tomorrow and is set for New Zealand International Film Festival in August.
Palme d’Or winner Triangle Of Sadness will open the 28th Sarajevo Film Festival on August 12, with director Ruben Ostlund receiving an honorary Heart of Sarajevo award at the opening ceremony.
The award is given in recognition of Ostlund’s ‘oustanding contribution to the art of film’, the festival says.
The Sarajevo screening is part of a festival tour for Triangle Of Sadness since its Cannes victory in May. It played at Sydney Film Festival last month, will open Jerusalem Film Festival tomorrow and is set for New Zealand International Film Festival in August.
- 7/20/2022
- by Ben Dalton
- ScreenDaily
Ostlund was jury president of the Sarajevo Competition in 2019.
Palme d’Or winner Triangle Of Sadness will open the 28th Sarajevo Film Festival on August 12, with director Ruben Ostlund receiving an honorary Heart of Sarajevo award at the opening ceremony.
The award is given in recognition of Ostlund’s ‘oustanding contribution to the art of film’, the festival says.
The Sarajevo screening is part of a festival tour for Triangle Of Sadness since its Cannes victory in May. It played at Sydney Film Festival last month, will open Jerusalem Film Festival tomorrow and is set for New Zealand International Film Festival in August.
Palme d’Or winner Triangle Of Sadness will open the 28th Sarajevo Film Festival on August 12, with director Ruben Ostlund receiving an honorary Heart of Sarajevo award at the opening ceremony.
The award is given in recognition of Ostlund’s ‘oustanding contribution to the art of film’, the festival says.
The Sarajevo screening is part of a festival tour for Triangle Of Sadness since its Cannes victory in May. It played at Sydney Film Festival last month, will open Jerusalem Film Festival tomorrow and is set for New Zealand International Film Festival in August.
- 7/20/2022
- by Ben Dalton
- ScreenDaily
Further territories under negotiation.
REinvent International Sales has confirmed two new deals for Gustav Möller’s series The Dark Heart, with Vrt for Belgium and Npb for The Netherlands.
More territories are being negotiated now.
The series premiered at Sundance’s Indie Episodic section and is screening at the EFM this week. REinvent previously closed deals with Spain (A Contracorriente Films) and Poland (Monolith). Discovery+ has UK and Scandinavian rights.
The five-part psychological drama is produced by Anna Carlsten and Caroline Landerber for Flx/Discovery+, with Film i Skåne as co-producers.
Möller co-created the series with writer Oskar Söderlund, whose...
REinvent International Sales has confirmed two new deals for Gustav Möller’s series The Dark Heart, with Vrt for Belgium and Npb for The Netherlands.
More territories are being negotiated now.
The series premiered at Sundance’s Indie Episodic section and is screening at the EFM this week. REinvent previously closed deals with Spain (A Contracorriente Films) and Poland (Monolith). Discovery+ has UK and Scandinavian rights.
The five-part psychological drama is produced by Anna Carlsten and Caroline Landerber for Flx/Discovery+, with Film i Skåne as co-producers.
Möller co-created the series with writer Oskar Söderlund, whose...
- 2/15/2022
- by Wendy Mitchell
- ScreenDaily
Andy Harries will take over later this month.
David Puttnam is to step down as chair of the Film London Executive Task Force later this month, with Left Bank Pictures CEO Andy Harries moving into the role.
Puttnam has led the Task Force since becoming its inaugural chair in 2004. During his tenure he has overseen the introduction of the first road closure legislation for filming in the UK, as well as the launch of the London Filming Partnership in 2005.
“We can all take pride in what’s been achieved during my tenure,” said Puttnam, “including the design and implementation of...
David Puttnam is to step down as chair of the Film London Executive Task Force later this month, with Left Bank Pictures CEO Andy Harries moving into the role.
Puttnam has led the Task Force since becoming its inaugural chair in 2004. During his tenure he has overseen the introduction of the first road closure legislation for filming in the UK, as well as the launch of the London Filming Partnership in 2005.
“We can all take pride in what’s been achieved during my tenure,” said Puttnam, “including the design and implementation of...
- 2/14/2022
- by Ben Dalton
- ScreenDaily
Sarajevo Director Exits After 27 Years
Mirsad Purivatra, the founder of the Sarajevo Film Festival, is leaving the Sff Director position after 27 years. Purivatra will assume the role of President of the Obala Art Centar Association, the umbrella organization behind the Sarajevo Film Festival. Purivatra’s successor will be Jovan Marjanović, previously in charge of the Sff Industry Department and the Festival Co-director. Said Purivatra: “I am proud of everything we have accomplished over the last 27 years. We started from nothing, when our city was under siege, and today we are a globally renowned institution attended by filmmakers and film industry professionals from the region and the whole world. We have faced many challenges on this journey. Our recognizable strong teamwork has turned challenges into successful projects by always setting and attaining high standards. All along we have been dedicated to our mission to discover, support and promote local and regional film authors and industries.
Mirsad Purivatra, the founder of the Sarajevo Film Festival, is leaving the Sff Director position after 27 years. Purivatra will assume the role of President of the Obala Art Centar Association, the umbrella organization behind the Sarajevo Film Festival. Purivatra’s successor will be Jovan Marjanović, previously in charge of the Sff Industry Department and the Festival Co-director. Said Purivatra: “I am proud of everything we have accomplished over the last 27 years. We started from nothing, when our city was under siege, and today we are a globally renowned institution attended by filmmakers and film industry professionals from the region and the whole world. We have faced many challenges on this journey. Our recognizable strong teamwork has turned challenges into successful projects by always setting and attaining high standards. All along we have been dedicated to our mission to discover, support and promote local and regional film authors and industries.
- 2/14/2022
- by Andreas Wiseman, Tom Grater and Max Goldbart
- Deadline Film + TV
Mirsad Purivatra has stepped down as Sarajevo Film Festival director after a 27-year run, and has been replaced by Jovan Marjanović, who was the festival’s co-director, and was previously in charge of its industry department.
Purivatra, the founder of the festival, will assume the role of president of the Obala Art Centar Association, the umbrella organization behind the festival.
“I am proud of everything we have accomplished over the last 27 years. We started from nothing, when our city was under siege, and today we are a globally renowned institution attended by filmmakers and film industry professionals from the region and the whole world,” Purivatra said.
“We have faced many challenges on this journey. Our recognizable strong teamwork has turned challenges into successful projects by always setting and attaining high standards. All along we have been dedicated to our mission to discover, support and promote local and regional film authors and industries.
Purivatra, the founder of the festival, will assume the role of president of the Obala Art Centar Association, the umbrella organization behind the festival.
“I am proud of everything we have accomplished over the last 27 years. We started from nothing, when our city was under siege, and today we are a globally renowned institution attended by filmmakers and film industry professionals from the region and the whole world,” Purivatra said.
“We have faced many challenges on this journey. Our recognizable strong teamwork has turned challenges into successful projects by always setting and attaining high standards. All along we have been dedicated to our mission to discover, support and promote local and regional film authors and industries.
- 2/14/2022
- by Leo Barraclough
- Variety Film + TV
Purivatra will take over as president of the Obala Art Centar Association.
Sarajevo Film Festival (Sff) founder Mirsad Purivatra is stepping down as director of the event after 27 years, and handing the reins over to his co-director and deputy Jovan Marjanovic.
Purivatra will take on the position of president of the Obala Art Centar Association, the umbrella organisation behind the festival.
“I am proud of everything we have accomplished over the last 27 years,” said Purivatra, who started the festival in 1995 while the siege of Sarajevo during the Bosnian war was still ongoing. ”We started from nothing, when our city was under siege,...
Sarajevo Film Festival (Sff) founder Mirsad Purivatra is stepping down as director of the event after 27 years, and handing the reins over to his co-director and deputy Jovan Marjanovic.
Purivatra will take on the position of president of the Obala Art Centar Association, the umbrella organisation behind the festival.
“I am proud of everything we have accomplished over the last 27 years,” said Purivatra, who started the festival in 1995 while the siege of Sarajevo during the Bosnian war was still ongoing. ”We started from nothing, when our city was under siege,...
- 2/14/2022
- by Ben Dalton
- ScreenDaily
Purivatra will take over as president of the Obala Art Centar Association.
Sarajevo Film Festival (Sff) founder Mirsad Purivatra is stepping down as director of the event after 27 years, and handing the reins over to his co-director and deputy Jovan Marjanovic.
Purivatra will take on the position of president of the Obala Art Centar Association, the umbrella organisation behind the festival.
Marjanovic has worked at the festival for over 20 years, most recently as head of industry and also co-director in the last year with Purivatra.
He will take over as festival director on Tuesday (February 15), with further appointments to come...
Sarajevo Film Festival (Sff) founder Mirsad Purivatra is stepping down as director of the event after 27 years, and handing the reins over to his co-director and deputy Jovan Marjanovic.
Purivatra will take on the position of president of the Obala Art Centar Association, the umbrella organisation behind the festival.
Marjanovic has worked at the festival for over 20 years, most recently as head of industry and also co-director in the last year with Purivatra.
He will take over as festival director on Tuesday (February 15), with further appointments to come...
- 2/14/2022
- by Ben Dalton
- ScreenDaily
Sebastian Meise’s “Great Freedom,” a prison drama about a gay man repeatedly incarcerated under a draconian law outlawing homosexuality in West Germany, won the award for best feature film at the Sarajevo Film Festival.
The Austrian director took home the Heart of Sarajevo at Thursday night’s ceremony, while leading man Georg Friedrich won the award for best actor for a film that won the runner-up prize in Cannes’ Un Certain Regard sidebar. The prizes were handed out by a jury led by Serbian actress Jasna Đuričić and including American writer-director Mike Cahill, Hungarian director Lili Horvát, Vienna Film Festival artistic director Eva Sangiorgi, and Austrian Film Commission executive director Martin Schweighofer.
Serbia’s Milica Tomović was named best director for “Celts,” which follows three generations who converge at a child’s birthday party against the backdrop of the former Yugoslavia’s painful breakup. The trio of Flaka Latifi,...
The Austrian director took home the Heart of Sarajevo at Thursday night’s ceremony, while leading man Georg Friedrich won the award for best actor for a film that won the runner-up prize in Cannes’ Un Certain Regard sidebar. The prizes were handed out by a jury led by Serbian actress Jasna Đuričić and including American writer-director Mike Cahill, Hungarian director Lili Horvát, Vienna Film Festival artistic director Eva Sangiorgi, and Austrian Film Commission executive director Martin Schweighofer.
Serbia’s Milica Tomović was named best director for “Celts,” which follows three generations who converge at a child’s birthday party against the backdrop of the former Yugoslavia’s painful breakup. The trio of Flaka Latifi,...
- 8/20/2021
- by Christopher Vourlias
- Variety Film + TV
“It’s a big support to investments, improving the quality of TV production.”
Pushing forward with an in-person 27th edition of the Sarajevo Film Festival has been a “brave” and successful decision, according to festival director Mirsad Purivatra and co-director Jovan Marjanovic.
“Two years [without a festival] would be a disaster,” says Purivatra. “I thought it was reasonable to invest and be brave enough to go.”
The choice has paid off for the long-time festival head, who has run the event since its inauguration. 900 guests have attended the event, of which 300 participated in the festival’s CineLink industry strand.
This is down on...
Pushing forward with an in-person 27th edition of the Sarajevo Film Festival has been a “brave” and successful decision, according to festival director Mirsad Purivatra and co-director Jovan Marjanovic.
“Two years [without a festival] would be a disaster,” says Purivatra. “I thought it was reasonable to invest and be brave enough to go.”
The choice has paid off for the long-time festival head, who has run the event since its inauguration. 900 guests have attended the event, of which 300 participated in the festival’s CineLink industry strand.
This is down on...
- 8/20/2021
- by Ben Dalton
- ScreenDaily
“It’s a big support to investments, improving the quality of TV production.”
Pushing forward with an in-person 27th edition of the Sarajevo Film Festival has been a “brave” and successful decision, according to festival director Mirsad Purivatra and co-director Jovan Marjanovic.
“Two years [without a festival] would be a disaster,” says Purivatra. “I thought it was reasonable to invest and be brave enough to go.”
The choice has paid off for the long-time festival head, who has run the event since its inauguration. 900 guests have attended the event, of which 300 participated in the festival’s CineLink industry strand.
This is down on...
Pushing forward with an in-person 27th edition of the Sarajevo Film Festival has been a “brave” and successful decision, according to festival director Mirsad Purivatra and co-director Jovan Marjanovic.
“Two years [without a festival] would be a disaster,” says Purivatra. “I thought it was reasonable to invest and be brave enough to go.”
The choice has paid off for the long-time festival head, who has run the event since its inauguration. 900 guests have attended the event, of which 300 participated in the festival’s CineLink industry strand.
This is down on...
- 8/20/2021
- by Ben Dalton
- ScreenDaily
The premiere of Serbian drama series “Bad Blood” Wednesday night at the Sarajevo Film Festival was more than just the usual red-carpet event. An ambitious, decades-spanning period drama that chronicles the waning years of the Ottoman Empire, it was the first series from the festival’s CineLink Drama co-financing forum to go into production since its launch in 2016.
“We have now closed the full circle for TV series in the festival,” says Sarajevo’s long-time industry head Jovan Marjanović, who recently became the festival’s co-director alongside founder and director Mirsad Purivatra.
Five years after Sarajevo added a TV strand to its CineLink industry platform, drama has become an ever-larger part of the festival’s program. In addition to CineLink Drama, the co-production market which presents six high-end drama series in development from Southeastern Europe, there’s Avant Premiere, which this week introduced “Bad Blood” and four other anticipated Balkan...
“We have now closed the full circle for TV series in the festival,” says Sarajevo’s long-time industry head Jovan Marjanović, who recently became the festival’s co-director alongside founder and director Mirsad Purivatra.
Five years after Sarajevo added a TV strand to its CineLink industry platform, drama has become an ever-larger part of the festival’s program. In addition to CineLink Drama, the co-production market which presents six high-end drama series in development from Southeastern Europe, there’s Avant Premiere, which this week introduced “Bad Blood” and four other anticipated Balkan...
- 8/19/2021
- by Christopher Vourlias
- Variety Film + TV
U2 frontman Bono made a surprise appearance at the Sarajevo Film Festival on Sunday, where he introduced a digitally restored version of Wim Wenders’ “The Million Dollar Hotel” – a film the iconic rock star presented at the Bosnian fest more than 20 years ago.
Addressing a full house at the Sarajevo National Theater – where fans had gathered outside for more than an hour in the blistering heat, clutching photos and singing along to U2’s hits as they waited for his arrival on the red carpet – Bono told the audience: “It’s really good to be here. It feels like a long time, and yet also a short time.”
The Irish superstar’s relationship to the city dates back nearly three decades, when he was approached by an American aid worker to help draw attention to the plight of Bosnia, where war had broken out in 1992. A year later, during the...
Addressing a full house at the Sarajevo National Theater – where fans had gathered outside for more than an hour in the blistering heat, clutching photos and singing along to U2’s hits as they waited for his arrival on the red carpet – Bono told the audience: “It’s really good to be here. It feels like a long time, and yet also a short time.”
The Irish superstar’s relationship to the city dates back nearly three decades, when he was approached by an American aid worker to help draw attention to the plight of Bosnia, where war had broken out in 1992. A year later, during the...
- 8/15/2021
- by Christopher Vourlias
- Variety Film + TV
The Irish music star presented a screening of Wim Wenders’ ‘The Million Dollar Hotel’.
Irish rock superstar Bono was a surprise guest at the 27th Sarajevo Film Festival today, presenting a screening of Wim Wenders’ 2000 film The Million Dollar Hotel.
“It’s as if there are two Sarajevos – the real and the imagined,” said the singer, praising the city in a speech before the screening at Sarajevo’s National Theatre. “The one that you live and work in and we visit; and this mythic Sarajevo, a place of fun and magic.
“The festival is the connective tissue between those two Sarajevos.
Irish rock superstar Bono was a surprise guest at the 27th Sarajevo Film Festival today, presenting a screening of Wim Wenders’ 2000 film The Million Dollar Hotel.
“It’s as if there are two Sarajevos – the real and the imagined,” said the singer, praising the city in a speech before the screening at Sarajevo’s National Theatre. “The one that you live and work in and we visit; and this mythic Sarajevo, a place of fun and magic.
“The festival is the connective tissue between those two Sarajevos.
- 8/15/2021
- by Ben Dalton
- ScreenDaily
For an industry struggling to regain its footing after the disruptions of the pandemic year, amid ongoing fears surrounding the lethal Delta variant and uncertainty about the months ahead, few sights this summer will be as welcome to festival regulars as the buzzy terrace of Sarajevo’s Hotel Europe, the de facto hub of industry events during the Sarajevo Film Festival.
Having survived two World Wars and the shelling that devastated much of the city in the 1990s, the historic hotel is a fitting symbol of the grit and resilience that have propelled the Bosnian fest forward for more than 25 years. From its humble and improbable beginnings, the Sarajevo Film Festival has steadily grown into the leading film and TV industry event in the region.
The return of physical screenings and in-person events to the Bosnian capital is a hopeful augur of whatever new normal post-pandemic life might bring, just...
Having survived two World Wars and the shelling that devastated much of the city in the 1990s, the historic hotel is a fitting symbol of the grit and resilience that have propelled the Bosnian fest forward for more than 25 years. From its humble and improbable beginnings, the Sarajevo Film Festival has steadily grown into the leading film and TV industry event in the region.
The return of physical screenings and in-person events to the Bosnian capital is a hopeful augur of whatever new normal post-pandemic life might bring, just...
- 8/13/2021
- by Christopher Vourlias
- Variety Film + TV
If there was ever doubt about the resilience of the cultural sector during times of great turmoil, one only need look to the Sarajevo Film Festival to see how an industry can, quite literally, rise from the ashes. The festival began during the Bosnian War in 1995, in the midst of a near four-year siege on Sarajevo, which ravaged the capital. To this day, it remains the longest siege of a capital city in the history of modern warfare.
Sarajevo Film Festival’s aim was to reconstruct and rejuvenate a city and its inhabitants, a set of people who had been cut off from the rest of the world despite being at the forefront of many international news segments.
“When the festival began, people were living with no electricity and food shortages, with thousands of rockets being fired downtown from the neighboring fields,” says Jovan Marjanović, Sarajevo’s long-time Head of...
Sarajevo Film Festival’s aim was to reconstruct and rejuvenate a city and its inhabitants, a set of people who had been cut off from the rest of the world despite being at the forefront of many international news segments.
“When the festival began, people were living with no electricity and food shortages, with thousands of rockets being fired downtown from the neighboring fields,” says Jovan Marjanović, Sarajevo’s long-time Head of...
- 8/5/2021
- by Diana Lodderhose
- Deadline Film + TV
The film is produced by three festival executives.
Screen can exclusively reveal the first trailer for ‘Not So Friendly Neighbourhood Affair’, the latest film from Bosnian director Danis Tanovic which will open the 27th Sarajevo Film Festival on August 13, 2021.
The film’s world premiere will be screened at several locations at the opening of the festival, and will be shown as part of the Open Air program of the Sarajevo Film Festival.
Not So Friendly Neighbourhood Affair is written by Tanovic and Nikola Kupresanin. It is produced by Sarajevo Film Festival director Mirsad Purivatra; Amra Baksic Camo, head of the...
Screen can exclusively reveal the first trailer for ‘Not So Friendly Neighbourhood Affair’, the latest film from Bosnian director Danis Tanovic which will open the 27th Sarajevo Film Festival on August 13, 2021.
The film’s world premiere will be screened at several locations at the opening of the festival, and will be shown as part of the Open Air program of the Sarajevo Film Festival.
Not So Friendly Neighbourhood Affair is written by Tanovic and Nikola Kupresanin. It is produced by Sarajevo Film Festival director Mirsad Purivatra; Amra Baksic Camo, head of the...
- 8/5/2021
- by Ben Dalton
- ScreenDaily
Distribution
Beyond Rights has kept the momentum going in distributing the popular property show “Love It or List It,” announcing two new versions being produced in Finland and France. In France, M6 licensed the format and is now in pre-production on its own version, while Finland’s Rabbit Films is producing an initial 10-episode run for broadcaster Nelonen, set to premiere Aug. 26. The Scandinavian broadcaster also scooped season four of “Love It or List It: Australia” and “Love It or List It: Brilliant Builds.” Beyond Rights also closed deals on more than 1000 hours of “Love it or List It” franchise programming in the UK (Channel 4), Norway (TV2), Netherlands (Talpa TV), Turkey (Discovery), Portugal (Sic), Spain (Mediaset), Poland, New Zealand (Discovery), Australia (Foxtel) and Latin America (Discovery).
*****
Dubai-based distribution and production company SynProNize has picked up a pair of Arabic drama series, “Beirut Bride” and “Al Nihaya,” and will distribute...
Beyond Rights has kept the momentum going in distributing the popular property show “Love It or List It,” announcing two new versions being produced in Finland and France. In France, M6 licensed the format and is now in pre-production on its own version, while Finland’s Rabbit Films is producing an initial 10-episode run for broadcaster Nelonen, set to premiere Aug. 26. The Scandinavian broadcaster also scooped season four of “Love It or List It: Australia” and “Love It or List It: Brilliant Builds.” Beyond Rights also closed deals on more than 1000 hours of “Love it or List It” franchise programming in the UK (Channel 4), Norway (TV2), Netherlands (Talpa TV), Turkey (Discovery), Portugal (Sic), Spain (Mediaset), Poland, New Zealand (Discovery), Australia (Foxtel) and Latin America (Discovery).
*****
Dubai-based distribution and production company SynProNize has picked up a pair of Arabic drama series, “Beirut Bride” and “Al Nihaya,” and will distribute...
- 7/19/2021
- by Jamie Lang
- Variety Film + TV
A group of film festivals in the former Yugoslavia have teamed to launch an online event that they hope will stimulate the circulation and promotion of independent European film while the pandemic is ongoing.
The plan has been initiated by the Sarajevo Film Festival alongside the Belgrade Auteur Film Festival (Serbia), the Zagreb Film Festival (Croatia) and the Herceg Novi / Montenegro Film Festival (Montenegro).
The event running April 9-17 will showcase an online program of films previously presented at festivals including Cannes, Venice, Berlin and Sarajevo. A program called European Discovery will see a selection of previous European box office hits vie for the European Discovery Award, as voted for by audiences from the four network festivals. There will also be a Yugoslav Classics program which will shine a line on local titles.
On the industry side, there will be a workshop dedicated to festival organizers in the region, a joint program for film critics,...
The plan has been initiated by the Sarajevo Film Festival alongside the Belgrade Auteur Film Festival (Serbia), the Zagreb Film Festival (Croatia) and the Herceg Novi / Montenegro Film Festival (Montenegro).
The event running April 9-17 will showcase an online program of films previously presented at festivals including Cannes, Venice, Berlin and Sarajevo. A program called European Discovery will see a selection of previous European box office hits vie for the European Discovery Award, as voted for by audiences from the four network festivals. There will also be a Yugoslav Classics program which will shine a line on local titles.
On the industry side, there will be a workshop dedicated to festival organizers in the region, a joint program for film critics,...
- 4/1/2021
- by Tom Grater
- Deadline Film + TV
The 27th Sarajevo Film Festival will pay tribute to German filmmaker Wim Wenders.
The event, scheduled to run August 13-20 in the Bosnian capital, will see Wenders presented with an honorary Heart of Sarajevo Award – the fest’s top honor – and a retrospective of his works will be programmed to screen for audiences. The program will include a newly-restored version of his 2000 film The Million Dollar Hotel, which won a Silver Bear in Berlin that year.
Wenders will also travel to Sarajevo, pandemic allowing, to host a masterclass.
The filmmaker will be returning to Sarajevo 10 years after visiting in 2011 where he presented his 3D film Pina, a feature length documentary homage to the choreographer Pina Bausch.
“We are delighted to honour one of the central figures of modern cinema. With his work in the field of visual arts as an exceptional filmmaker and photographer, Wim Wenders continues to give the...
The event, scheduled to run August 13-20 in the Bosnian capital, will see Wenders presented with an honorary Heart of Sarajevo Award – the fest’s top honor – and a retrospective of his works will be programmed to screen for audiences. The program will include a newly-restored version of his 2000 film The Million Dollar Hotel, which won a Silver Bear in Berlin that year.
Wenders will also travel to Sarajevo, pandemic allowing, to host a masterclass.
The filmmaker will be returning to Sarajevo 10 years after visiting in 2011 where he presented his 3D film Pina, a feature length documentary homage to the choreographer Pina Bausch.
“We are delighted to honour one of the central figures of modern cinema. With his work in the field of visual arts as an exceptional filmmaker and photographer, Wim Wenders continues to give the...
- 3/8/2021
- by Tom Grater
- Deadline Film + TV
For many of the visitors who descended on the Berlin Film Festival earlier this year, packing their day planners with meetings at the Gropius Bau and red-carpet premieres at the Berlinale Palast, there was a surreal sense of business as usual. But with coronavirus already ravaging Italy—and soon to be sweeping across the rest of Europe—Sarajevo Film Festival director Mirsad Purivatra knew that he and his team had little time to spare.
“We started immediately to think what to do with our festival,” Purivatra told Variety on the eve of Sarajevo’s 26th edition, which runs Aug. 14-21. Even though the festival’s opening night was still months away, “we had [in mind] the worst-case scenario that it could be a bad situation with the numbers of Covid-19” cases in Bosnia.
As spring turned to summer, Purivatra and his colleagues were confident that a scaled-down version of the physical festival...
“We started immediately to think what to do with our festival,” Purivatra told Variety on the eve of Sarajevo’s 26th edition, which runs Aug. 14-21. Even though the festival’s opening night was still months away, “we had [in mind] the worst-case scenario that it could be a bad situation with the numbers of Covid-19” cases in Bosnia.
As spring turned to summer, Purivatra and his colleagues were confident that a scaled-down version of the physical festival...
- 8/14/2020
- by Christopher Vourlias
- Variety Film + TV
The Eastern European film festival recently shifted all activity online but will now screen a selection of features outside of Sarajevo.
The Sarajevo Film Festival, which recently shifted all activity online, is to screen a selection of features outside the city where there are fewer Covid-19 cases.
Five films, including opening night feature Focus, Grandma, will be screened in the Open Air Cinema Plaza of Mostar, a city 80 miles south of Sarajevo.
The other titles include Srdan Golubović’s Father, which won the Panorama audience award at this year’s Berlinale; Matteo Garrone’s award-winning adaptation of Pinocchio; Anne Fontaine...
The Sarajevo Film Festival, which recently shifted all activity online, is to screen a selection of features outside the city where there are fewer Covid-19 cases.
Five films, including opening night feature Focus, Grandma, will be screened in the Open Air Cinema Plaza of Mostar, a city 80 miles south of Sarajevo.
The other titles include Srdan Golubović’s Father, which won the Panorama audience award at this year’s Berlinale; Matteo Garrone’s award-winning adaptation of Pinocchio; Anne Fontaine...
- 8/13/2020
- by 1100453¦Michael Rosser¦9¦
- ScreenDaily
Hello International Insider friends, and happy Friday. Jake Kanter with you this week, and here’s everything you need to know about the global film and TV business. If you want to subscribe to get this alert in a timely fashion, sign up here.
‘Mulan’ Mayhem
Another turbulent week in the world of cinemas: If you thought the recent backlash against Universal and AMC after they shook hands on a deal to shorten the theatrical window on certain mid-level titles was strong, think again, as evidenced this week when Disney dropped a bomb in announcing that it would bypass cinemas entirely by placing Mulan directly on Disney+. Deadline spoke to UK cinema owners, who called it a “f**k you to exhibitors,” while we also tracked down a Parisian operator who took a baseball bat to a Mulan pop-up poster.
It all started so well: Earlier this week, there had...
‘Mulan’ Mayhem
Another turbulent week in the world of cinemas: If you thought the recent backlash against Universal and AMC after they shook hands on a deal to shorten the theatrical window on certain mid-level titles was strong, think again, as evidenced this week when Disney dropped a bomb in announcing that it would bypass cinemas entirely by placing Mulan directly on Disney+. Deadline spoke to UK cinema owners, who called it a “f**k you to exhibitors,” while we also tracked down a Parisian operator who took a baseball bat to a Mulan pop-up poster.
It all started so well: Earlier this week, there had...
- 8/7/2020
- by Jake Kanter
- Deadline Film + TV
Festivals in Sarajevo and Transilvania pressing ahead as neighbouring events cancel.
Croatia’s Motovun and Pula film festivals have both been cancelled following a record number of new Covid-19 cases in the country, while major events in neighbouring countries have issued renewed commitments to press ahead.
Motovun was due to go ahead as a physical event from July 30 to August 1 while Pula was set to open this Saturday on July 18 and run on the ground until July 26.
But organisers at both events have pulled the plug after a spike of new cases in Croatia, which introduced the wearing of face...
Croatia’s Motovun and Pula film festivals have both been cancelled following a record number of new Covid-19 cases in the country, while major events in neighbouring countries have issued renewed commitments to press ahead.
Motovun was due to go ahead as a physical event from July 30 to August 1 while Pula was set to open this Saturday on July 18 and run on the ground until July 26.
But organisers at both events have pulled the plug after a spike of new cases in Croatia, which introduced the wearing of face...
- 7/14/2020
- by 1100453¦Michael Rosser¦9¦
- ScreenDaily
The Mexican filmmaker will receive the Honorary Heart of Sarajevo and enjoy a Tribute programme, while the festival plans a reduced, live edition with fewer guests and no parties or receptions. The Sarajevo Film Festival, set to take place from 14-21 August, has announced that Mexican filmmaker Michel Franco will receive the Honorary Heart of Sarajevo and a retrospective of his works in the festival’s “Tribute to” programme. Franco served as president of the jury of the Feature Competition Programme in 2017, when his Cannes Un Certain Regard Jury Prize-winning film April's Daughter screened at the 3,000-seat Open Air Cinema. He is currently in post-production with the highly anticipated Nuevo Orden. Meanwhile, the festival is pressing on with the plans for a combined on-site and online edition, in accordance with the situation caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. Festival director Mirsad Purivatra says: “Covid-19 has affected all aspects of life worldwide,...
Mexican filmmaker to be awarded Honorary Heart of Sarajevo.
Mexican filmmaker Michel Franco is to receive the honorary Heart of Sarajevo award at the upcoming Sarajevo Film Festival (Sff), which is set to go ahead as a mix of physical and online events.
The Cannes award-winner is expected to attend the 26th edition of the festival, which will take place from August 14-21, as Covid-19 lockdown measures continue to be eased around the world.
The festival will also programme a retrospective of Franco’s films in its Tribute strand.
The Mexican director, writer and producer is best known for features including After Lucia,...
Mexican filmmaker Michel Franco is to receive the honorary Heart of Sarajevo award at the upcoming Sarajevo Film Festival (Sff), which is set to go ahead as a mix of physical and online events.
The Cannes award-winner is expected to attend the 26th edition of the festival, which will take place from August 14-21, as Covid-19 lockdown measures continue to be eased around the world.
The festival will also programme a retrospective of Franco’s films in its Tribute strand.
The Mexican director, writer and producer is best known for features including After Lucia,...
- 7/13/2020
- by 1100453¦Michael Rosser¦9¦
- ScreenDaily
Uncertainty remains over this year’s Locarno and Karlovy Vary film festivals.
The head of the Sarajevo Film Festival has declared there is “no doubt” the event will take place in August while organisers at the Jerusalem Film Festival have postponed the 2020 edition due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
The festival calendar has been thrown into disarray following the Covid-19 outbreak, with events cancelling on an almost daily basis as distancing measures continue to prevent mass gatherings. The uncertain fate of this year’s Cannes Film Festival has also led to confusion throughout the industry as to when and where...
The head of the Sarajevo Film Festival has declared there is “no doubt” the event will take place in August while organisers at the Jerusalem Film Festival have postponed the 2020 edition due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
The festival calendar has been thrown into disarray following the Covid-19 outbreak, with events cancelling on an almost daily basis as distancing measures continue to prevent mass gatherings. The uncertain fate of this year’s Cannes Film Festival has also led to confusion throughout the industry as to when and where...
- 4/22/2020
- by 1100453¦Michael Rosser¦9¦¬1100796¦Matt Mueller¦47¦¬1100380¦Melanie Goodfellow¦0¦
- ScreenDaily
Academy Award-winning French director Michel Hazanavicius will lead the jury of the 26th Sarajevo Film Festival. The festival will run from Aug. 14 to 21, 2020.
After breaking out in France with the Jean Dujardin-led spy farces “Oss: 117: Cairo, Nest of Spies,” and “Oss: 117: Lost in Rio,” the French director broke onto the international stage with 2011’s “The Artist,” which took home four Academy Awards, including prizes for best picture and best director. Hazanavicius brought his 2014 follow-up, “The Search,” to the Sarajevo Festival.
“Hazanavicius is an author known for his strong stylistic expression who always reexamines relationship with film, its language and history,” said Mirsad Purivatra, the Sarajevo Film Festival director. “Let’s remember that in a new millennium his film ‘The Artist’ has made the whole world enjoy once again a supposedly outdated film format – silent film.”
Hazanavicius’ most recent outing, the Omar Sy-led family comedy “The Lost Prince,...
After breaking out in France with the Jean Dujardin-led spy farces “Oss: 117: Cairo, Nest of Spies,” and “Oss: 117: Lost in Rio,” the French director broke onto the international stage with 2011’s “The Artist,” which took home four Academy Awards, including prizes for best picture and best director. Hazanavicius brought his 2014 follow-up, “The Search,” to the Sarajevo Festival.
“Hazanavicius is an author known for his strong stylistic expression who always reexamines relationship with film, its language and history,” said Mirsad Purivatra, the Sarajevo Film Festival director. “Let’s remember that in a new millennium his film ‘The Artist’ has made the whole world enjoy once again a supposedly outdated film format – silent film.”
Hazanavicius’ most recent outing, the Omar Sy-led family comedy “The Lost Prince,...
- 2/18/2020
- by Ben Croll
- Variety Film + TV
Zeynep Atakan responds to claims she stepped down from the Antalya Film Forum for political reasons
Top European producer also defends controversial decision not to have boycotted the festival in 2017 and 2018.
Turkish producer and leading European co-producer Zeynep Atakan has countered suggestions she stepped down as head of Antalya Film Forum, the industry programme of the Antalya Golden Orange Film Festival, for political reasons and defended her decision not to join a boycott of the entire event in 2017 and 2018.
The festival kicked off its 56th edition this week under a new management team, headed by Ahmet Boyacıoğlu and artistic director Başak Emre.
It is being seen as a fresh start for the festival after two years of turbulence,...
Turkish producer and leading European co-producer Zeynep Atakan has countered suggestions she stepped down as head of Antalya Film Forum, the industry programme of the Antalya Golden Orange Film Festival, for political reasons and defended her decision not to join a boycott of the entire event in 2017 and 2018.
The festival kicked off its 56th edition this week under a new management team, headed by Ahmet Boyacıoğlu and artistic director Başak Emre.
It is being seen as a fresh start for the festival after two years of turbulence,...
- 10/31/2019
- by 1100388¦Melanie Goodfellow¦0¦
- ScreenDaily
The subsidy is intended to boost local production and will function as a rebate for local producers, starting in 2020. The government of the Sarajevo Canton has announced the formation of a new fund intended to boost local film and TV production to the tune of €1 million a year, starting in 2020. The move was announced at a press conference at the Sarajevo Film Festival (Sff) by Sarajevo Canton Prime Minister Edin Forto, Minister of Culture and Sports Mirvad Kurić, chairman of the Sarajevo Canton Assembly Elmedin Konaković, head of industry at Sff Jovan Marjanović and Sff director Mirsad Purivatra. The production grants will function as a rebate on an as-yet-unspecified share of qualifying production costs for the local producer, executive producer or co-producer. The richest of the ten cantons that constitute the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina is also the one in which creative industries are by far...
The Sarajevo Canton government will provide the money for the grants.
The government of Bosnia and Herzegovina’s Sarajevo region has created a new €1 million subsidy to boost local film and television production to launch in 2020.
The Sarajevo Canton – the name for the regional government – will offer €1m per year in production grants in order ‘to increase the output of high-quality film and television content’ in the area.
International productions can receive the subsidy in return for using a local producer, co-producer or executive producer.
Rebate amounts will be transferred after a financial review following the completion of production.
The...
The government of Bosnia and Herzegovina’s Sarajevo region has created a new €1 million subsidy to boost local film and television production to launch in 2020.
The Sarajevo Canton – the name for the regional government – will offer €1m per year in production grants in order ‘to increase the output of high-quality film and television content’ in the area.
International productions can receive the subsidy in return for using a local producer, co-producer or executive producer.
Rebate amounts will be transferred after a financial review following the completion of production.
The...
- 8/22/2019
- by Ben Dalton
- ScreenDaily
Bosnia and Herzegovina’s Canton of Sarajevo is introducing a new €1 million ($1.1 million) film funding initiative next year aimed at promoting domestic and international film and television production in the region. The incentive is the first of its kind in the country.
Government representatives of Sarajevo Canton, including Prime Minister Edin Forto and culture and sports minister Mirvad Kurić, joined Sarajevo Film Festival director Mirsad Purivatra at a press conference on Tuesday to announce the rebate program.
The Canton Sarajevo government will allocate 2 million Bosnian marks, approximately €1 million, in its 2020 budget for film and TV production grants. The film and TV production incentive program will entail “substantial rebates to national and international investors in production of high-quality content.”
The initiative will allow the local producer, co-producer or executive producer of projects shot in Canton Sarajevo to receive a share of the qualified production costs spent in the region.
The rebate...
Government representatives of Sarajevo Canton, including Prime Minister Edin Forto and culture and sports minister Mirvad Kurić, joined Sarajevo Film Festival director Mirsad Purivatra at a press conference on Tuesday to announce the rebate program.
The Canton Sarajevo government will allocate 2 million Bosnian marks, approximately €1 million, in its 2020 budget for film and TV production grants. The film and TV production incentive program will entail “substantial rebates to national and international investors in production of high-quality content.”
The initiative will allow the local producer, co-producer or executive producer of projects shot in Canton Sarajevo to receive a share of the qualified production costs spent in the region.
The rebate...
- 8/20/2019
- by Ed Meza
- Variety Film + TV
The Intl. Casting Directors Network (Icdn) and the Sarajevo Film Festival are joining forces to turn the popular Bosnian film fest into a springboard for regional actors looking to launch international careers.
After kicking off with a pilot version last year, the initiative expanded to include a series of masterclasses with leading casting directors and a range of programs intended to boost exposure for the emerging talents. The Icdn’s Timka Grin says the platform will not only build a bridge between foreign casting directors and new talent from the region, but offer valuable skills for actors not used to the Western method of casting.
“Casting here does not have decades of tradition. It is something that is quite new,” says Grin. “If there is a certain technique to present yourself, to audition—actors here don’t know it well, and it’s really useful to have a casting director...
After kicking off with a pilot version last year, the initiative expanded to include a series of masterclasses with leading casting directors and a range of programs intended to boost exposure for the emerging talents. The Icdn’s Timka Grin says the platform will not only build a bridge between foreign casting directors and new talent from the region, but offer valuable skills for actors not used to the Western method of casting.
“Casting here does not have decades of tradition. It is something that is quite new,” says Grin. “If there is a certain technique to present yourself, to audition—actors here don’t know it well, and it’s really useful to have a casting director...
- 8/19/2019
- by Christopher Vourlias
- Variety Film + TV
Rising from the rubble of the Bosnian War to become one of Southeastern Europe’s leading film and TV industry events, the Sarajevo Film Festival has plenty to celebrate as it marks its 25th edition this year.
The festival was established in 1995 during the four-year siege of Sarajevo as part of an effort to help the reconstruction of society and save the cosmopolitan spirit of the city. Today Sarajevo not only plays a vital role for the region’s growing film and TV industries, it is also becoming an increasingly significant conduit to global partners in Asia, the Middle East, Africa and the Americas.
“From the very start, we have been inspired by art and it helped us create new values and break the existing social and cultural barriers,” Sarajevo Film Festival director Mirsad Purivatra says.
Indeed, Unesco is honoring the fest this year for its promotion of “dialogue and tolerance through the arts.
The festival was established in 1995 during the four-year siege of Sarajevo as part of an effort to help the reconstruction of society and save the cosmopolitan spirit of the city. Today Sarajevo not only plays a vital role for the region’s growing film and TV industries, it is also becoming an increasingly significant conduit to global partners in Asia, the Middle East, Africa and the Americas.
“From the very start, we have been inspired by art and it helped us create new values and break the existing social and cultural barriers,” Sarajevo Film Festival director Mirsad Purivatra says.
Indeed, Unesco is honoring the fest this year for its promotion of “dialogue and tolerance through the arts.
- 8/17/2019
- by Ed Meza
- Variety Film + TV
Mexican director, producer and screenwriter Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu is to receive the Honorary Heart of Sarajevo Award at the 25th Sarajevo Film Festival. The honor is given “in recognition for his exceptional contribution to the art of film.”
“It gives us great pleasure to honor this distinguished auteur who keeps pushing the limits by transforming his unique artistic vision into unpredictable and outstanding movies,” said festival director Mirsad Purivatra. “His films are characterized by a distinctive style and pace and they captivate and thrill audiences and film critics around the world.”
Inarritu made his feature directorial debut in Cannes’ Critics’ Week in 2000 with “Amores Perros,” which was nominated for a foreign-language film Oscar. His credits include “21 Grams,” which received two Oscar nominations in 2004; “Babel,” which won Cannes’ best director award in 2006, and garnered seven Oscar nominations, winning in one category; and “Biutiful,” presented in competition in 2010 at Cannes, where...
“It gives us great pleasure to honor this distinguished auteur who keeps pushing the limits by transforming his unique artistic vision into unpredictable and outstanding movies,” said festival director Mirsad Purivatra. “His films are characterized by a distinctive style and pace and they captivate and thrill audiences and film critics around the world.”
Inarritu made his feature directorial debut in Cannes’ Critics’ Week in 2000 with “Amores Perros,” which was nominated for a foreign-language film Oscar. His credits include “21 Grams,” which received two Oscar nominations in 2004; “Babel,” which won Cannes’ best director award in 2006, and garnered seven Oscar nominations, winning in one category; and “Biutiful,” presented in competition in 2010 at Cannes, where...
- 7/26/2019
- by Leo Barraclough
- Variety Film + TV
The Square director set for festival’s 25th edition.
Swedish filmmaker Ruben Östlund, the 2017 Palme d’Or-winning director of The Square, will chair this year’s Sarajevo Film Festival Competition jury.
“Ruben Östlund is one of those authors who protects the freedom of creative expression in filmmaking, and we admire his dedication to his artistic work and his unique artistic style”, said Mirsad Purivatra, director of the Sarajevo Film Festival.
The Square screened at Sarajevo in 2017 following its Cannes premiere, going on to be Oscar-nominated in the foreign language category. His credits also include Force Majeure, which won the Jury...
Swedish filmmaker Ruben Östlund, the 2017 Palme d’Or-winning director of The Square, will chair this year’s Sarajevo Film Festival Competition jury.
“Ruben Östlund is one of those authors who protects the freedom of creative expression in filmmaking, and we admire his dedication to his artistic work and his unique artistic style”, said Mirsad Purivatra, director of the Sarajevo Film Festival.
The Square screened at Sarajevo in 2017 following its Cannes premiere, going on to be Oscar-nominated in the foreign language category. His credits also include Force Majeure, which won the Jury...
- 5/18/2019
- by Tom Grater
- ScreenDaily
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