The Sarajevo Film Festival, which is about to hold its 30th edition from August 16 to 23, is a testament to the resilience and creativity of Southeast European cinema in the face of social and political upheaval.
Few cities bear the scars and burdens of history like Sarajevo. The festival itself was born out of conflict, initiated during the nearly four-year siege of the city by Bosnian Serb forces in the early 1990s. While the festival has never shied away from this history—it has a “Dealing with the Past” section on films that look at “the many unresolved issues dating back to the conflict in the former Yugoslavia”—from the beginning, the focus has been on cinematic solidarity power.
“The festival screened Serbian films from the post-war years, which was not popular at the time,” said festival director Jovan Marjanović. “But we have always felt that it was important to build bridges and discuss, not to censor and censor. Not to boycott, But start a conversation.
Marjanovic proudly points out that in the three decades of the Sarajevo Festival, “no politician has ever made a political speech on the festival stage or used the festival as a springboard for local or international politics. This is where we start from Things that have never been done and will never be done.
Instead, Sarajevo focuses on film, successfully developing into a hub for filmmakers from the Balkans and surrounding countries, providing a platform to showcase projects (often in the script or development stages), find co-production and distribution partners, and work with them on The final form is to present a cinematic story that provides a more nuanced understanding of the region and its people.
“I think this year our focus on Southeast European cinema has resurfaced and taken on additional relevance,” Marjanovic said. With everything that’s been going on in the world and in these regions over the past few years, and filmmakers either catching up on it or reflecting on it, I think the complexities of this region are emerging.
One of Sarajevo’s distinguishing features over the years has been its commitment to nurturing talent from the earliest stages of a filmmaker’s career. The 2024 line-up once again includes several debuts, although Marjanović noted that first-time filmmakers “have very few truly new voices for us because we run so many platforms for shorts, student films, these ‘new’ directors It’s been a great honor to see them develop and grow year after year in Sarajevo.
Big-name talent keeps returning, too. Palestinian director Elia Suielman is this year’s winner of the Heart of Sarajevo Award and a regular visitor to the festival.
“I was the chairman of the jury [in 2016]where I had my films screened. I think I’ve been to a few master classes, and I think I went once without any real reason,” Suielman said. “[Sarajevo] It’s become a family thing for me and I don’t think I’m the only one who has this relationship with this festival. I’ve met a lot of people who go there because they like the place and the people.
Alexander Payne was one of them. The Oscar-winning director will attend the festival for the third time this year, taking home “Heart of Sarajevo” honors and showcasing a restored version of his 2004 classic sideways 20th anniversary of its release (the original version was also shown in Sarajevo).
Marjanović is keen to emphasize that the festival’s “family feel” extends far beyond the annual August gatherings to include events throughout the year. These include workshops, training programs and even an arthouse theater in the city dedicated to promoting film and talent from the region. This ongoing engagement has helped build a tight-knit community of filmmakers, producers and industry professionals and helps facilitate cross-border programming.
“The first financing plan that independent producers think of [from the former Yugoslavia] Now it’s co-productions, it wasn’t like that before, and I think that’s one of the direct effects of the Sarajevo Film Festival and our undying support for co-productions and collaborations. “We have shown industries in different countries how they are connected and how to achieve economies of scale, and companies understand this. We are seeing more and more connections every year.
The 2024 Sarajevo Film Festival is unlikely to avoid politics entirely. Referring to recent controversies at the Berlin and Amsterdam film festivals, where protests over the Gaza war have dominated headlines, Marjanovic said he had “expected” a level of controversy. “That’s what happens now, you just have to be prepared, know how to communicate and be independent… If you browse our programming you will see that we are showing a film dedicated to a deeper understanding of the human condition, personally. and collective. A lot of it is political, but by no means the politics of everyday politics, 24-hour news and social media. This festival is a rare opportunity where we can find space for nuance.
As the Sarajevo Film Festival enters its 30th year, it continues to evolve and adapt, like the region it represents. But its core mission of showcasing the best of South-Eastern European cinema, nurturing new talent and providing a platform for dialogue and understanding remains unchanged.
“Our core philosophy, no matter how naive it sounds, is that peace must prevail and will prevail,” Marjanovic said. “We have to work on it and focus on what unites us in all our differences. That’s cinema, and the ability to see those around us as human beings.
