Across the four competition selections – narrative feature film, feature and short documentary film, narrative short film and student short film – 21 films will have their world premiere, six their international premiere, one its European premiere, and 23 films their regional premiere, while the film screening out of competition will have its Bosnian-Herzegovinian premiere.
This year, the selection team led by Izeta Građević, Creative Director of the Sarajevo Film Festival, has seen 1,215 films: 210 narrative features, 305 documentaries, and 700 narrative short and student short films.
“At a time when films are more accessible than ever, the value of a film festival lies not in making films available, but in returning them to public life. This requires a long-term investment in audiences.
Over more than three decades, the Sarajevo Film Festival has earned the trust of an audience willing to embrace films it might never have chosen on its own. This is an audience that does not come to the cinema seeking confirmation of its own taste, but for the excitement of discovering a different perspective on the world.
It is for this audience that we selected this year’s programmes. They reflect the vitality and diversity of contemporary Southeast European cinema. Each film speaks in its own distinct cinematic voice, yet they all share a search for a different perspective on reality,” said Građević.
Competition Programme – Narrative Feature Film 2026
Elma Tataragić, the programmer of the Competition Programme – Narrative Feature Film, has included nine films in the programme, of which one film will have its world premiere, one its international premiere, one its European premiere, and six their regional premiere.
“This year’s Sarajevo Film Festival Competition programme presents nine new feature films from across the region. The selection is dominated by second and third features, alongside one debut and two fifth feature films, reflecting both the emergence of new voices and the continued development of established auteurs. Together, these nine films offer a rich panorama of contemporary regional cinema, spanning intimate family dramas, coming-of-age stories, social realism, and formally adventurous works. With six of the nine films directed by women, this year’s Competition reflects not only the artistic diversity of the region but also the growing strength and plurality of voices shaping its cinematic future,” Tataragić said about the selection.
