Alban Ukaj, the lead actor in “Full Moon”, performs with depth and self-confidence in his depiction of a police officer whose problems are also the problems of contemporary Bosnian society. Alban Ukaj carries the entire film on his strong acting backbone. -BHFF 2020 Official Jury.
In Nermin Hamzagić’s feature debut “Full Moon”, the story set over the course of a single night follows the police inspector Hamza, who faces many personal and professional problems. Through his many interactions with fellow police officers, petty criminals and ordinary citizens, Hamza encounters the microcosm of Bosnia’s everyday life.
The Bosnian-Herzegovinian Film Festival (BHFF) in New York City is excited to announce the winners of the Golden Apple Awards for the 17th annual event! The winners of the BHFF 2020 Golden Apple Jury Awards were selected by this year’s esteemed jurors: renowned author Aleksandar Hemon, filmmaker Aleksandra Odić, and graphic design artist Bojan Hadžihalilović.
Ena Sendijarević’s “Take Me Somewhere Nice” captures the BHFF 2020 Jury Award for Best Feature Film.
“Take Me Somewhere Nice” is a courageous, original, humorous and contemporary film whose images and scenes will be remembered for a long time. Ena Sendijarević, with her debut feature length film, has shown that she faces a long and interesting future as a filmmaker. – BHFF 2020 Official Jury.
In this coming of age story, which is director Ena Sendijarević’s feature narrative debut, the Netherlands-based, adolescent Alma embarks on a road trip of self-exploration into the Bosnian heartlands, during which she will try to both unearth and understand the roots of her own identity.
Also a winner of Sarajevo Film Festival’s “Heart of Sarajevo”, and shortlisted as one of the films in contention as the Dutch entry for the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film at the 92nd Academy Awards, “Take me Somewhere Nice” is an amusing and poignant film that, with a series of little ellipses and jumps, finally takes us to an unexpected world of fear and grief – and then back again, to the stylized unseriousness of youth.
Nejra Latić Hulisić’s “The Infidel” wins the BHFF 2020 Jury Award for Best Documentary Film and the BHFF 2020 Audience Award for the Best Picture
“The Infidel” is a very intimate portrait of a young man, Dino, and his extraordinary life story in contemporary Bosnian society. Directed in a unique and enlightening way, shot with a handheld camera which is sensitive and reaches the protagonist’s core, the film also addresses the current discourse that affects the younger Bosnian generations. Dino’s story poses universal questions about the individual freedom of choice and social acceptance of the other, to which the filmmakers and the main character courageously devote themselves. – BHFF 2020 Official Jury.
A young Bosnian man, Dino, whose father moved his family from Bihać to a closed commune of the Islamic Wahhabi movement, is trying to rebuild his life after renouncing radicalism and returning to his hometown to start over. But, he still struggles with the rejection both from his surrounding community and from his family, who now live in Syria.
