At the National Theatre Sarajevo, the awards of the 32nd Sarajevo Film Festival were presented. During the official awards ceremony, the Honorary Heart of Sarajevo was awarded to Emir Hadžihafizbegović, one of the most prominent actors in Bosnian-Herzegovinian and regional cinema, in recognition of all his unforgettable roles and his overall contribution to the art of film.
The festival closed with the official awards ceremony, while the film programme concluded with a screening of the restored version of the Academy Award®-winning film “No Man’s Land” by Danis Tanović.
OFFICIAL AWARDS
HONORARY HEART OF SARAJEVO AWARD
Emily Watson, actress
Diego Luna, actor
Woody Harrelson, actor
Asghard Farhadi, director
Emir Hadžihafizbegović, actor
Given in recognition of an exceptional contribution to the art of cinema.
COMPETITION PROGRAMME – NARRATIVE FEATURE FILM
Jury:
Emily Watson, president (actress, United Kingdom)
Igor Bezinović (director, Croatia)
Sara Klimoska (actress, North Macedonia)
Matthijs Wouter Knol (CEO and Director of the European Film Academy, Netherlands)
Athina Rachel Tsangari (director, screenwriter and producer, Greece)
HEART OF SARAJEVO FOR BEST NARRATIVE FEATURE FILM
EVERYTIME
Austria, Germany
Director: Sandra Wollner
Producers: Lixi Frank, Viktoria Stolpe, David Bohun
Award in the amount of €16,000.
Jury citation: Moments of cinematic grace float through this mesmerically elastic and transcendental grief-soaked ghost story. Our decision was unanimous
The Heart of Sarajevo For Best Narrative Feature Film Award goes to EVERYTIME, directed by Sandra Wollner, and produced by Lixi Frank, Viktoria Stolpe, and David Bohun.
HEART OF SARAJEVO FOR BEST DIRECTOR
Ana Urushadze, SUPPORTING ROLE / MEOREKHARISKHOVANI ROLI
Georgia, Estonia, Türkiye
Award in the amount of €10,000 is sponsored by the United Nations in Bosnia and Herzegovina in cooperation with UNESCO.
Jury citation: We were enchanted by her irreverent blending of the banal and the oneiric, and her refreshing curiosity for meaning in life and cinema. We cannot wait to experience her next cinematic dare. The Heart of Sarajevo for Best Director goes unanimously to Ana Urushadze for SUPPORTING ROLE.
HEART OF SARAJEVO FOR BEST ACTRESS
Eva Kostić, 17
North Macedonia, Serbia, Slovenia
Award in the amount of €2,500 is sponsored by L’Oreal Paris.
Jury citation: A fearless emergence of a young talent. Raw, visceral and deeply instinctive. She brings an extraordinary emotional truth to the role, announcing the arrival of an actress with a rare and powerful voice.
The Heart of Sarajevo for Best Actress goes to Eva Kostić for „17“.
HEART OF SARAJEVO FOR BEST ACTOR
Adrian Văncică, YOU DON’T BELONG HERE / NU E LOCUL TĂU AICI
Romania
Award in the amount of €2,500.
Jury citation: For a performance marked by tenacity and understated rigour, in which the actor consistently serves a story directed in long and wide shots, the Heart of Sarajevo for Best Actor goes to Adrian Văncică for YOU DON’T BELONG HERE.
COMPETITION PROGRAMME – DOCUMENTARY FILM
Jury:
Kamal Aljafari (director, screenwriter and artist, Palestine)
Sabine Gebetsroither (Co-Festival Director of the CROSSING EUROPE Filmfestival Linz, Austria)
Ollie Huddleston (film editor, United Kingdom)
HEART OF SARAJEVO FOR BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE FILM
TO HOLD A MOUNTAIN / PLANINA
Serbia, France, Montenegro, Slovenia, Croatia
Directors: Biljana Tutorov, Petar Glomazić
AN OSCAR® QUALIFYING FILM
Award in the amount of €4,000 is sponsored by the Government of Switzerland.
Jury citation: With astonishingly epic cinematography this touching portrait of two extraordinary women and a disappearing way of life enchanted us. Tied together by a traumatic past their struggle to save the mountain was an unforgettable journey.
The Award for the Best Feature Length Documentary goes to TO HOLD A MOUNTAIN by Biljana Tutorov and Petar Glomazić.
HEART OF SARAJEVO FOR BEST SHORT DOCUMENTARY FILM
HOLY DEFIANCE / TIHA MISA
Croatia
Director: Karla Jelić
Award in the amount of €2,000.
Jury citation: This short and extremely powerful film featured a brave act of defiance against resurgent male misogony. We salute the film‘s courageous artist who stood alone against reactionary crowds trying once again to confine society and silence women.
The Award for Best Documentary Short goes to HOLY DEFIANCE by Karla Jelić.
SPECIAL JURY AWARD
THE FERRY FLOWS / PAROM PLYVE
Ukraine, United Kingdom
Director: Zhora Papoian
Award in the amount of €2,500.
Jury citation: Without being didatic, this short film showed the power of images to tell stories. We were given time and space to experience the lives of a music teacher and his pupils who are forced to endure grief and loss as part of their daily lives. This is a film made with tenderness and subtlety, its‘ humanity shone through.
The Special Jury Award goes to THE FERRY FLOWS by Zhora Papoian.
COMPETITION PROGRAMME – NARRATIVE SHORT FILM
Jury:
Goran Gajić (director, Serbia)
Natalia Mirzoyan (animation director and artist, Armenia)
David Montenegro (Head of Programming at the Cartagena de Indias International Film Festival, FICCI, Colombia)
HEART OF SARAJEVO FOR BEST NARRATIVE SHORT FILM
NOBODY SAID ANYTHING / NITKO NIŠTA NIJE REKAO
Serbia, France, Slovenia, Croatia
Director: Tamara Todorović
AN OSCAR® QUALIFYING FILM
Award in the amount of €2,500.
Jury citation: For its ability to construct, within a limited timeframe, compelling and coherent characters, while steadily building an atmosphere of tension toward the third act. The jury celebrates its confident directorial vision and the subtlety of its script.
The award for Best Narrative Short Film goes to NOBODY SAID ANYTHING.
SPECIAL MENTION
PORKATAL
Türkiye, France, United Kingdom
Director: Sis Gürdal
Jury citation: The Special Mention goes to a film that moved us through its poetic and deeply emotional atmosphere, gradually revealing the inner world and emotional depths of its character through a performance that feels both natural and profoundly moving. The special mention goes to PORKATAL.
COMPETITION PROGRAMME – STUDENT SHORT FILM
Jury:
Jara Sofija Ostan (actress, Slovenia)
Vladimir Trivić (director of photography, Bosnia and Herzegovina, United Kingdom)
Adem Tutić (director, Serbia)
HEART OF SARAJEVO FOR BEST STUDENT SHORT FILM
UNWELLNES
Hungary
Director: Réka Pinczés
Award in the amount of €1,000 is sponsored by the Regional Cooperation Council.
Jury citation: The Student Film selection this year has been truly exceptional. We had an extraordinarily difficult task choosing a winner, and every filmmaker in this programme should be enormously proud of their work.
At a breaking point in her life, a woman finds herself experiencing a subtle interaction which suddenly takes her on a journey of re-exploration of herself and understanding of what life can be. The film is anchored by a profound visual language that captures the essence of her transformation, strongly focusing on what lives within, and finally, how a woman finds her way back to herself. The Heart of Sarajevo for Best Student Short Film is awarded to UNWELLNESS.
SPECIAL AWARD FOR PROMOTING GENDER EQUALITY
Jury:
Niamh McCormack (actress, Ireland)
Michael Stütz (Head of the Panorama section and Co-Director of Film Programming at Berlinale, Austria)
Andrea Štaka (director, Switzerland, Croatia)
17
North Macedonia, Serbia, Slovenia
Director: Kosara Mitić
Award in the amount of €7,500 sponsored by Mastercard.
Jury citation: This masterfully directed film does not shield the viewer from the discomfort of showing the systemic neglect and societal taboo of sexual abuse and female youth trauma. The raw and claustrophobic cinematography centres an incredibly assured and devastating lead performance and also captures a powerful bond of female solidarity. The ultimate critique of a patriarchal toxicity. The Special Award For Promoting Gender Equality goes 17 by Kosara Mitić.
SPECIAL MENTION
DON’T ASK ME IF I KILLED
Romania, Netherlands, Germany, Ukraine
Director: Helena Maksyom
Jury citation: With extraordinary courage, clarity and cinematic confidence, this film takes us inside an extreme reality. The filmmaker is both a soldier and a director, yet the strength of the film goes far beyond the exceptional circumstances. In precise images and a strong sense of rhythm the filmmaker transforms the everyday experience on the front in the Donetsk into a cinematic experience. A powerful and deeply human film.
The Special Mention goes to DON’T ASK ME IF I KILLED by Helena Maksyom.
SPECIAL YOUTH PERSPECTIVES AWARD
Jury:
Vinko Brešan (director, Croatia)
Andrei Dragos Tarta (public policy and advocacy expert, Romania)
Georgi M. Unkovski (director, North Macedonia)
SKATEBOARDING IS NOT FOR GIRLS / SKEJTANJETO NE E ZA DEVOJCHINJA
North Macedonia, Belgium, Slovenia, Croatia
Director: Dina Duma
Award in the amount of €7,500 sponsored by the Council of Europe.
Jury citation: The Youth Perspective Award goes to a film with a touching story of unity, family, and the hope that comes from belonging. It offers an authentic portrayal of youth and of the agency of people within marginalized communities, their freedom to make their own choices in the face of tradition and societal expectations. Defying stereotypes with a warm, intergenerational story, this is a film that stays with you long after watching. The award goes to SKATEBOARDING IS NOT FOR GIRLS.
