The “Exhibition of Posters of Bosnian and Herzegovinian Feature Films”, presented in cooperation with Kinoteka BiH, opened at Europe House Sarajevo. Displaying 50 selected posters produced between 1951 and 2012, the exhibition offers an insight into six decades of Bosnian and Herzegovinian cinematography, as well as the changing visual language and graphic design that accompanied its development.
“Film as an art form is a carrier of memory, identity, and shared European cultural heritage. Bosnia and Herzegovina has a rich filmmaking tradition, and the European Union, through its Creative Europe programme, is pleased to support filmmakers, cultural institutions and new generations of talent. As Sarajevo once again becomes a meeting point for European and international cinema, this exhibition is also an opportunity to celebrate the heritage behind the films we know today. I would particularly like to thank Kinoteka BiH for its work in preserving and sharing this important part of Bosnia and Herzegovina’s cultural history,” said Ambassador Luigi Soreca, Head of the EU Delegation and EU Special Representative in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The exhibition also reflects the long-term work of Kinoteka BiH to preserve the country’s film heritage. In 1998, Kinoteka BiH registered 96 Bosnian and Herzegovinian feature films and identified 26 films whose posters were missing from its collection. Through acquisitions and exchanges over the years, the collection was gradually completed and digitised, and was presented internationally at the 2006 International Federation of Film Archives (FIAF) Congress in São Paulo, Brazil.
Featuring 50 posters, the exhibition offers audiences, including visitors to Sarajevo during the Sarajevo Film Festival, an opportunity to discover a part of the history of Bosnian and Herzegovinian cinema and graphic design.
“These posters are part of our film and cultural heritage. Our role is to preserve them, but also to make them accessible to audiences and give new generations an opportunity to discover the history of Bosnian and Herzegovinian cinema,” said Mirza Pašić, project coordinator at Kinoteka BiH.
The exhibition also invites visitors to explore more about the authors behind the posters and the importance of documenting their contribution to the visual identity of Bosnian and Herzegovinian cinema. While some posters, including Pablo Picasso’s well-known poster for The Battle of Neretva and the poster for Ademir Kenović’s The Perfect Circle, include clear author credits, the designers of many other works were not consistently recorded. Among the artists represented in this history are Safet Zec, Ismet and Ismar Mujezinović, Branko Bačanović Bambi, Alija Hafizović Haf, Franjo Likar and Čedomir Kostović.
Part of the exhibition is dedicated to posters of Bosnian and Herzegovinian films supported through Creative Europe, the European Union’s flagship programme for the cultural, creative and audiovisual sectors. Bosnia and Herzegovina has participated in the programme since 2014.
The exhibition will be on display at Europe House (Maršala Tita 62) until27 August and is open to the public every working day from 09:00 to 17:00.
