This unique cross-section award is presented to a first-time filmmaker whose work demonstrates a strong authorial voice and contributes to gender balance in cinema.
This year’s selection for the Sarajevo Film Festival Special Award for Promoting Gender Equality features 14 debut films. Among them are four films from the Competition Programme – Narrative Feature Film, five from the Competition Programme – Documentary Feature Film, one from the In Focus programme, three from the Kinoscope and Kinoscope Surreal programme, and one from TeenArena.
This unique cross-section award is presented to a first-time filmmaker whose work demonstrates a strong authorial voice and contributes to gender balance in cinema.
The award will be presented at the official awards ceremony of the 32nd Sarajevo Film Festival. The award is sponsored by Mastercard, with a prize fund of 7,500 euros.
The Jury for the 32nd Sarajevo Film Festival’s Special Award for Promoting Gender Equality includes actress Niamh McCormack, Head of the Panorama Section and Co-Director of Film Programming at the Berlinale Michael Stütz, and director Andrea Štaka.
Niamh McCormack
Actress, Ireland
Niamh McCormack is one of Ireland’s most exciting new acting talents, who is quickly building an impressive body of work across the film and television world. A graduate of Bow Street Academy, Niamh’s breakout role came as Alison in Netflix’s hit series Everything Now, starring alongside Sophie Wilde and Alex Hassell. Her performance was widely praised for its honesty, humour, and heart.
Other notable credits include The Witcher (Netflix), where she played the powerful elven mage Lara Dorren, Disney+’s fantasy epic Willow, and Chris O’Dowd’s Sky series Small Town, Big Story. Niamh’s feature film credits include Who We Love, The Magic Flute, Cold Mind, and Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves.
Most recently, Niamh can be seen in Steven Knight’s new Netflix series House of Guinness, starring alongside Anthony Boyle, James Norton, and Louis Partridge.
Michael Stütz
Head of the Panorama section and Co-Director of Film Programming at Berlinale, Austria
Michael Stütz has been Head of the Panorama Section since June 2019 and Co-Director of Film Programming at the Berlinale since July 2024.
He was born in Linz, Austria, and studied theatre, film, and media at the University of Vienna and the Freie Universität Berlin.
Following an internship at the 2005 TEDDY AWARD, the Berlinale’s queer film prize, Stütz became assistant to the then Panorama head Wieland Speck in 2006. He subsequently took on further roles in the section, including office manager, programme coordinator, coordinator for the TEDDY AWARD, and programme advisor to Wieland Speck. From July 2017 to May 2019, he served as Panorama curator and programme manager.
Alongside his work at Panorama, Stütz has been involved in numerous other festivals as a guest speaker, curator, and jury member, including the Guadalajara International Film Festival, Crossing Europe, Sarajevo Film Festival, Thessaloniki International Film Festival, and European Work in Progress Cologne.
From 2011 to 2017, he was co-director of the XPOSED International Queer Film Festival in Berlin, where he was responsible for curating numerous programmes. Since 2022, he has been serving on the jury of Filmfonds Vienna. He is also a board member of the TEDDY Foundation and a member of the European Film Academy.
Andrea Štaka
Director, Switzerland, Croatia
Andrea Štaka graduated from the MFA Film program at the Zurich University of the Arts. Her films Hotel Belgrad and Yugodivas brought her significant recognition at film festivals such as Locarno and Sundance, and won several awards. Both films were nominated for Best Film at the Swiss Film Awards and received theatrical releases.
Her first feature film, Fräulein, won the Golden Leopard at the Locarno Film Festival, the Heart of Sarajevo, and the Swiss Film Award for Best Script.
In 2007, she founded Okofilm Productions with Thomas Imbach. Her second feature film, Cure – The Life of Another (2014), was awarded at the Max Ophüls Film Festival. Mare (2020), her third feature film, premiered at the 70th Berlin International Film Festival (Berlinale) and won multiple awards. In 2022, she directed the series Neumatt for Swiss Public TV and Netflix.
Andrea Štaka is a member of the European Film Academy.
The Films in Competition are:
17, Kosara Mitić (North Macedonia, Serbia, Slovenia, 2026, 105 min.) / Competition Programme – Narrative Feature Film
DUA, Blerta Basholi (Kosovo*, Switzerland, France, 2026, 101 min.) / Competition Programme – Narrative Feature Film
SKATEBOARDING IS NOT FOR GIRLS / SKEJTANJETO NE E ZA DEVOJCHINJA, Dina Duma, (North Macedonia, Belgium, Slovenia, Croatia, 2026, 82 min.) / Competition Programme – Narrative Feature Film
SUPPORTING ROLE / MEOREKHARISKHOVANI ROLI, Ana Urushadze (Georgia, Estonia, Türkiye, 2026, 139 min.) / Competition Programme – Narrative Feature Film
DON’T ASK ME IF I KILLED, Helena Maksyom (Romania, Netherlands, Germany, Ukraine, 2026, 102 min.) / Competition Programme – Documentary Feature Film
ELECTING MS SANTA, Raisa Razmerita (Moldova, Romania, 2025, 95 min.) / Competition Programme – Documentary Feature Film
FRAGMENTS OF BELONGING / TRAGOVI PRIPADANJA, Tatjana Božić (Croatia, Netherlands, Germany, 2026, 80 min.) / Competition Programme – Documentary Feature Film
THE BALKAN COWBOY, Dragana Jurišić (Ireland, Croatia, 2026, 93 min.) / Competition Programme – Documentary Feature Film
THE FORBIDDEN AUNT / ZABRANJENA TETKA, Bojana Novaković (Serbia, Australia, 2026, 82 min.) / Competition Programme – Documentary Feature Film
TITANIC OCEAN, Konstantina Kotzamani (Greece, Germany, Romania, France, Spain, Japan, 2026, 130 min.) / In Focus
BLUE HERON, Sophy Romari (Canada, Hungary, 2025, 90 min.) / Kinoscope
LA GRADIVA, Mariane Atlan (France, Italy, 2026, 145 min.) / Kinoscope
NIGHTBORN / YÖN LAPSI, Hanna Bergholm (Finland, Lithuania, France, United Kingdom, 2026, 92 min.) / Kinoscope Surreal
MOUSE, Kelly O’Sullivan, Alex Thompson (United States, 2026, 120 min.) / TeenArena
* This label does not prejudge the status of Kosovo and is in accordance with Resolution 1244 and the opinion of the ICJ on Kosovo’s declaration of independence
