Everything is ready for the 19th Sarajevo Film Festival which begins on Friday, 16th August 2013, and this year will offer a record number of films – 214 films distributed in 12 different sections at 11 different locations.
The film that has the honor of opening this year’s festival is “Epizoda u životu berača željeza” with director and screenwriter Danis Tanović.
At yesterday’s press conference was presented a complete Open Air program, in terms of the following films: “Epizoda u životu berača željeza” (Danis Tanović), Blancanieves (Pablo Berger), “Prince Avalanche” (David Gordon Green), “Krugovi” (Srdan Golubović), “Before midnight” (Richard Linklater), “Omar” (Hany Abu-Assad), “Blue Jasmine” (Woody Allen), “Gloria” (Sebastián Lelio) and “Kutija za užinu” (Ritesh Batra).
Mirsad Purivatra, the director of the Sarajevo Film Festival, said that the festival this year experienced major budget cuts, almost 20 percent, and all employees at the Festival, the team of about 600 people worked full time with the desire that the situation next year will be better.
” To select the movies was a great challenge, but also a social responsibility, and this year we decided to start something new, or get back to the core mission of the SFF, which is to manage that the film to be watched again and to return it to the young generations in China”, said Purivatra.
He added how is extremely important to offer to young people the opportunity for new experiences through watching movies and turning toward right values.
” This festival can offer that, and two hours of watching a movie in any case is better than a two-minute YouTube”, said Purivatra.
“SFF continues with its mission of sending one positive image that comes out of B&H – the film is the reason why we are all here and we want that young people watch movies”, concluded Purivatra, adding that the festival, in addition to famous actors from the world of film, offers space for young people and young artists as well as we actively work on their promotion.
Among many filmmakers, actors and film experts this year will be guest in Sarajevo Film Festival: Adam Bakri (actor from the movie Omar), Ritesh Batra (director of the film Kutija za užinu), Pablo Berger (director of the film Blancanieves), Leos Carax (introductory lecture on Sarajevo Talent Campus), Ari Folman (director of the film The Congress), Danny Glover (curator of Katrin Cartlidge Foundation), Srdan Golubović (director of the film Krugovi), David Gordon Green (director of the film Prince Avalanche), Emile Hirsch (actor from the movie Prince Avalanche) , Sebastian Lelio (director of the movie Gloria), Cristi Puiu, Danis Tanović, President of the Jury for the Competing Programme – director of the film “Epizoda u životu berača željeza” and Waleed Zuaiter (actor from the film ‘Omar’).