Bosnia and Herzegovina’s candidate in the Best International Feature Film category for the 98th Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Oscar® Award is the film “Blum – Masters of Your Future” by Jasmila Žbanić.
The Association of Film Workers of Bosnia and Herzegovina, as a certified professional organization for Bosnia and Herzegovina, organized the election, and the commission, which included director Nermin Hamzagić, screenwriter Bojana Vidosavljević, producer Amira Kudumović, screenwriter Melina Alagić and set designer Emina Kujundžić, voted on the candidate from Bosnia and Herzegovina.
After the Second World War, in devastated, rural Bosnia and Herzegovina, entrepreneur Emerik Blum created a large and successful company called “Energoinvest”, which operated around the world with billions of dollars in profits. Taking advantage of the specific position of Yugoslavia, which did not belong to either the Eastern or Western political blocs, the company – relying on socialism and capitalism – operated according to a unique business model based on worker participation in management and profits. Emerik Blum turned a small studio into a business giant, working according to a self-management model in which all employed workers decide on all matters concerning their company. This film shows us the successful application of this, the most democratic model of management, which is still unknown to the general public.
The film’s script is signed by Jasmila Žbanić and Zoran Solomun. The film’s set and costume designer is Irma Saje, the director of photography is Eldar Emrić, and the editor is Vladimir Gojun. The film was produced by the Sarajevo production company Deblokada, and the film’s producer is Damir Ibrahimović.
The Association of Film Workers of Bosnia and Herzegovina has been nominating the film to the American Academy in the Best International Film category for 24 years. Based on the candidacy of the Film Workers Association, the film NO MAN’S LAND by Danis Tanović won the Oscar® for Best Foreign Language Film in 2002, and the BiH candidate for 2020, the film Quo vadis, Aida? by Jasmila Žbanić, was nominated for this prestigious award.
The Oscar is awarded by the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences AMPAS and is one of the most important awards in the world of film art, while the award ceremony itself is one of the most watched television programs of the year in the USA and around the world.
