The 26th edition of the Sarajevo Film Festival (14th-21st) concluded yesterday with the award winners announced in a virtual ceremony.
The top winner was Visar Morina’s Exile, a tense drama about a Kosovan pharmaceutical engineer living in Germany, which won the Heart of Sarajevo Award for Best Feature Film.
The jury, led by award-winning filmmaker Michel Hazanavicius, said: “For its virtuosity with the language of cinema, for its acuity and subtlety on a complex contemporary topic, for its actors and for the power of its narrative, the jury is unanimously proud to give the Heart of Sarajevo for Best Film to Exile.”
The rest of the jury included Carlo Chatrian, artistic director of the Berlin International Film Festival, Croatian actress Jadranka Dokić, Serbian director Srdan Golubović and Andrea Stavenhagen, head of Industry and Training Projects at the Morelia Film Festival.
The Award for Best Director went to Ru Hasanov, who directed The Island Within, about a chess grandmaster who flees to a remote island before the World Championship match, which, as the jury described, “In an original and fresh way, blending humour with tragic elements, this director takes us on a path of freedom and rebirth.”
Marija Škaričić won Best Actress for her performance in Andrea Štaka’s Mare with Vangelis Mourikis winning Best Actor for his role in Georgis Grigorakis’ Digger.
Mladen Kovačević’s Merry Christmas, Yiwu won for Best Documentary, which tells the story of the workers in the city of Yiwu in China, which has 600 factories producing Christmas decorations for the world, as the workers struggle in their daily lives.
As previously announced, the Honorary Heart of Sarajevo Award recipients, which recognises an individual’s outstanding contribution to film, went to Mexican filmmaker Michel Franco and Danish actor Mads Mikkelsen.
The festival selection included 184 films representing 56 different countries with 61 world premieres and 8 international premieres. Amongst the world premieres were Small Town Wisconsin by American filmmaker Niels Mueller and Canadian film You Will Remember Me by director Eric Tessier, both of which premiered in the ‘Open Air’ section, highlighting international films.
The Opening Night Film, the world premiere of Focus, Grandma, was watched by almost 14,000 people from 42 countries in the first 2 hours. The festival programme was available for viewing on https://ondemand.sff.ba/. 44 feature films from the selection are available for worldwide viewing until tomorrow morning, 9:00AM CEST. The Opening Night Film is available until 28th August.
The full list of winners is included below:
26th Sarajevo Film Festival Award Winners:
OFFICIAL AWARDS
COMPETITION PROGRAMME – FEATURE FILM
President of the Jury:
Michel Hazanavicius (director, writer, France)
Members of the Jury:
Carlo Chatrian (artistic director of the Berlin International Film Festival, Germany)
Jadranka Đokić (actress, Croatia)
Srdan Golubović (director, Serbia)
Andrea Stavenhagen (head of industry and training projects of the Morelia Film Festival, Mexico)
HEART OF SARAJEVO FOR BEST FEATURE FILM
EXILE / EXIL
Germany, Belgium, Kosovo
Director: Visar Morina
Producers: Janine Jackowski, Jonas Dornbach, Maren Ade
Award in the amount of €16,000, co-sponsored by the Tourism Association of Canton Sarajevo
HEART OF SARAJEVO FOR BEST DIRECTOR
Ru Hasanov, THE ISLAND WITHIN / DAXILDƏKI ADA
Azerbaijan, France
Award in the amount of €10,000, sponsored by Agnes B.
HEART OF SARAJEVO FOR BEST ACTRESS
Marija Škaričić, MARE
Switzerland, Croatia
Award in the amount of €2,500
HEART OF SARAJEVO FOR BEST ACTOR
Vangelis Mourikis, DIGGER
Greece, France
Award in the amount of €2,500
COMPETITION PROGRAMME – DOCUMENTARY FILM
Jury:
Lejla Dedić (producer, programme department, Al Jazeera Balkans, BiH)
Goran Dević (director, Croatia)
Tue Steen Müller (documentary consultant and critic, Denmark)
HEART OF SARAJEVO FOR BEST DOCUMENTARY FILM
MERRY CHRISTMAS, YIWU
Sweden, Serbia, Germany, France, Belgium, Qatar
Director: Mladen Kovačević
Award in the amount of €3,000, sponsored by the Government of Switzerland
SPECIAL JURY AWARD
HOLY FATHER
Romania
Director: Andrei Dăscălescu
Award in the amount of €2,500.
HUMAN RIGHTS AWARD
ACASĂ, MY HOME / ACASĂ
Romania, Germany, Finland
Director: Radu Ciorniciuc
Best film of the Competition Programme – Documentary Film dealing with the subject of human rights. Award in the amount of €3,000, sponsored by the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
COMPETITION PROGRAMME – SHORT FILM
Jury:
Stefan Đorđević (director, Serbia)
Thanasis Neofotistos (director, Greece)
Ines Tanović (director, screenwriter, producer, BiH)
HEART OF SARAJEVO FOR BEST SHORT FILM – Academy Award® qualifying
ANTIOTPAD
Croatia
Director: Tin Žanić
Award in the amount of €2,500, sponsored by Podravka
SPECIAL JURY MENTION
IN HER STEPS / STA VÌMATA TIS
Greece
Director: Anastasia Kratidi
COMPETITION PROGRAMME – STUDENT FILM
Jury:
Anđelija Andrić (international relations coordinator at Film Center Serbia, Serbia)
Georges Goldenstern (general manager, Cinéfondation, France)
Lana Matić (producer, Croatia)
HEART OF SARAJEVO FOR BEST STUDENT FILM
THE GREAT ISTANBUL DEPRESSION / BÜYÜK İSTANBUL DEPRESYONU
Turkey, Japan
Director: Zeynep Dilan Süren
Award in the amount of €1,000, sponsored by the Regional Cooperation Council
HONORARY HEART OF SARAJEVO AWARD
Michel Franco, director
Mads Mikkelsen, actor
AUDENTIA AWARD 2020
Jury:
Aida Begić, director, BiH
Marco Müller, artistic director, Pingyao Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon International Film Festival, Italy/China
Iris Zappe-Heller, deputy director, head of the Gender and Diversity Department, Austria
GARAGE PEOPLE
Director: Natalija Yefimkina
The award will be given to the female director of a feature film from one of this year’s Sarajevo Film Festival programmes, as a support for her future film.
Award in the amount of 30,000 €, sponsored by EURIMAGES
CINELINK AWARDS
CINELINK CO-PRODUCTION MARKET AWARDS 2020
Jury:
Sehad Čekić, Film Center Montenegro
Georges Goldenstern, Cinefondation
Behrooz Hashemian, Silkroad Production
Čedomir Kolar, A.S.A.P. Films
Elena Kotová, Eurimages
Annamaria Lodato, ARTE France Cinema
Gordan Matić, Film Center Serbia
EURIMAGES CO-PRODUCTION DEVELOPMENT AWARD
THE OTTER
Director: Srđan Vuletić
Award in amount of 20,000 €
FILM CENTER MONTENEGRO CINELINK AWARD
SPITE
Director: Andrijana Stojković
Award in amount of 10,000 €
FILM CENTER SERBIA CINELINK AWARD
SUPPORTING ROLE
Director: Ana Urushadze
Award in amount of 10,000 €
ARTEKINO INTERNATIONAL PRIZE
SUDDENLY
Director: Melisa Önel
Award in amount of 6,000 €
EAVE + AWARD
Vasilis Chrysanthopoulos
THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO KIMON
CINELINK WORK IN PROGRESS AWARDS
Jury:
Elise Jalladeau, Thessaloniki International Film Festival
Petra Kader-Göbel, The Post Republic
Vanja Kaludjerčić, International Film Festival Rotterdam
Tobias Pausinger, The Match Factory
Esra Demirkiran, Turkish National Radio Television
TURKISH NATIONAL RADIO TELEVISION AWARD
ULBOLSYN
Director: Adilkhan Yerzhanov
Award in amount of 25,000 €
POST REPUBLIC AWARD
VERA DREAMS OF THE SEA
Director: Kaltrina Krasniqi
Award in-kind post-production services worth 50,000 €
CINELINK IRIDIUM AWARD
MOON 66 QUESTIONS
Director: Jacqueline Lentzou
Award in-kind post-production services worth 20,000 €
CINELINK DRAMA AWARDS
Jury:
Cia Edström, TV Drama Vision – Göteborg Film Festival
Nebojša Taraba, Drugi Plan
Miroslav Terzić, director
CROATIAN AUDIOVISUAL CENTER DRAMA AWARD
BLACK DELTA
Creators: Dragos Bucur i Sofia Bucur
Award in amount of 15,000 € to stimulate the development process of selected project
TV DRAMA VISION PITCH AWARD
ABYSS
Creator: Marjan Alčevski
Project selected to be presented at TV Drama Vision in Göteborg