Sarajevo the City of Film

With this year selection, Sarajevo Film Festival Competition Program has reached certain level after 15 years of existence: the aim that has been discovered, in order to recognize talents and encourage filmmakers under the special production circumstances. The regional production structure has had a lot to deal with production that dramatically changed since the fall of the Berlin Wall. And as it is celebrated the Berlin Wall Fall, the festival is now celebrating the birth of the new cinema aesthetics, coming from the Balkan Region.  

According to the Jury the best feature film of the Competition Program on the 15th Sarajevo Film Festival is “ORDINARY PEOPLE” directed by Serbian director Vladimir Perišić. The Jury emphasized that film “ORDINARY PEOPLE“represent a shining moment of cinematography that explores universal abuse of young men in the army.  Jury of the Competition Program – Feature Films is Mirjana Karanović (President), Benedek Fliegauf, Christian Jeune, Anamaria Marinca and Wieland Speck. “Ordinary people as a pure moment of cinema, explores the universal pattern of abuse of male youth through the military structure.”

A  Serbian war picture „ORDINARY PEOPLE“ shot with a minimalist aesthetics  and barbaric human behavior, as it follows soldiers who spend a summer afternoon massacring unarmed. Brutal take on Yugoslav conflict here depicts Perisic's talent for finding beauty within bloodshed. The dehumanizing effect of war on man is a well-known subject onscreen, and for obvious reasons it still universally relevant one. This movie portrays a mechanism of soldier's initiation into the military killing, a film that is a convenient entry for Sarajevo Film Festival.

The Special Jury Award went to “DOGTOOTH / KYNODONTAS”
directed by Yorgos Lanthimos. “DOGTOOTH depicts in a metaphorical way, with elements of clinical humor how the traditional family structure had to retreat into a fortress of control and safety, inflicting its members with psychological damage that resonates with us all.”
Heart of Sarajevo for Best Actress went to AGGELIKI PAPOULIA  MARY TSONI from ”DOGTOOTH / KYNODONTAS”. Heart of Sarajevo for Best Actor went to RELJA POPOVIĆ ”ORDINARY PEOPLE”

In the competition program – for SHORT FILM, in Jury HANNAH MCGILL, Artistic Director, Edinburgh International Film Festival, Scotland, MARIAN CRISAN, Director, Romania, IGOR STANKOVIĆ, Founder and director of the MCF MegaCom Film Distribution Company, Serbia, Heart of Sarajevo for Best Film went to “PARTY / TULUM” directed by Dalibor Matanić, Croatia. And Special Jury Mentions to “CIAO MAMA”
directed by Goran Odvorčić, Croatia and to “THE HISTORY OF AVIATION / A REPÜLÉS TÖRTÉNETE” directed by Balint Kenyeres, Hungary, France

In the COMPETITION PROGRAMME for DOCUMENTARY FILM, Heart of Sarajevo for Best Documentary Film went to “THE CAVIAR CONNECTION / KAVIJAR KONEKŠN”
directed by Dragan Nikolić, Serbia and Special mention went to “CONSTANTIN AND ELENA / CONSTANTIN SI ELENA” directed by Andrei Dascalescu in Romania. Human Rights Award went to “HEATED BLOOD / VRELA KRV”
directed by Marko Mamuzić, Serbia