31st Sarajevo Film Festival
2025 film festival in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina
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The 31st Sarajevo Film Festival took place between 15 and 22 August 2025 in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina. Black comedy film The Pavilion, by Bosnian filmmaker Dino Mustafić, opened the festival. A total of 227 films from 65 countries were shown in 22 festival programmes, out of which 50 films competed for the Heart of Sarajevo awards across four competition categories: feature, documentary, short, and student films. The selection included 15 world premieres, six international, 28 regional, and two national premieres.[1][2]
Official poster | |
| Opening film | The Pavilion, by Dino Mustafić |
|---|---|
| Location | Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina |
| Founded | 1995 |
| Awards | Heart of Sarajevo: Wind, Talk to Me by Stefan Đorđević |
| Hosted by | Directorate of Sarajevo Film Festival |
| No. of films | 227 |
| Festival date | Opening: 15 August 2025 Closing: 22 August 2025 |
| Website | SFF |
Ukrainian filmmaker Sergei Loznitsa served as jury president of Competition Program - Feature Film.[3] Paolo Sorrentino, film director, screenwriter, and writer was the recipient of the Honorary Heart of Sarajevo Award for "outstanding contribution to the art of cinema". A retrospective of his films was featured as part of the festival’s "Tribute To" program.[4] Actors Stellan Skarsgård, Ray Winstone and Willem Dafoe, were also awarded the Honorary Heart Award.[5][6][7]
The festival closed on 22 August 2025 with the awards ceremony. Wind, Talk to Me by the Serbian director Stefan Đorđević won the Heart of Sarajevo award for best feature film.[8][9]
Highlights
- "Watch. Think. Act. - Youth for Human Rights"
As part of this edition, in collaboration with UNESCO and the Dialogue for the Future 3 project, the festival will present the program "Watch. Think. Act. – Youth for Human Rights". Young people aged 18 to 25, through films, discussions, collaborative activities, and visits to key locations, will gain insight into the core principles of human rights, learn to identify and uphold them in daily life, and connect with like-minded peers committed to driving social change.[10]
- Special Youth Perspectives Award:
From this edition newly introduced 'Special Youth Perspectives Award' with the participation of the Council of Europe will be presented. As per the Council:
"The award aims to highlight the perspectives and approaches of young people to meeting current challenges".
And it will be presented to a
"film portraying young people’s role in shaping societies and democracies, as well as their experiences and aspirations, and issues that matter the most to them."[11]
- Poster
The poster designed by Jons Vukorep has the word 'SARAJEVO' written in the shape of a heart, representing a symbol of both the city and the award itself. [12]
- Spotlight on Sweden
This year’s Festival will shine a light on Sweden with its "Spotlight on Sweden" initiative, designed to deepen collaboration between the Balkans and Sweden through co-production efforts and industry exchange.[13]
- Spotlight on Poland
The festival presented Spotlight on Poland, in partnership with the Polish Film Institute in this year's festival. It highlighted the strength of Poland’s co-production potential and the innovative frameworks, tools, and production companies.[14]
- Sarajevo Film Festival Partner Presents
In Sarajevo Film Festival Partner Presents programme the films from Doha Film Institute and the films aligning with Qatar National Vision 2030 were presented.[15]
- "Tribute To" program
A retrospective of Ilya Khrzhanovsky, a Russian-born film director, screenwriter, film producer and member of the European Film Academy, was presented in "Tribute To" program.[16][17]
- Masterclasses
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- Paolo Sorrentino – Italian director and screenwriter on 17 August
- Michel Franco – Mexican filmmaker on 18 August
- Ray Winstone – English television, stage, and film actor on 19 August
- Ilya Khrzhanovsky – Russian-born film director, screenwriter, film producer and member of the European Film Academy on 20 August
- Willem Dafoe – American actor on 21 August
- Opening ceremony
The opening ceremony was held with the red carpet laid down in the front of the Sarajevo National Theatre, hosted by Max Alija Ludwig, Charlotte Izmira Cavčić and Bosanian actress Lidija Kordić.[18]
Jury
Competition Programme – Feature Film
The jury of the Competition Programme – Feature Film includes 4 members and Ukraine’s Sergei Loznitsa as jury president.[19]
- Sergei Loznitsa, a Ukrainian director of Belarusian origin known for his documentary as well as dramatic films. (Jury President)
- Dragan Mićanović, a Serbian actor from Loznica
- Emanuel Pârvu, a Romanian actor and filmmaker
- Ena Sendijarević, a Bosnian-Dutch filmmaker and screenwriter known for her distinctive blend
- Tricia Tuttle, an American festival programmer, film journalist, and curator.
Sarajevo Film Festival's Special Award for Gender Equality
- Anna Croneman, Swedish film and television producer
- Ivan Marinović, multi-award-winning director, screenwriter and producer from Montenegro
- Norika Sefa, Kosovan film director, writer and editor,
CineLink Female Voices award
- Aida Begić, Bosnian film director and screenwriter.
- Nataša Bučar, Director of the Slovenian Film Centre
- Dita Rietuma, Doctor of Arts, a film historian, critic and director of the National Film Centre of Latvia
Official selection
Fifty films will compete for the Heart of Sarajevo awards at the festival in the four competition sections.[20][21]
Pre-opening and opening films
A special pre-festival screening of a digital version of the 1955 Yugoslavian film Hanka directed by Slavko Vorkapić was held on 14 August 2025.[22]
The opening film The Pavilion is a Bosnian dark comedy film directed by Dino Mustafić. The film is about elderly residents of a nursing home, who frustrated by years of abuse, arm themselves and rise up against the staff, resulting in a tense confrontation with law enforcement.[23][24]
| English title | Original title | Director(s) | Production country | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pre-opening film | ||||
| Hanka (1955) |
Slavko Vorkapić | Yugoslavia | ||
| Opening film | ||||
| The Pavilion | Paviljon | Dino Mustafić | Bosnia and Herzegovina | |
Competition Programme - Feature Film
In the 'Competition Programme - Feature Film:, nine films will compete.[25]
| English title | Original title | Director(s) | Production country |
|---|---|---|---|
| DJ Ahmet | Georgi M. Unkovski | North Macedonia, Czech Republic, Serbia, Croatia | |
| Fantasy | Kukla Kesherovic | Slovenia, North Macedonia | |
| God Will Not Help | Bog Neće Pomoći | Hana Jušić | Croatia, Italy, Romania, Greece, France, Slovenia |
| Otter | Vidra | Srđan Vuletić | Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Italy, Croatia, Kosovo |
| Sorella di Clausura | Ivana Mladenović | Romania, Serbia, Italy, Spain | |
| Stars of Little Importance | Minden Csillag | Renátó Olasz | Hungary |
| Yugo Florida | Vladimir Tagić | Serbia, Bulgaria, France, Croatia, Montenegro | |
| White Snail | Elsa Kremser and Levin Peter | Austria, Germany | |
| Wind, Talk to Me | Vetre, Pričaj Sa Mnom | Stefan Đorđević | Serbia, Slovenia, Croatia[26] |
Competition programme - Documentary Film
There are 20 films in the Competition Programme – Documentary Film.[27]
| English title | Original title | Director(s) | Production country |
|---|---|---|---|
| 9-Month Contract | Ketevan Vashagashvili | Georgia, Bulgaria, Germany | |
| Bosnian Knight | Bosanski Vitez | Tarik Hodžić | Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia |
| Cuba & Alaska | Yegor Troyanovsky | Ukraine, France, Belgium | |
| Divia | Dmytro Hreshko | Ukraine, Poland, The Netherlands, USA | |
| Dreamers: People Of The Light | Xəyalpərəstlər: Işığın Uşaqları | Imam Hasanov | Azerbaijan |
| Everytime You Leave, You Are Born Again | Svaki Put Kad Odeš, Ponovo Se Rađaš | Mladen Bundalo | Bosnia and Herzegovina, Belgium |
| I Believe the Portrait Saved Me | Mua Besoj Më Shpëtoj Portreti | Alban Muja | Kosovo*, The Netherlands |
| In Hell With Ivo | Kristina Nikolova | Bulgaria, USA | |
| I Saw a 'Suno' | Suno Dikhlem | Katalin Bársony | Hungary, Belgium |
| Kite | Chartaetos | Thanos Psichogios | Greece |
| Letters | Pisma | Aysel Küçüksu | Bulgaria |
| The Men's Land | Kacebis Mitsa | Mariam Khatchvani | Georgia, Hungary |
| Militantropos | Yelizaveta Smith, Alina Gorlova, Simon Mozgoviy | Ukraine, Austria, France | |
| My Dad’s Lessons | Lekcije Mog Tate | Dalija Dozet | Croatia |
| Our Time Will Come | Unsere Zeit Wird Kommen | Ivette Löcker | Austria |
| Red Slide | Crveni Tobogan | Nebojša Slijepčević | Croatia |
| Steel Hotel Song | Bojan Stojčić | Bosnia and Herzegovina | |
| Third World | Treći Svijet | Arsen Oremović | Croatia |
| Slet 1988 | Marta Popivoda | Serbia, Germany, France | |
| Tata | Lina Vdovîi, Radu Ciorniciuc | Romania, Germany, The Netherlands | |
Competition Programme - Short Film
In this category ten films will compete for the award.
| English title | Original title | Director(s) | Production country |
|---|---|---|---|
| Berna's Eyes | Sytë E Bernës | Ermal Gërdovci | Kosovo, North Macedonia |
| Desert, She | Ierimos | Ioanna Digenaki | Greece |
| Procedure | Prosedür | Rabia Özmen | Türkiye |
| Alișveriș | Vasile Todinca | Romania | |
| Eraserhead In A Knitted Shopping Bag | Lili Koss | Bulgaria | |
| Hysterical Fit of Laughter | Histerični Napad Smeha | Matija Gluščević, Dušan Zorić | Serbia, Croatia |
| Index | Radu Muntean | Romania | |
| The Spectacle | Bálint Kenyeres | Hungary, France | |
| Upon Sunrise | Kad Svane | Stefan Ivančić | Serbia, Spain, Slovenia, Croatia |
| Winter in March | Lumi Saadab Meid | Natalia Mirzoyan | Armenia, Estonia, France, Belgium |
Competition Programme - Student Film
There are 11 films in the Competition Programme - Student Film.
| English title | Original title | Director(s) | Production country |
|---|---|---|---|
| After Class | Dupā Ore | Marius Papară | Romania |
| Found & Lost | Reza Rasouli | Austria | |
| Home, a Space Between Us | Effi Rabsilber | Greece | |
| Rahlo | Jozo Schmuch | Croatia | |
| Tarik | Adem Tutić | Serbia | |
| Curfew | Komendantska Hodyna | Yelyzaveta Toptyhina | Ukraine |
| Backstroke | Sırtüstü | Asya Günen | Türkiye |
| Living Stones | Élő Kövek | Jakob Ladányi Jancsó | Hungary |
| Milk And Cookies | Fursecuri Și Lapte | Andrei-Tache Codreanu | Romania |
| Peninsula | Poluotok | David Gašo | Croatia |
| Wish You Were Ear | Mirjana Balogh | Hungary | |
Out of Competition
| English title | Original title | Director(s) | Production country |
|---|---|---|---|
| OHO Film | Damjan Kozole | Slovenia, Croatia | |
| Man of the House | Andamion Murataj | Albania, Italy, Austria, Croatia, Kosovo, North Macedonia | |
In Focus
| English title | Original title | Director(s) | Production country |
|---|---|---|---|
| Desire Lines | Linije Želje | Dane Komljen | Serbia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Netherlands, Croatia, Germany |
| How Come It's All Green Out Here? | Kako je ovde tako zeleno? | Nikola Ležaić | Serbia, Croatia, Bulgaria |
| Kontinental '25 | Radu Jude | Romania, Brazil, Switzerland, United Kingdom, Luxembourg | |
| Little Trouble Girls | Kaj ti je deklica | Urška Djukić | Slovenia, Italy, Croatia, Serbia |
| Paleontology lesson | Sergei Loznitsa | Netherlands | |
| Two Prosecutors | Два прокурора | Sergei Loznitsa | Latvia, France, Germany, Netherlands, Romania, Lithuania |
| Restitution or the Dream and Reality of the Old Guard | Слобода или барбаризам | Želimir Žilnik | Serbia, Slovenia |
Open Air Programme
Open Air Program, consisting of two sections, Open Air and Open Air Premiere, line up as follows:[28]
Open Air
| English title | Original title | Director(s) | Production country |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Birthday Party | Miguel Ángel Jiménez | Greece, Spain, Netherlands, United Kingdom | |
| Brides | Nadia Fall | United Kingdom | |
| Case 137 | Dossier 137 | Dominik Moll | France |
| Dreams | Michel Franco | Mexico, United States | |
| The Great Beauty (2013) | La grande bellezza | Paolo Sorrentino | Italy, France |
| Leave One Day | Partir un jour | Amélie Bonnin | France |
| The Pavilion (opening film) | Paviljon | Dino Mustafić | Bosnia and Herzegovina |
| Sentimental Value | Affeksjonsverdi | Joachim Trier | Norway, France, Germany, Denmark, Sweden, United Kingdom |
Open Air Premiere
| English title | Original title | Director(s) | Production country |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bosnian Knight | Bosanski Vitez | Tarik Hodžić | Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia |
| Cat's Cry | Mačji krik | Sanja Živković | Serbia, Canada, Croatia |
| Radio Rambo Amadeus | Dušan Varda | Serbia | |
| Surviving Earth | Thea Gajić | United Kingdom | |
| The Lost Dream Team | Izgubljeni Dream Team | Jure Pavlović | Croatia, Serbia, Italy, Slovenia |
| The Track | Ryan Sidhoo | Canada, Bosnia and Herzegovina | |
| Whites Wash at Ninety | Belo Se Pere Na Devetdeset | Marko Naberšnik | Slovenia, Italy, Croatia, Serbia, Montenegro, North Macedonia |
Special Screening - DFI Presents
Arab films at the festival:[29]
| English title | Original title | Director(s) | Production country |
|---|---|---|---|
| With Hasan in Gaza | Kamal Aljafari | Palestine, Germany, France, Qatar | |
| Once Upon a Time in Gaza | Tarzan and Arab Nasser | France, Palestine, Germany, Portugal, Qatar, Jordan | |
| Dead Dog | Sarah Francis | Lebanon | |
Dealing with the Past
| English title | Original title | Director(s) | Production country |
|---|---|---|---|
| Also Resisters | Christina D. Bartson | United States | |
| Facing War | Tommy Gulliksen | Norway, Iceland, Denmark, Finland, Sweden, Belgium | |
| June Tuirmoil (1969) | Želimir Žilnik | Yugoslavia | |
Kinoscope
The Kinoscope programme features 19 films; 14 in the Kinoscope section and 5 in the Kinoscope Surreal section.[30]
Cinemascope
| English title | Original title | Director(s) | Production country |
|---|---|---|---|
| Happyend | Neo Sora | Japan, United States | |
| Harvest | Athina Rachel Tsangari | United Kingdom, Germany, Greece, France, United States | |
| Kika | Alexe Poukine | Belgium, France | |
| The Love That Remains | Ástin Sem Eftir Er | Hlynur Pálmason | Iceland, Denmark, France, Finland, Sweden |
| The Mastermind | Kelly Reichardt | United States, United Kingdom | |
| Phantoms of July | Sehnsucht in Sangerhausen | Julian Radlmaier | Germany |
| Put Your Soul on Your Hand and Walk (ŒdO) | Sepideh Farsi | France, Palestine, Iran | |
| Romería | Carla Simón | Spain, Belgium, Germany | |
| Sirāt | Oliver Laxe | Spain, France | |
| Sound of Falling | In die Sonne schauen | Mascha Schilinski | Germany |
| Yes | כן! | Nadav Lapid | Israel, France, Germany, Cyprus, United Kingdom |
Kinoscope Surreal
| English title | Original title | Director(s) | Production country |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reflection in a Dead Diamond | Reflet dans un diamant mort | Hélène Cattet and Bruno Forzani | Belgium, Luxembourg, Italy, France |
| The Ice Tower | La Tour de Glace | Lucile Hadžihalilović | France, Germany, Italy |
| The Wailing | El llanto | Pedro Martín-Calero | Spain, France, Argentina |
BH Film Program
The 20th edition of the BH FILM Program, held as part of the festival and organized by the Association of Filmmakers of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, will showcase a selection of 43 films.[31]
Feature films
- The Pavilion (Paviljon), Dino Mustafić, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, North Macedonia, Serbia, Montenegro
- Otter (Vidra), Srđan Vuletić, Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Italy, Croatia, Kosovo
Feature-length Documentary Films
- Bloom - The Masters of Your Future, Jasmila Žbanić, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Germany
- Bosnian Knight (Bosanski Vitez), Tarik Hodžić, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia
- Ćetiba, Ramiz Huremagić, Bosnia and Herzegovina
- Dom, Massimiliano Battistella, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Italy
- The Boy from the River Drina (Il ragazzo della Drina), Zijad Ibrahimović, Switzerland
- Kapija - The Oath to Tuzla’s Youth!, Damir Pirić, Bosnia and Herzegovina
- House With Heart, Sabahet Džafica, Bosnia and Herzegovina
- Butterflies Without Wings, Anel Džanković, Damir Kerla, Bosnia and Herzegovina
- Prison Beauty Contest (Miss Penitenciária), Srđan Šarenac, Serbia, Brazil, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia
- The Mystical Canyon of Rakitnica, Rubina Smajić, Bosnia and Herzegovina
- Grandma Sena, Dino Omerović, Türkiye, Bosnia and Herzegovina
- No One Will Hurt You (Nessuno Vi Farà Del Male), Dino Hodić, Switzerland
- The Partisan Necropolis, Chris Leslie, UK, Bosnia and Herzegovina
- Family, Davorin Sekulić, Bosnia and Herzegovina
- None Will Speak The Truth, Azra Husarić Omerović, Bosnia and Herzegovina
- The Srebrenica Tape - From Dad, for Alisa, Chiara Sambuchi, Germany, Austria
- The Track, Ryan Sidhoo, Canada, Bosnia and Herzegovina
Short Documentary and Feature Films
- Anatomy of a Lost Sound, Zuko Garagic, Czech Republic, United States, Bosnia and Herzegovina
- A Distant Country, Edin Hurem, Bosnia and Herzegovina
- Joe, Vuk Rađen, Bosnia and Herzegovina
- Exam (Egzamin), Damir Mehić, Poland
- Hercules, Marko Dukić, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Croatia
- Bullet in the Rifle, Karmen Obrdalj, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia
- No Big Deal, Mirza Abdagić, Bosnia and Herzegovina
- Živa, Tamara Maksimović, Bosnia and Herzegovina
- Lavander, Mateja Raičković, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro
- Not Sure Where I Am, Enisa Adrović, Bosnia and Herzegovina, North Macedonia
- Piano Boxing, Saša Peševski, Bosnia and Herzegovina
- Pun Kura, Antonela Pehar Šimunović, Bosnia and Herzegovina
- Steel Hotel Song, Bojan Stojčić, Bosnia and Herzegovina
- Every Time You Leave, You Are Born Again, Mladen Bundalo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Belgium
- Forgotten Stations, Zdenko Jurilj, Bosnia and Herzegovina
Student Films
- Illumination, Mina Vavan, Bosnia and Herzegovina
- About A Bull, Emir Solaković, Bosnia and Herzegovina
- A Pigeon, Vuk Popović, Bosnia and Herzegovina
- Beneath the Surface, Maja Ćetojević, Bosnia and Herzegovina
- The Summer Of My Summerbreak, Milica Vujasin, Bosnia and Herzegovina
- Rec, Fedor Marić, Bosnia and Herzegovina
- The Offering, Marko Brkić, Bosnia and Herzegovina
Network of the Festivals in the Adriatic Region Programmes
Six prominent film festivals from Southeast Europe, Sarajevo Film Festival, Zagreb Film Festival, Auteur Film Festival, Belgrade, Ljubljana International Film Festival, Slovenia, Montenegro Film Festival, and the Manaki Brothers International Cinematographers’ Film Festival in North Macedonia, will in a collaborative platform showcase a total of seven films across its joint programmes:
Adriatic Audience Award
- Adam's Interest (L'intérêt d'Adam), Laura Wandel, Belgium, France
- Christy, Brendan Canty, Ireland, United Kingdom
- Maldoror, Fabrice Du Welz, Belgium, France
- Perla, Alexandra Makarova, Austria, Slovakia
- Renovation, Gabrielė Urbonaitė, Lithuania, Latvia, Belgium
Ecoscope
- Miyazaki, Spirit of Nature (Miyazaki: L'Esprit de la Nature), Léo Favier, France
Yugoslav classic
- The Boiling City , Veljko Bulajić, Yugoslavia, (1961)
Awards
Winners of the festival are:[32]
- Heart of Sarajevo for Best Feature Film: Wind, Talk to Me by Stefan Djordjevic
- Heart of Sarajevo Award for Best Director: Ivana Mladenović for Sorella di Clausura
- Heart of Sarajevo for Best Actor: Andrija Kuzmanović for Yugo Florida (film)
- Heart of Sarajevo for Best Actress: Sarah Al Saleh, Aline Juhart, Mina Milovanović, Mia Skrbinac for Fantasy
- Heart of Sarajevo for Best Documentary Film: Our Time Will Come, by Ivette Löcker
- Special Jury Prize for Documentary Film: In Hell With Ivo, by Kristina Nikolova
- Special Mention: I Believe the Portrait Saved Me, by Alban Muja
- Heart of Sarajevo for Best Short Film: Winter in March, by Natalia Mirzoyan
- Special Mention: Eraserhead in a Knitted Shopping Bag, by Lili Koss
- Heart of Sarajevo for Best Short Documentary Film: The Men's Land, by Mariam Khatchvani
- Heart of Sarajevo Award for Best Student Film: Tarik, by Adem Tutić
- Special Award for Promoting Gender Equality: God Will Not Help by Hana Jušić
- Special Environmental Awareness Award:
- Special Youth Perspectives Award: DJ Ahmet by Georgi M. Unkovski
- CineLink Female Voices award: Rain Country, Zeynep Köprülü [33]
Partner's Awards
Partner's Awards for the festival:[34][35]
- European Film Academy Short Film Candidate: Things Hidden Since the Foundation of the World, by Kevin Walker, Irene Zahariadis
- CICAE (International Confederation of Art Cinemas) Award: White Snail, Elsa Kremser and Levin Peter
- Cineuropa Prize: DJ Ahmet by Georgi M. Unkovski
- Ivica Matić Award:
- Ishak Jalimam, Producer of the films The Sky Above Zenica and Gym
- The award for overall contribution to Bosnian and Herzegovinian film: Zijad Mehić
- UniCredit Audience Award: DJ Ahmet by Georgi M. Unkovski
- The UniCredit Audience Award for Best Documentary Film: The Track, Ryan Sidhoo
Special awards
- Katrin Cartlidge Foundation Award: Christine Boateng, Ghanese producer, director and actress
Honorary Heart of Sarajevo
- Paolo Sorrentino, Italian film director, screenwriter, and writer. [4]
- Stellan Skarsgård, Swedish actor[36]
- Ray Winstone, English television, stage, and film actor[37]
- Willem Dafoe, American actor. Known for his prolific career portraying diverse roles in both mainstream and arthouse films.[38]
