32nd Sarajevo Film Festival
2026 film festival in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina
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The 32nd Sarajevo Film Festival is taking place from 14 to 21 August 2026 in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina. Bosnian actor Kerim Čutuna hosted the opening ceremony, and opened the festival with Nobel Prize-winning writer Thomas Mann's biographical film Fatherland, by Paweł Pawlikowski, presented by festival director Jovan Marjanović.[1][2]
Official poster | |
| Opening film | Fatherland, by Paweł Pawlikowski |
|---|---|
| Closing film | No Man's Land, by Danis Tanović |
| Location | Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina |
| Founded | 1995 |
| Awards | Heart of Sarajevo: |
| Hosted by | Directorate of Sarajevo Film Festival |
| No. of films | 250 |
| Festival date | Opening: 14 August 2026 Closing: 21 August 2026 |
| Website | SFF |
English actress Emily Watson is serving as jury president of the Competition Program - Feature Film, and received the Honorary Heart of Sarajevo Award on 15 August, which she dedicated to Katrin Cartlidge.[3][4] Iranian film director and screenwriter Asghar Farhadi is the other recipient of Honorary Heart of Sarajevo Award while a retrospective of his films was presented as part of the "Tribute to" programme on 19 August. [5] Actors Emir Hadžihafizbegović, Diego Luna and Woody Harrelson were also awarded the Honorary Heart Award.[6][7][8]
The festival will close on 21 August 2026 with the screening of the Academy Award winning 2001 war film No Man's Land, a parable set in the midst of the Bosnian War, by Danis Tanović.[9]
Festival overview
This section sums up the main things taking place during the festival:
- Prix Cineplexx Award
A new award is introduced in partnership with Cineplexx with this edition of the festival. It will be awarded to the best film in the Open Air Premiere program and is chosen by the festival audience. The award carries a total value of €20,000, split into 15,000 euros’ worth of Cineplexx marketing‑campaign services to boost the winning film’s theatrical release, plus 5,000 euros in cash given directly to the film’s producer.[10]
- Films for Future
The film festival invited young people between the ages of 12 and 30 to participate in the "Films for Future" project, which promotes creative expression and raising awareness about environmental protection.[11]
- Honorary Heart of Sarajevo Award:
Diego Luna was honored with the Honorary Heart of Sarajevo in recognition of his "outstanding career and indelible contribution to cinema" on 15 August 2026. Additionally the festival screened his 2026 drama film Ashes, and presented a masterclass.[7]
Woody Harrelson was honored with the Honorary Heart of Sarajevo in recognition of his "outstanding contribution to the film industry and an exceptional acting career" on 18 August. The festival also screened his 1997 war drama film Welcome to Sarajevo.[8]
- Masterclasses
- Diego Luna – Mexican actor, director, and producer on 15 August
- Pawel Pawlikowski – Polish filmmaker on 16 August
- Rodrigo Sorogoyen – Spanish film director and screenwriter on 17 August
- Woody Harrelson – American actor on 18 August
- Emily Watson – English actress on 19 August
- Asghar Farhadi – Iranian film director and screenwriter on 20 August
- Céline Sciamma – French filmmaker 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 Kerim Čutuna. Festival director Jovan Marjanović presented the opening film [12]
Jury
Competition Programme – Feature Film
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The jury of the Competition Programme – Feature Film includes 4 members and a jury president.[13][14]
- Emily Watson, English actress (Jury President)
- Igor Bezinović, Croatian film director
- Sara Klimoska, North Macedonian actor, director, writer
- Matthijs Wouter Knol, Dutch film programme curator and producer, CEO and Director of the European Film Academy, Netherlands
- Athina Rachel Tsangari, Greek filmmaker, director, screenwriter and producer
Competition Program – Documentary Film
The jury of the Competition Program – Documentary Film are:[15]
- Kamal Aljafari, Palestinian filmmaker and visual artist.
- Sabine Gebetsroither, Austrian cultural manager and co-managing director of the Crossing Europe Film Festival Linz
- Ollie Huddleston, British editor
CineLink Female Voices award
- Nataša Bučar, Managing Director of the Slovenian Film Center
- Una Gunjak, Director of the Slovenian Film Centre
- Radovan Sibrt, Czech producer, director, and co-founder of the independent production company PINK
Sarajevo Film Festival's Special Award for Gender Equality
- Niamh McCormack, Irish actress and model
- Michael Stütz, Head of the Panorama section and Co-Director of Film Programming at Berlinale, Austria
- Andrea Štaka, Swiss film director and screenwriter
Official selection
Special Pre-festival, opening and closing films
in collaboration with the Slovenian Cinematheque, a screening of the restored version of the classic film Woman with a Landscape, by Ivica Matić was presented on 13 August.[16]
The opening film is 2026 biographical film directed by Paweł Pawlikowski. The film stars Sandra Hüller and Hanns Zischler as Erika Mann and Thomas Mann, respectively.[17]
| English title | Original title | Director(s) | Production country | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Special Pre-festival film | ||||
| Woman with a Landscape (1976) | Žena s krajolikom | Ivica Matić | Yugoslavia | |
| Opening film | ||||
| Fatherland | Paweł Pawlikowski | Poland, France, Italy, Germany | ||
| Closing film | ||||
| No Man's Land (4K Restoration of 2001 war film) | Ničija zemlja, Ничија земља | Danis Tanović | Bosnia and Herzegovina, France, Slovenia, United Kingdom, Belgium | |
Competition Programme - Feature Film
In the 'Competition Programme - Feature Film:, nine films will compete.[18][19]
| English title | Original title | Director(s) | Production country |
|---|---|---|---|
| 17[a] | Kosara Mitić | North Macedonia, Serbia, Slovenia | |
| Dua [a] | Blerta Basholli | Kosovo, Switzerland, France | |
| Everything that's Wrong with You | Vse, kar je narobe s tabo | Urša Menart | Slovenia, Germany, Serbia |
| Everytime | Sandra Wollner | Austria, Germany | |
| Skateboarding Is Not for Girls[a] | Скејтањето не е за девојчиња | Dina Duma | North Macedonia, Belgium, Slovenia, Croatia |
| Small Things | Male stvari | Zvonimir Jurić | Croatia, Slovenia, Serbia |
| Shame and Money | Wstyd i pieniądze | Visar Morina | Germany, Kosovo, Slovenia, Albania, North Macedonia, Belgium |
| Supporting Role[a] | მეორეხარისხოვანი როლი | Ana Urushadze | Georgia, Estonia, Türkiye |
| You Don't Belong Here | Nu e locul tau aici | Florin Șerban | Romania |
Competition programme - Documentary Film
There are 13 films in the Competition Programme – Documentary Film.[20]
| English title | Original title | Director(s) | Production countrie(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 32 Meters | Morteza Atabaki | Türkiye, Iran, Qatar | |
| Bear with Me | Martin Genovski | Bulgaria | |
| The Balkan Cowboy[a] | Dragana Jurišić | Croatia, Ireland | |
| Bugboy | Lucas Paleocrassas | Greece, France, Denmark | |
| Don't Ask Me If I Killed[a] | Helena Maksyom | Romania, Netherlands, Germany, Ukraine | |
| Electing Ms Santa[a] | Raisa Răzmeriță | Moldova, Romania | |
| The Forbidden Aunt[a] | Bojana Novaković | Serbia, Australia | |
| Fragments of Belonging[a] | Tatjana Božić | Croatia, Netherlands, Germany | |
| Good People | Добри луѓе | Milcho Manchevski | North Macedonia |
| To Hold a Mountain | Córki góry | Biljana Tutorov, Petar Glomazić | Serbia, France, Montenegro, Slovenia, Croatia |
| We Shall Live Together | Damir Markovina | Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina | |
| When I Get Out | Ko pridem ven | Metod Pevec | Slovenia |
Out of Competition
| English title | Original title | Director(s) | Production country |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yugo Goes to America | Yugo ide u Ameriku | Filip Grujić, Aleksa Borković | Serbia, Croatia |
Competition Programme - Short Film
- Narrative Short Film 2026
In this category ten films will compete for the award.[21]
| English title | Original title | Director(s) | Production countrie(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Go Outside and Hug a Tree | Irina Alexiu | Romania | |
| Cosmonauts | Leo Černic | Slovenia, Italy | |
| Mamama | Danica Dakić | Bosnia and Herzegovina | |
| Motherhood | Anca Damian | Romania, Belgium, France | |
| Patch | Zakrpa | Luka Galešić | Croatia |
| Porkatal | Sis Gürdal | Turkey, France, United Kingdom | |
| Adgwa-Ata | Zsuzsanna Krief | Hungary, France | |
| Hidden in Frame | Anna Sarukhanova | Georgia, United Kingdom | |
| Nobody Said Anything | Tamara Todorović | Serbia, France, Slovenia, Croatia | |
| Ditch | Marianna Vas | Hungary | |
Competition Programme - Short Film
- Documentary Short Films Competition
In this category eight films will compete for the award.
| English title | Original title | Director(s) | Production countrie(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fahrudin | Alen Drljević | Bosnia and Herzegovina | |
| Of Light Ghosts | Isabella Fellinger | Austria | |
| Asparagus Bear | Ivan Grgur | Croatia | |
| The Captain and the Caspian Sea | Turkan Huseyin | Azerbaijan | |
| Holy Defiance | Karla Jelić | Croatia | |
| The Ferry Flows | Паром пливе | Zhora Papoian | Ukraine, United Kingdom |
| Bro Ram | Branko Schmidt | Croatia | |
| Dear Orchid | Hana Selena Sokolović | Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Serbia, Netherlands | |
Competition Programme - Student Short Film
There are 11 films in the Competition Programme - Student Film.
| English title | Original title | Director(s) | Production countrie(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| A. Wants Out (on Neutrality) | Zorah Berghammer | Austria | |
| Rabbit Don't Run | Maximilian Conway, Elisabeth Jakob | Austria | |
| Sisters | Sara Ećimović | Serbia | |
| Over the Threshold | Tara Gajović | Serbia | |
| Neighbour | Dan Grabnar | Serbia | |
| Bonefuzz | Márk László | Hungary | |
| Unwellness | Réka Pinczés | Hungary | |
| Hyena | Fanny Rösch | Austria | |
| The Future Is in Your Hands, but Why Not Lend It to the Specialists | Alexandra Schinteie | Romania | |
| The Go-Between | Emir Solaković | Bosnia and Herzegovina | |
| Water Walls | Bianka Szelestey | Hungary | |
In Focus
This section is selection of outstanding films that have already achieved success at prestigious film festivals:[22]
| English title | Original title | Director(s) | Production country |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3 Days in September | 3 zile în septembrie | Tudor Giurgiu | Romania |
| The Loneliest Man in Town | Wiener Blues – The Loneliest Man in Town | Tizza Covi and Rainer Frimmel | Austria |
| Mother | Мајка | Teona Strugar Mitevska | Belgium, North Macedonia, Denmark, Sweden, Bosnia and Herzegovina |
| Mouse[a] | Kelly O'Sullivan and Alex Thompson | ||
| Rose | Markus Schleinzer | Austria, Germany | |
| Titanic Ocean[a] | Konstantina Kotzamani | Greece, Germany, Romania, France, Spain, Japan | |
| Yellow Letters | Gelbe Briefe | İlker Çatak | Germany, France, Turkey |
Open Air Programme
Open Air Program, consisting of two sections, Open Air and Open Air Premiere.
Open Air
The Open Air programme takes place at the Festival's largest venue – the Coca-Cola Open Air Cinema.[23][24]
| English title | Original title | Director(s) | Production country |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ashes | Ceniza en la boca | Diego Luna | Mexico, Spain |
| The Beloved | El ser querido | Rodrigo Sorogoyen | Spain, France |
| Fatherland | Paweł Pawlikowski | Poland, France, Italy, Germany | |
| Minotaur | Минотавр | Andrey Zvyagintsev | France, Latvia, Germany |
| No Good Men | Kabul Jan | Shahrbanoo Sadat | Germany, France, Norway, Denmark, Afghanistan |
| No Man's Land (4K Restoration closing film) | Ničija zemlja, Ничија земља | Danis Tanović | Bosnia and Herzegovina, France, Slovenia, United Kingdom, Belgium |
| Palestine 36 | Annemarie Jacir | Palestine, United Kingdom, France, Denmark, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Jordan | |
| Welcome to Sarajevo | Michael Winterbottom | United Kingdom,
United States | |
Open Air Premiere
The films are screened at UNIQA Open Air Cinema Stari Grad. The audience-selected Best Film in the programme will be eligible for the Prix Cineplexx award.[25]
| English title | Original title | Director(s) | Production country |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3 Weeks After | 3 nedelje posle | Miroslav Terzić | Serbia, Bulgaria, Italy, Croatia, Luxembourg |
| Hidden People | Skriti Ljudje | Miha Hočevar | Slovenia, Serbia, Iceland |
| Home | Hjem | Marijana Janković | Denmark |
| Honey Bunny | Koke | Igor Jelinović | Croatia, Serbia |
| The Lost Son | Izgubljeni sin | Darko Štante | Slovenia, Greece, Croatia, Italy, North Macedonia |
| The Virus of Pathological Kindness | Virus patoloske dobrote | Predrag Ličina | Serbia, Croatia, Slovenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina |
| The Widower | Udovac | Hari Šečić | Bosnia and Herzegovina |
Tribute to Programme
This program celebrates late Hungarian filmmaker Béla Tarr's contribution to world cinema.[26]
| English title | Original title | Director(s) | Production country |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lamb (2021) | Dýrið | Valdimar Jóhannsson | Iceland, Sweden, Poland |
| Motherhood (2022) | La Maternal | Pilar Palomero | Spain |
Kinoscope
The Kinoscope programme features 18 films; 12 in the Kinoscope section and 6 in the Kinoscope Surreal section.[27][28]
Cinemascope
| English title | Original title | Director(s) | Production country |
|---|---|---|---|
| Blue Heron[a] | Sophy Romvari | Canada, Hungary | |
| Congo Boy | Rafiki Fariala | Central African Republic, France, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Italy | |
| Coward | Lukas Dhont | Belgium, France, Netherlands | |
| The Dreamed Adventure | Das Geträumte Abenteuer | Valeska Grisebach | Germany, France, Austria, Bulgaria |
| Filipiñana | Rafael Manuel | Singapore, United Kingdom, Philippines, France, Netherlands | |
| Flies | Moscas | Fernando Eimbcke | Mexico |
| Heysel 85 | Teodora Mihai | Belgium, Netherlands, Germany | |
| In a Whisper | À voix basse | Leyla Bouzid | France, Tunisia |
| La Gradiva[a] | Marine Atlan | France, Italy | |
| Manhunt | Wayne Wapeemukwa | Canada | |
| Object | Objet A | Ann Oren | Germany, Luxembourg, Greece |
| Silent Friend | Stille Freundin | Ildikó Enyedi | Germany, France, Hungary |
Kinoscope Surreal
| English title | Original title | Director(s) | Production country |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nightborn[a] | Yön lapsi | Sophy Romvari | Finland, Lithuania, France, United Kingdom |
| Leviticus | Adrian Chiarella | Australia | |
| Never After Dark | Nebâ Afutâ Dâku | Dave Boyle | Japan |
| Saccharine | Natalie Erika James | Australia | |
| Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma | Jane Schoenbrun | United States | |
| Species | Sanguine | Marion Le Coroller | France, Belgium |
Summer Screen Programme
This year's program brings six of the latest works by great world authors:[29]
| English title | Original title | Director(s) | Production country |
|---|---|---|---|
| All of a Sudden | Soudain | Ryusuke Hamaguchi | France, Japan, Germany, Belgium |
| Another Day | Garance | Jeanne Herry | France |
| The Birthday Party | Histoires de la Nuit | Léa Mysius | France |
| Fjord | Cristian Mungiu | Romania, Norway, Denmark, Finland, France, Sweden | |
| Gentle Monster | Marie Kreutzer | Austria, France, Germany | |
| Sheep in the Box | 箱の中の羊 | Hirokazu Kore-eda | Japan |
Dealing with the Past
These films bring together not only different themes but also a wide range of aesthetic approache:[30]
| English title | Original title | Director(s) | Production country |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chronicles from the Siege | وقائع زمن الحصار | Abdallah Al-Khatib | Algeria, France, Palestine |
| The Doctor | Doktorica | Aleksandar Reljić | Serbia |
| Do You Love Me | Lana Daher | France, Lebanon, Germany, Qatar | |
| Landscapes of Memory | Leah Galant | United States, Germany | |
| The Match | El partido | Juan Cabral and Santiago Franco | Argentina |
| Peacemaker | Mirotvorac | Ivan Ramljak | Croatia |
Special Screening Presents
The section features six films exploring the quest for identity, connection, and hope through the power of art, music, and family bonds in times of crisis. [31]
| English title | Original title | Director(s) | Production country |
|---|---|---|---|
| Antigone | Goran Gajić | United States | |
Midnight Screenings
The section was starred in 2026.[32]
| English title | Original title | Director(s) | Production country |
|---|---|---|---|
| No Fairy Dust | Pukotina u ledu | Maja Miloš | Serbia, Slovenia, Croatia, Italy, Netherlands, Montenegro |
Awards
Special awards
- Katrin Cartlidge Foundation Award: Lana Daher, Lebanese filmmaker[33]
Honorary Heart of Sarajevo
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From L to R (second row): Woody Harrelson, Asghar Farhadi, the recipients of the Honorary Heart of Sarajevo Award
- Emily Watson, English actress[34]
- Diego Luna, Mexican actor, director, and producer[35]
- Woody Harrelson, American actor and playwright[36]
- Asghar Farhadi, Iranian film director and screenwriter[37]
- Emir Hadžihafizbegović, Bosnian actor[6]
Notes
- Nominated for Special Award for Promoting Gender Equality