11th Sarajevo Film Festival: A Regional Accent With an International Profile

12/09/2005

The Sarajevo Film Festival marked its 11th anniversary this year. Originating as a gesture of hope and defiance amid the brutality of conflict in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH), it has grown to become a major international cinematic event -- a key venue for new films from Southeast Europe. Top honours went to the Bulgarian film "Lady Zee," about an orphan struggling to escape a life of prostitution, and the special jury award went to Kosovo's first feature film since 1998.

By Haris Memija and Robert Herschbach for Southeast European Times – 09/12/05 Photos by Haris Memija

Now in its 11th year, the SFF has become the largest and the most important event for film professionals in this part of Europe.

In 1995, while Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) was in the throes of a brutal interethnic conflict, it hardly seemed likely that Sarajevo could host an international film festival -- let alone one that would become a key event in the cultural life of the whole region.

About 15,000 people showed up for the first Sarajevo Film Festival (SFF) in 1994, risking their lives to see 37 films from 15 countries around the world. Since then, what started off as an idealistic dream has become an increasingly high-profile date on international cinema's calendar.

Now in its 11th year, the SFF has become the largest and the most important event for film professionals in this part of Europe. With Hungary joining its region of focus in 2004, its competition programme now covers nine countries: Albania, BiH, Bulgaria, Croatia, Hungary, Macedonia, Romania, Serbia-Montenegro and Slovenia, as well as the UN-administered province of Kosovo. Two other Balkan countries -- Greece and Turkey -- were invited as special guests, paving their way for participation in next year's competition programme.

Journalists gather at the red carpet of the National Theatre of Sarajevo.

These countries, with a total population of over 65 million, represent a large market with a strong, if often neglected, presence in cinema. Annually, more than 65 feature films, 300 short films and 150 documentaries are produced in the region. Sarajevo, located at its geographic centre, provides an ideal location for the promotion and development of Balkan film.

Bulgarian director Georgi Djulgerov's "Lady Zee" is this year's Best Film. It is a coming-of-age story about an orphaned girl with a talent for sharp-shooting and a determination to avoid a life of exploitation and prostitution. The Special Jury Award went to Kosovo director Isa Qosya's film "Kukumi" -- the author's first feature film in 17 years, produced on a budget of 600,000 euros in a part of Europe that can barely fund basic services, let alone cinema. To complete the film, Qosya and his cast went without pay.

Croatia's Zrinka Cvitisic received the Best Actress for her role in "What is a Man Without a Mustache", a comedy about young widow who falls for the priest in a bankrupt parish. Peter Musevski, star of the Slovenian film "Labour Equals Freedom", took home the prize for Best Actor.

Another noteworthy entry at the 11th SFF included "Sorry for Kung Fu", directed by Croatia's Ognjen Svilicic. It takes a wry approach to the issue of ethnic prejudice, detailing the hassles suffered by a girl from a traditional-minded Croatian family who gives birth to a child with Asian features.

In "Awakening from the Dead", by Serbian director Milos Radivojevic, a 46-year-old failed writer and discouraged democrat gets the chance to come back to life for a few days and overcome his own personal despair as well as that of his community. Milutin Petrovic's "South by Southeast", meanwhile, draws connections between the paranoid world of a Hitchcock thriller and contemporary Serbian politics. It depicts a Belgrade police inspector's attempt to get to the bottom of an apparent kidnapping saga, in which the Foreign Minister may or may not be involved.

"Go West" director Ahmed Imamovic dedicated his film to his father, Nedzad.

One of this year's most talked about productions addressed not only ethnic divisions, but other levels of prejudice. Bosnian director Ahmed Imamovic's "Go West" depicts two gay men -- a Serb and a Bosnian -- who try to survive in a Bosnian Serb neighborhood during the war, one disguised as a soldier, the other as a woman. Given its first public screening at the Sarajevo festival, it received a tumultuous standing ovation from an audience of around 2,500 gathered at the central open-air cinema.

Two other BiH films, "Paycheck" and "Frame for the Picture of My Homeland", received special jury mentions.

Among the SFF's draws is its ability to attract major figures to what remains a somewhat informal setting. Over the years, festival attendees have been greeted by numerous cinematic and cultural luminaries, including John Malkovich, William Dafoe, Danis Tanovic, Gerard Depardieu and lead singer Bono of U2.

Daniel Craig(left, with Sarajevo Film Festival director Mirsad Purivatra) was one of the many international luminaries attending the event.

Some 1,000 film stars and representatives of the film industry were in Sarajevo for this year's event. Oscar-winning director Alexander Payne presided over the jury for the short features competition, in addition to organising a special programme for film students from the Balkans. British actress Emily Watson was in town, serving as this year's curator for the Karin Cartlidge Foundation award. Peter Mullan presented a screening of "On a Clear Day" (2005), in which he plays the lead role. The guests also included Terry George, Daniel Craig, Isaac Julien, Claude Lelouche, Matthew Vaughn, Carlos Reygadas, Margo Stilley and many others.

Moving forward into its second decade, the SFF is now firmly established as the main meeting place for all regional professionals and for those wanting to learn about the possibilities this region has to offer. It screens the most recent regional feature films, shorts and documentaries, puts together tributes to important regional filmmakers, and runs programmes that help young filmmakers get their start. Its annual co-production market, CineLink, is a cross-country initiative bringing together producers and filmmakers from Albania, BiH, Bulgaria, Croatia, Macedonia, Romania, Serbia-Montenegro and Slovenia. Its New Currents programme challenges audiences with the work of innovative directors.

On a more populist note, its Open Air Programme presents Hollywood hits as well as independent films on the largest screen in the Balkans. And for the youngest viewers, the children's programme aims both to entertain and to instil a love for cinema.