A Goal Achieved: Reflecting on the 31st Sarajevo Film Festival

A week after the conclusion of the 31st iteration of the Sarajevo Film Festival, I’m still pinching myself. It’s been a dream for me to go to the Sarajevo Film Festival for the longest time, and finally I managed to go!

I know that some may be thinking that it’s not that hard to go to the Sarajevo Film Festival, just buy a ticket and you’re good! In part, that’s true. But I think what’s contributed to it mattering so much to me is the fact that, while I was living in New York City, it was almost impossible for me to find time to go to Bosnia, for vacation or otherwise. So, I found myself year after year watching the coverage of the festival on social media, seeing the stars and the events, while trudging from side hustle to side hustle just to make rent in NYC. It got to a point where I wondered if I would ever even get to go but, finally, it did happen. Keep reading to find out my experience!

The reason I was lucky enough to go to SFF is because of the work that I did with the Bosnian-Herzegovinian Film Festival in NYC. There, I was able to meet the Programming Director for the Sarajevo Film Festival, and she graciously gave me an industry accreditation when she learned that I was going to be in Sarajevo for the festival.

The Sarajevo Film Festival is the largest and most prestigious film festival in Southeast Europe. It was founded in a basement in Sarajevo in 1995, during the Siege of Sarajevo (the longest siege of a capital city in the history of modern warfare). At that time, the Bosnian War was at its most hopeless, and the people of Sarajevo decided to make their own hope. Since then, the Sarajevo Film Festival has evolved at a rapid pace and is now even one of the largest film festivals in all of Europe. It attracts around 100,000 people annually from all regions and all walks of life.

How do I even begin to breakdown the whirlwind that was SFF 2025? I will say this: The festival was enormous. You could almost feel in the air the size of it. It spanned the whole city and had a total of 227 films screened during the festival. However, despite its size, it still felt intimate. That, I personally believe, is the magic of the Sarajevo Film Festival. Something so enormous, and yet you really get to meet the filmmakers and people involved. You get to be up-close-and-personal, and as a young actress I find that incredibly valuable.

So, let’s begin the breakdown! (I promise, I’m not going to break it down day-by-day, but I have isolated the first two days in order to talk about them separately).

Day 0: The Pre-Festival Screening of Hanka

I call this “Day 0” because, while it technically was not the start of the festival, there were still things going on.

I wasn’t sure what to expect for the screening. It was going to be held in the iconic Coca-Cola Open Air Theatre and the movie that was screening was an old Yugoslavian film from 1955. Well, firstly, the venue is rightfully iconic. It was so beautiful the way they’d set it up. And, lucky for me and my friends, we were chosen to help fill some seats in the VIP section. It didn’t really make much of a difference in our viewing experience, but it was still cool nonetheless.

The film itself definitely showed the thoughts of the times back then, but the main character Hanka didn’t take any sh*t either. What was cool for me as well, was getting to see how things looked once upon a time in the region, even if it was in black and white.

After the screening, it was great to go out and see all the parties and fun in the surrounding area. The city really came alive on the eve of the festival.

Day 1: Opening Night Party and Screening

Ok, full disclosure: I was a nervous wreck. I had no idea if my dress was too much, too little, if my heels were too high or too short, I had no basis for comparison of how I should look. Now, I almost hear you ask, why was I so nervous for the opening night? Well, as part of my industry accreditation I got an invite to the exclusive Opening Night Drinks event where all the filmmakers and “Bigwigs” were going to be, and I completely did not know what to expect. Ultimately, I arrived and found the only two people I knew there (who were also from BHFF). What was amazing, was that they were able to introduce me to so many Bosnian filmmakers that I had admired for many years. It was almost like a dream. The only downside was that the heels that I had practiced walking in for so long, started to really hurt because, since it was so hot outside, my feet slipped further into the shoes than they needed to be, throwing off my whole balance and pinching my feet in all the wrong places. I really had to soldier through it.

The opening screening was for the film The Pavilion by Dino Mustafić – a hilarious dark comedy where a group of nursing home residents take over the nursing home, holding hostage the caregivers that were abusing them. This movie was very funny, and I am very glad that I got to see it. Again, it was at the Coca-Cola Open Air Theatre. The two people that I was with both had VIP status while I didn’t. They managed to convince the person at the VIP entrance to let me in with them through VIP (which was pretty cool), but the theater was so packed as was the VIP section, that we ended up sitting in the “regular” section anyway.

After the screening, there were all sorts of parties going on and live music around Sarajevo, especially in the Baščaršija area, however, I started to not feel very well so I decided to head home and rest. Throughout the festival, I did end up off and on with some sort of stomach bug, but I’m still not sure what exactly it was.

Days 2-7: A Blur

I can’t even remember the individual days, it was all such a blur!

Over the course of the festival, I was able to get tickets to two of the Masterclasses: with Paolo Sorrentino, and with Michel Franco. Both were informative, but I enjoyed the Michel Franco masterclass more since they played some scenes that he’s worked on and pointed things out as we watched, which was fascinating!

Some films that I watched: Otter by Srdan Vuletić, Facing War by Tommy Gulliksen, Lavender by Mateja Raičković, House with Heart by Sabahet Džafica, June Turmoil by Želimir Žilnik, Also Resisters by Christina Bartson, Left Behind by Yannis Karpouzis, The Loudest Silence by Aleksandar Reljić, Sorella Di Clausura by Ivana Mladenović, The Boy from the River Drina by Zijad Ibrahimović, the Passaggi D’Autore Presentation which included 5 or 6 short films, and the Silver Frame Film Residency Presentation which included 4 or 5 short films, among others.

The films that stood out to me were Otter, Facing War, Lavender, and House with Heart.

Otter is a coming-of-age drama that tells the story of sixteen-year-old Hana who has to overcome her father’s death, as well as the betrayal of her first love. I highly recommend this film.

Facing War is a short documentary that follows NATO chief Stoltenberg in his final year at the helm of NATO as he balances the need to support Ukraine with the fears of the other leaders. This film did bring such a fascinating insight into the behind-the-scenes of NATO and of Stoltenberg.

Lavender is a personal documentary that follows director Mateja Raičković on a journey of healing and self-reclamation. This is a sad but very brave short film that shines a light on something that women in the Balkans often don’t talk about.

House with Heart tells the story of two brothers from Morocco who are unaccompanied minor migrants trying to make their way to the EU, and who have now found themselves in Bosnia. I found this film to be very interesting and highlighted some incredibly kindhearted and selfless people working with the NGOs in Bosnia.

I also attended several of the Cinelink Industry Talks and panels. Those were informative and opened up the chance for those attending to get to know more people in this industry.

In the midst of all of these movies, masterclasses, and panels, I also had meetings with several different people in the industry, both in my capacity as a member of the Bosnian-Herzegovinian Film Festival, but also for myself as an actress. Honestly, I’m happy to say that everyone that I got to meet was very kind and great to talk to, so I wouldn’t even say that I came out of this festival with many new contacts but, rather, with many new friends and acquaintances.

Final Day: A Sad Affair

On the last day, I attended the Silver Frame Residency showcasing the work from the Silver Frame Film Festival held in Srebrenica, Bosnia. The director of Silver Frame fest is Ado Hasanović, who I also know from BHFF. On the final day, I was able to meet up with him and his team and find out a little bit more about the work that they did as part of this festival. I enjoyed this a lot and, again, met a lot of new, fantastic people.

I didn’t go to the massive block party that happens at the end of the festival, my stomach bug was really affecting me. I wish I could have! But, it just means that I have something to look forward to for next year.

Conclusion

I know that I wrote a lot in this blog post but, how does one summarize such a massive festival as the Sarajevo Film Festival? I don’t really think you can. The important thing is that I went, it was so fulfilling for me and, hopefully, the connections that I’ve made there will lead to more fulfilling experiences.

And, if you’re still with me at the end of this blog post, thank you!

xx

Selma