Sarajevo Film Festival 2025: Celebrating the Best in Cinematic Storytelling
The Sarajevo Film Festival has announced the winners of its prestigious 2025 CineLink Industry Days Awards, showcasing exceptional talent and compelling narratives from Southeast Europe and the MENA (Middle East and North Africa) region. One standout project, Places Half Empty, received the Eurimages Co-Production Development Award. This poignant film explores a queer relationship in Hungary amidst the backdrop of Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s far-right regime.
Another notable winner, Gorilla, claimed the TV Drama Vision Pitch Award. Set in the vibrant 1960s Paris, the story delves into the complex bond between a French film star and his Yugoslav bodyguard, which is threatened by a Hollywood murder mystery.
The 23rd edition of the Sarajevo Film Festival highlighted a diverse range of projects across various formats and stages of development. The awards were presented in several categories, including the CineLink Co-Production Market, CineLink Work in Progress, and CineLink Drama sections. The festival wraps up today, marking the end of its 31st edition. Here’s a closer look at the CineLink winners:
CineLink Co-Production Market Awards
Eurimages Co-Production Development Award
Places Half Empty
- Synopsis: This film offers a controversial and intimate look at a queer relationship within the socio-political climate of Orbán’s Hungary.
- Director: Dorka Vermes
- Writers: Sára Törley-Havas
- Producers: Evelyn Balogh, Botond Lelkes
- Production Company: Non Lieu Kft. (Hungary)
- Award Amount: €20,000
Film Center Montenegro CineLink Award
Stone Over Stone
- Synopsis: Shams and her husband arrive in an unfinished construction site to escape gambling debts, but when he is drawn back into addiction, she faces a harrowing decision.
- Director: Hilal Baydarov
- Writers: Hilal Baydarov, Georg Tiller
- Producers: Maéva Ranaïvojaona, Georg Tiller, Hilal Baydarov
- Production Companies: Subobscura Films, Ucqar Film (Austria, Azerbaijan)
- Award Amount: €10,000
Film Center Serbia CineLink Award
Pogana
- Synopsis: In 1920s Dalmatia, a woman is sold into marriage and left vulnerable when her husband disappears at sea.
- Director: David Kapac
- Writers: Andrija Mardešić, David Kapac
- Producers: Rea Rajčić, Tina Tišljar
- Production Company: Eclectica (Croatia, Slovenia)
- Award Amount: €10,000
Artekino International Prize
Two Little Nightmares
- Synopsis: Thirty years after a traumatic event, Matija returns home, facing buried secrets and the haunting memory of his past.
- Director: Nebojša Slijepčević
- Writers: Nebojša Slijepčević, Nađa Petrović
- Producers: Danijel Pek, Katarina Prpić
- Production Companies: Antitalent, Sense Production, Studio Virc, Contrast Films, Les Films Norfolk (Croatia, Serbia, Slovenia, Bulgaria, France)
- Award Amount: €6,000
CineLink Drama Awards
Female Voices CineLink Award
Rain Country
- Synopsis: Set in early 2000s Istanbul, high school senior Gül must navigate her life after her secret is revealed following a classmate’s suicide.
- Director: Zeynep Köprülü
- Writers: Zeynep Köprülü, Haziran Düzkan
- Producers: Utku Zeka, Zeynep Köprülü, Cansu Menlikli
- Production Company: Periferi Film (Turkey)
- Award Amount: €20,000
Council of Europe Series Co-Production Development Award
Red Water
- Synopsis: In 1989 Croatia, a family’s life unravels when their daughter goes missing, revealing dark secrets that haunt the community for decades.
- Creator: Ljubica Luković
- Writers: Ljubica Luković, Jurica Pavičić
- Director: Antoneta Alamat Kusijanović
- Producer: Danijel Pek
- Production Company: Antitalent (Croatia)
- Award Amount: €50,000
Croatian Audiovisual Center Drama Award
Wonderful
- Synopsis: A woman revisits pivotal moments in her life, exploring alternative paths she could have taken.
- Creators and Writers: Katarina Mitrović, Isidora Veselinović, Vladimir Tagić
- Directors: Vladimir Tagić, Isidora Veselinović
- Producer: Marija Stojanović
- Production Company: Sense Production (Serbia)
- Award Amount: €15,000
TV Drama Vision Pitch Award
Gorilla
- Synopsis: In 1960s Paris, a French star and his Yugoslav bodyguard confront the fallout of a Hollywood murder that threatens their bond.
- Creator: Gabor Krigler
- Writers: Eszter Angyalosy, Cyril Tysz
- Director: Christian Gudegast
- Producer: Ivana Miković
- Production Company: Firefly Productions (Serbia)
CineLink Work in Progress Awards
HBO Award
Who Are We
- Synopsis: After a student’s tragic suicide, a school trip reveals the lingering shadows of bullying and trauma among students.
- Director: Miroslav Terzić
- Producer: Snežana van Houwelingen
- Production Company: This and That Productions (Serbia, Italy, Luxembourg, Bulgaria, Croatia)
- Award Amount: €30,000
Turkish National Radio Television Award
Yesterday the Eye Didn’t Sleep
- Synopsis: Two sisters navigate a fog-laden valley, confronting the tribal codes that dictate their fate.
- Director: Rakan Mayasi
- Producers: Jennifer Ritter, Rakan Mayasi
- Production Company: Atata (Belgium, Palestine, Lebanon)
- Award Amount: €10,000
Post Republic Award
Where To?
- Synopsis: A series of taxi rides across Berlin tells the tragicomic story of a Palestinian Uber driver and a lost Israeli passenger.
- Director: Assaf Machnes
- Producers: Tomer Mecklberg, Haim Mecklberg, Oren Rogovin, Mohamad Babi
- Production Company: 2 Team Productions (Israel, Germany)
- Award Amount: €30,000 in kind
Avanpost Media Award
17
- Synopsis: After a life-changing event, a teenager grapples with unexpected pregnancy during her graduation trip.
- Director: Kosara Mitić
- Producer: Tomi Salkovski
- Production Company: Black Cat Production (North Macedonia, Serbia, Slovenia)
- Award Amount: €30,000 in kind
CineLink Work in Progress and Docu Rough Cut Boutique Awards
Think-Film Impact Production Award
Lost and Found: Romania’s Hidden Adoption Market
- Synopsis: A Canadian woman returns to Romania to reclaim her identity, unraveling the dark history of her adoption.
- Director: Laurentiu Garofeanu
- Producer: Laurentiu Garofeanu
- Editor: Iulian Ghervas
- Production Company: Mekanism Media (Romania)
- Award Amount: €20,000 in kind
Eave + Award
Marija Stojanović
The Sarajevo Film Festival continues to shine a spotlight on innovative storytelling and diverse voices, making it a pivotal event in the global film landscape.
