32nd Sarajevo Film Festival: 51 films in competition for the Heart of Sarajevo awards

This year, the selection team led by Izeta Gradjevic, Creative Director of the Sarajevo Film Festival, has seen 1,215 films: 210 narrative features, 305 documentaries, and 700 narrative short and student short films.

"At a time when films are more accessible than ever, the value of a film festival lies not in making films available, but in returning them to public life. This requires a long-term investment in audiences.
Over more than three decades, the Sarajevo Film Festival has earned the trust of an audience willing to embrace films it might never have chosen on its own. This is an audience that does not come to the cinema seeking confirmation of its own taste, but for the excitement of discovering a different perspective on the world.

It is for this audience that we selected this year’s programmes. They reflect the vitality and diversity of contemporary Southeast European cinema. Each film speaks in its own distinct cinematic voice, yet they all share a search for a different perspective on reality," said Gradjevic.

Competition Programme – Narrative Feature Film 2026

Elma Tataragic, the programmer of the Competition Programme – Narrative Feature Film, has included nine films in the programme, of which one film will have its world premiere, one its international premiere, one its European premiere, and six their regional premiere.

“This year’s Sarajevo Film Festival Competition programme presents nine new feature films from across the region. The selection is dominated by second and third features, alongside one debut and two fifth feature films, reflecting both the emergence of new voices and the continued development of established auteurs. Together, these nine films offer a rich panorama of contemporary regional cinema, spanning intimate family dramas, coming-of-age stories, social realism, and formally adventurous works. With six of the nine films directed by women, this year’s Competition reflects not only the artistic diversity of the region but also the growing strength and plurality of voices shaping its cinematic future,” Tataragic said about the selection.

Awards:

HEART OF SARAJEVO FOR BEST NARRATIVE FEATURE FILM

Award in the amount of €16,000

HEART OF SARAJEVO FOR BEST DIRECTOR

Award in the amount of €10,000, sponsored by the United Nations in Bosnia and Herzegovina in cooperation with UNESCO

HEART OF SARAJEVO FOR BEST ACTRESS

Award in the amount of €2,500, sponsored by L’Oréal Paris

HEART OF SARAJEVO FOR BEST ACTOR

Award in the amount of €2,500

Films in the programme:

EVERYTHING THAT’S WRONG WITH YOU / VSE, KAR JE NAROBE S TABO, Ursa Menart 

(Slovenia, Germany, Serbia, 2026, 97 min.) – World Premiere

SMALL THINGS / MALE STVARI, Zvonimir Juric 

(Croatia, Slovenia, Serbia, 2026, 80 min.) – International Premiere

SKATEBOARDING IS NOT FOR GIRLS / SKEJTANJETO NE E ZA DEVOJCHINJA, Dina Duma 

(North Macedonia, Belgium, Slovenia, Croatia, 2026, 82 min.) – European Premiere

17, Kosara Mitic 

(North Macedonia, Serbia, Slovenia, 2026, 105 min.) – Regional Premiere

DUA, Blerta Basholli 

(Kosovo*, Switzerland, France, 2026, 101 min.) – Regional Premiere

EVERYTIME, Sandra Wollner 

(Austria, Germany, 2026, 121 min.) – Regional Premiere

SHAME AND MONEY, Visar Morina 

(Germany, Kosovo*, Slovenia, Albania, North Macedonia, Belgium, 2026, 129 min.) – Regional Premiere

SUPPORTING ROLE / MEOREKHARISKHOVANI ROLI, Ana Urushadze 

(Georgia, Estonia, Türkiye, 2026, 139 min.) – Regional Premiere

YOU DON’T BELONG HERE / NU E LOCUL TĂU AICI, Florin Șerban 

(Romania, 2026, 154 min.) – Regional Premiere

Competition Programme – Documentary Film 2026

Rada Sesic, programmer of the Competition Programme – Documentary Film, selected 22 films from 305 submissions for the programme: 13 feature-length and eight short documentary films, plus one film screening out of competition. The Competition Programme – Documentary Film features nine world premieres, four international premieres, and eight regional premieres.

“This year’s selection showcases the impressive vitality and creativity of contemporary documentary filmmaking from the region. Intimate in scale yet unmistakably political, these films reveal the resilience of individuals and communities determined to resist silence and challenge entrenched systems of power. More than half of the selected films are directed and produced by women, reflecting a growing shift towards reclaiming stories, perspectives, and spaces that have long remained under men’s domain. Moving fluidly between documentary and fiction, animation, archival footage, and poetic storytelling, the filmmakers craft distinctive cinematic languages that reimagine reality with originality, emotional depth, and moments of wit. Together, the selection offers compelling, urgent, and deeply human perspectives on the world we live in today,” Sesic said.

Awards:

HEART OF SARAJEVO FOR BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE FILM – AN OSCAR® QUALIFYING FILM

Award in the amount of €4,000, sponsored by the Government of Switzerland

HEART OF SARAJEVO FOR BEST SHORT DOCUMENTARY FILM

Award in the amount of €2,000

SPECIAL JURY PRIZE

Award in the amount of €2,500

Competition Programme – Documentary Feature:

BEAR WITH ME, Martin Genovski 

(Bulgaria, 2026, 84 min.) – World Premiere

GOOD PEOPLE / DOBRI LUGJE, Milcho Manchevski 

(North Macedonia, 2026, 86 min.) – World Premiere

THE BALKAN COWBOY, Dragana Jurisic 

(Croatia, Ireland, 2026, 93 min.) – World Premiere

THE FORBIDDEN AUNT / ZABRANJENA TETKA, Bojana Novakovic 

(Serbia, Australia, 2026, 82 min.) – World Premiere

WE SHALL LIVE TOGETHER / ZIVJECEMO ZAJEDNO, Damir Markovina 

(Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, 2026, 75 min.) – World Premiere

DON’T ASK ME IF I KILLED, Helena Maksyom 

(Romania, Netherlands, Germany, Ukraine, 2026, 103 min.) – International Premiere

FRAGMENTS OF BELONGING / TRAGOVI PRIPADANJA, Tatjana Bozic 

(Croatia, Netherlands, Germany, 2026, 80 min.) – International Premiere

WHEN I GET OUT / KO PRIDEM VEN, Metod Pevec 

(Slovenia, 2026, 106 min.) – International Premiere

32 METERS, Morteza Atabaki 

(Türkiye, Iran, Qatar, 2025, 83 min.) – Regional Premiere

BUGBOY, Lucas Paleocrassas 

(Greece, France, Denmark, 2026, 87 min.) – Regional Premiere

ELECTING MS SANTA, Raisa Răzmeriță 

(Moldova, Romania, 2025, 95 min.) – Regional Premiere

FOR LIFE / ÖMÜR BOYU, Ahmet Seven 

(Türkiye, 2026, 89 min.) – Regional Premiere

TO HOLD A MOUNTAIN / PLANINA, Biljana Tutorov, Petar Glomazic 

(Serbia, France, Montenegro, Slovenia, Croatia, 2026, 105 min.) – Regional Premiere

Competition Programme – Documentary Shorts:

BRO RAM / RAM BHAI, Branko Schmidt 

(Croatia, 2026, 14 min.) – World Premiere

FAHRUDIN, Alen Drljevic 

(Bosnia and Herzegovina, 2026, 20 min.) – World Premiere

OF LIGHT GHOSTS / VON LICHTERGEISTERN, Isabella Fellinger 

(Austria, 2026, 27 min.) – World Premiere

THE CAPTAIN AND THE CASPIAN SEA / KAPITAN VƏ XƏZƏR DƏNİZİ, Turkan Huseyin 

(Azerbaijan, 2026, 30 min.) – World Premiere

DEAR ORCHID, Hana Selena Sokolovic 

(Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Serbia, Netherlands, 2026, 18 min.) – International Premiere

ASPARAGUS BEAR / MEDO U SPAROGAMA, Ivan Grgur 

(Croatia, 2025, 18 min.) – Regional Premiere

HOLY DEFIANCE / TIHA MISA, Karla Jelic 

(Croatia, 2026, 15 min.) – Regional Premiere

THE FERRY FLOWS / PAROM PLYVE, Zhora Papoian 

(Ukraine, United Kingdom, 2026, 18 min.) – Regional Premiere

Out of Competition:

YUGO GOES TO AMERICA / YUGO IDE U AMERIKU, Filip Grujic, Aleksa Borkovic 

(Serbia, Croatia, 2026, 87 min.) – National Premiere

Competition Programme – Narrative Short Film 2026

In the Competition Programme – Narrative Short Film, programmer Elma Tataragic selected ten short films for this year’s programme from over 700 titles watched: three animated and seven live-action short films. Five films will have their world premiere in Sarajevo, and five their regional premiere.

“As with the Competition Programme – Narrative Feature Film, this selection is also led by female directors, with seven films in the selection, and the programme itself is marked by bold yet intimate stories and a strong visual style across all the selected films. This year’s selection also confirms that short film remains a space in which some of the boldest and most inventive cinematic expressions of today are being created. Through different poetics and authorial sensibilities, the films in the programme explore intimate and social themes, showing how the short form can be just as emotionally powerful and artistically ambitious as feature-length film. The programme brings an exciting encounter between established authors and new talents whose voices will undoubtedly continue to develop on the international film scene as well,” said Tataragic about the selection.

Awards:

HEART OF SARAJEVO FOR BEST NARRATIVE SHORT FILM – AN OSCAR® QUALIFYING FILM

Award in the amount of €2,500

EUROPEAN FILM ACADEMY NARRATIVE SHORT FILM CANDIDATE

Films in the programme:

DITCH / MIRHÓ, Marianna Vas 

(Hungary, 2026, 24 min.) – World Premiere

HIDDEN IN FRAME / DAMALULI, Anna Sarukhanova 

(Georgia, United Kingdom, 2026, 16 min.) – World Premiere

MAMAMA, Danica Dakic 

(Bosnia and Herzegovina, 2026, 8 min.) – World Premiere

PATCH / ZAKRPA, Luka Galesic 

(Croatia, 2026, 13 min.) – World Premiere

PORKATAL, Sis Gürdal 

(Türkiye, France, United Kingdom, 2026, 16 min.) – World Premiere

ADGWA-ATA, Zsuzsanna Krief 

(Hungary, France, 2026, 15 min.) – Regional Premiere

COSMONAUTS / KOZMONAVTI, Leo Cernic 

(Slovenia, Italy, 2026, 14 min.) – Regional Premiere

GO OUTSIDE AND HUG A TREE, Irina Alexiu 

(Romania, 2026, 14 min.) – Regional Premiere

MOTHERHOOD, Anca Damian 

(Romania, Belgium, France, 2026, 18 min.) – Regional Premiere

NOBODY SAID ANYTHING / NIKO NISTA NIJE REKAO, Tamara Todorovic 

(Serbia, France, Slovenia, Croatia, 2026, 15 min.) – Regional Premiere

Competition Programme – Student Short Film 2026

Asja Krsmanovic Imamovic, programmer of the Competition Programme – Student Short Film, selected 11 films for the programme, of which six will have their world premiere in Sarajevo, one its international premiere, and four films their regional premiere.

“The Competition Programme - Student Short Film has always been a space for discovery and a first platform for emerging voices from the region. This year is no exception. Students from regional film academies demonstrate a remarkable maturity in developing and articulating complex ideas and translating them into visual narratives. Some display a confident command of the short film form, experimenting boldly with ideas and concepts, while in the work of others one can already sense an inclination towards feature-length storytelling and the creation of nuanced dramatic characters, making this year’s selection both dynamic and exciting. Equally striking are the themes these young filmmakers choose to explore. The complex challenges of today’s world are seen through the eyes of a generation that does not merely observe them from a distance, but experiences them firsthand,” said Krsmanovic Imamovic.

Award:

HEART OF SARAJEVO FOR BEST STUDENT SHORT FILM

Award in the amount of €1,000, sponsored by the Regional Cooperation Council

Films in the programme:

HYENA / HYÄNE, Fanny Rösch 

(Austria, 2026, 23 min.) – World Premiere

NEIGHBOUR / KOMSIJA, Dan Grabnar 

(Serbia, 2026, 17 min.) – World Premiere

SISTERS / SESTRE, Sara Ecimovic 

(Serbia, 2026, 21 min.) – World Premiere

THE GO-BETWEEN / POSREDNIK, Emir Solakovic 

(Bosnia and Herzegovina, 2026, 7 min.) – World Premiere

UNWELLNESS, Réka Pinczés 

(Hungary, 2026, 21 min.) – World Premiere

WATER WALLS / FÜSTFAL, Bianka Szelestey 

(Hungary, 2026, 34 min.) – World Premiere

THE FUTURE IS IN YOUR HANDS, BUT WHY NOT LEND IT TO THE SPECIALISTS? / VIITORUL ȚI-L FACI CU MÂNA TA, DAR DE CE SĂ NU Îl LAȘI PE MÂNA UNOR SPECIALIȘTI?, Alexandra Schinteie 

(Romania, 2026, 18 min.) – International Premiere

A. WANTS OUT (ON NEUTRALITY) / A. WILL RAUS (ÜBER NEUTRALITÄT), Zorah Berghammer 

(Austria, 2026, 18 min.) – Regional Premiere

BONEFUZZ, Márk László 

(Hungary, 2026, 10 min.) – Regional Premiere

OVER THE THRESHOLD / PREKO PRAGA, Tara Gajovic 

(Serbia, 2026, 15 min.) – Regional Premiere

RABBIT DON’T RUN / HASENFUSS, Maximilian Conway, Elisabeth Jakob 

(Austria, 2026, 30 min.) – Regional Premiere

"Sarajevo Film Festival sees its Competition Programme not only as a selection of the best new films, but as a reflection of where regional cinema is headed. This year’s selection speaks to the creative boldness of its filmmakers, the richness of their artistic approaches and the exceptional quality of production throughout Southeast Europe. I am confident that audiences and the numerous film professionals joining us in Sarajevo this August will find this selection both compelling and rewarding,” said Jovan Marjanovic, Director of Sarajevo Film Festival.

The 32nd Sarajevo Film Festival will take place from 14 to 21 August 2026.