Mirsad Purivatra, the founder of the Sarajevo Film Festival, is leaving the position after 27 years and will assume the role of President of the Obala Art Centar Association, the umbrella organisation behind the festival.

“I am proud of everything we have accomplished over the last 27 years. We started from nothing, when our city was under siege, and today we are a globally renowned institution attended by filmmakers and film industry professionals from the region and the whole world,” Purivatra said in his farewell message.

He stressed that the SFF team has always been dedicated to the mission to discover, support and promote local and regional film authors and industries.

“I am happy that the Sarajevo Film Festival has become the most significant platform for the development of BiH film industry and co-production in the region and thus a part of many success stories about BiH film and regional film,” he added.

As the SFF Director, Purivatra said, he had the honour and pleasure to host all the best Bosnian and regional filmmakers as well as some of today’s most important world-class filmmakers, who have become ambassadors for Sarajevo and the Sarajevo Film Festival.

This includes Paweł Pawlikowski, Mike Leigh, Darren Aronofsky, Morgan Freeman, Nuri Bilge Ceylan, Angelina Jolie, Robert De Niro, Steve Buscemi, Willem Dafoe, Brad Pitt, Gaspar Noé, John Cleese, Juliette Binoche, Isabelle Huppert, Alejandro González Iñárritu, Alfonso Cuarón, Wim Wenders, Bono Vox and many others.

As President of Obala Art Centar Purivatra will continue to work on strategic development of the Sarajevo Film Festival.

“Being the head of the Sarajevo Film Festival was a great responsibility which required my full commitment to the project. I have made the decision to change my position with a sincere conviction that this is the right move for both me and the Festival. I will remain a part of the team that will take care of its healthy development and all strategic courses of action. I believe my decision to leave the director’s position will give me time to pursue some ideas that I have not had time for before. My passion and energy will remain invested in projects in the field of film and creative industries,” he noted.

Mirsad Purivatra’s successor will be Jovan Marjanovic, previously in charge of the SFF Industry Department and the Festival Co-director.