Sarajevo in festival mode as 32nd SFF opens with more than 250 films

The festival atmosphere has been building in the city for days, culminating on Friday with the start of a programme that will run until August 21 and feature more than 250 films from around 70 countries.

Numerous guests walked the red carpet ahead of the opening ceremony, hosted this year by Bosnian actor Kerim Cutuna.

The Sarajevo Film Festival has continued its tradition of giving a young Bosnian actor or actress the opportunity to open the event, with Cutuna selected for the role this year.

The festival opened with "Fatherland", directed by Pawel Pawlikowski, which premiered at this year's Cannes Film Festival.

Pawlikowski won the Best Director award at Cannes for the film and addressed the audience at Sarajevo's National Theatre on Friday evening.

"Fatherland" tells the story of writer Thomas Mann and his daughter Erika as they travel through a Germany devastated by World War II.

The screening launched eight days of films, premieres, red-carpet appearances and discussions that will once again turn Sarajevo into one of the region's main cultural hubs.

A total of 51 films are competing for the festival's Heart of Sarajevo awards this year.

Of those, 21 will have their world premieres in Sarajevo, six will have international premieres and 23 regional premieres. One film screening outside the competition will have its Bosnia and Herzegovina premiere.

Alongside the Heart of Sarajevo awards, the festival will present its traditional prizes, including the Special Award for Promoting Gender Equality and the Human Rights Award.

A new addition this year is the Prix Cineplexx, an audience award for the best film having its Open Air premiere at the festival.

Five prominent figures from international and Bosnian cinema will receive the Honorary Heart of Sarajevo this year.

They are Iranian filmmaker Asghar Farhadi, British actress Emily Watson, American actor Woody Harrelson, Mexican actor Diego Luna and Bosnian actor Emir Hadzihafizbegovic.

The Sarajevo Film Festival runs through August 21, with audiences able to choose from more than 250 films from around 70 countries.

Beyond the screenings, Sarajevo will host red-carpet events, meetings with filmmakers, film discussions and a wide-ranging accompanying programme over the coming days.