Sarajevo Film Festival opens, putting spotlight on Bosnian capital

Jul 23, 2010, 21:38 GMT

Sarajevo - The Sarajevo Film Festival opened Friday night, turning the Bosnian capital into the regional cinematic capital, the film industry marketplace and an open-ended party.

The festival began with the screening of Bosnian director Danis Tanovic's Circus Columbia. Tanovic won the US Academy Award in 2001 for his film No Man's Land.

A total of 201 titles - feature, short and documentary films - are set for screening until Clint Eastwood's Invictus, starring this year's guest-of-honour Morgan Freeman, closes the festival July 31.

Nine titles are running in the formal competition - for the Heart of Sarajevo Award - this year.

They are Inside America by Austrian director Barbara Eder, and three Hungarian movies - Bibliotheque Pascal by Szabolcs Hajdu, Adrienn Pal by Agnes Kocsis and Tender Son - The Frankenstein Project by Kornel Mundruczo.

Romania is represented by director Radu Muntean's film Tuesday After Christmas, and Turkey is represented by Vavien, a black comedy co-directed by Durul Taylan and Yagmur Taylan.

From former Yugoslavia there is a Serbian entry, Tilva Ros, by Nikola Lezaic, while the host country is competing with two titles, Jasmina by Nedzad Begovic and Blues for Karim by Jasmin Durakovic.

Romanian director Cristi Piuiu is to head the panel of judges awarding the Heart of Sarajevo, which also includes the US independent film producer Christine Vachon, Rachel Rosen, the director of programming for the San Francisco Film Society and Turkish and Croatian actors, Saadet Isil Aksoy and Leon Lucev.

In addition to the main awards for best film, leading and supporting roles, this year's festival is also set to honour the director of the Berlin Film Festival, Dieter Kosslick, for his 'years of support and assistance.'

The Sarajevo Film Festival was launched in 1994 - a time when the city was under relentless shelling and sniper fire from Serb forces in the surrounding mountains - as a symbol of 'cultural resistance.'

Since the war ended in late 1995, the festival has grown into the region's main cinematic event and an annual filmmakers' and producers' market.