Artwork by Emina Škaljić

PROGRAM ANNOUNCED FOR THE SEVENTEENTH ANNUAL BOSNIAN-HERZEGOVINIAN FILM FESTIVAL, BEING HELD VIRTUALLY OCTOBER 27TH - NOVEMBER 1ST

New York City, October 2020 — The Bosnian-Herzegovinian Film Festival (BHFF), being held virtually this year, is excited to announce the lineup for its 2020 edition. From over 30 films submitted to BHFF for consideration a total of 13 films were selected into the festival’s final program. The 17th Annual festival and a first ever virtual BHFF will also include a series of interactive live Q&A and discussion events with filmmakers, running from Tuesday, October 27th through Sunday, November 1st and held via a video-on-demand platform.  Information regarding tickets and festival passes will be announced soon.

The range of themes in this year’s festival is incredibly diverse and tackles a range of important social and cultural themes, including: the first LGBTQI Pride held in Sarajevo, the picturesque life of women in remote rural areas, intimate portrayals of family struggles, a young woman's search for personal memories, a first ever Sci-Fi feature film, and a moving documentation of a man's efforts to turn his life around after serving a prison term for assisting an alleged terrorist.  The BHFF is delighted to showcase the work of a number of emerging filmmakers whose innovative works show an exciting range of aesthetic, thematic, and technical approaches. 

"As programmers of BHFF, in this year's slate we are delighted to include exciting new and emerging voices, but also see the return of beloved filmmakers whose earlier work has won awards at previous iterations of the festival,” said BHFF programming co-directors Dijana Jelača and Amir Husak. “As always, BHFF is proud to showcase and support the work of a great number of women filmmakers.”

The seventeenth annual BHFF will consist of six narrative feature films, three narrative shorts, and four documentary films. All films selected to screen at the 17th annual BHFF are eligible to win the BHFF Jury Awards for Best Documentary Film, Best Short or Animated Narrative Film, Best Feature Narrative Film, Best Acting Performance, and the Jury Special Mention, as well as the BHFF Audience Award for Best Picture.

FEATURE FILMS

The Son | Ines Tanović | 106 min
Arman, age 18, was adopted as a baby by a couple who were unable to have children of their own. However, not long after, his adoptive mother gave birth to a son. Arman battles the demons of his past while trying to protect his younger brother Dado, 14, from the challenges of life in present day Sarajevo, including drugs, weapons, and the siren call of wars in the Middle East.

Full Moon | Nermin Hamzagić | 79 min
Hamza is irreplaceable.  The young policeman just about manages to deliver his heavily pregnant wife to the maternity ward before his night shift begins. At the station, the usual problems await; generally, his colleagues are willing to help overcome these in return for bribes.  Hamza, however, resolves to escape the cycle of corruption.

My Grandpa Is An Alien | Marina Andree Škop, Dražen Žarković | 79 min
In a single moment, the entire life of a girl Una is turned upside down; her grandpa is abducted by aliens and her mother collapses and ends up in a hospital. Una and an alien robot have 24 hours to find her grandpa. The extraordinary adventure leads to friendship, the rational robotic logic is replaced by emotions and Una's selfless love saves her partly alien family.

Take Me Somewhere Nice | Ena Sendijarević | 91 min
Born and raised in the Netherlands, Alma is on the verge of adulthood when she leaves her mother’s home to visit Bosnia, in search of the father she has never met. There, Alma will team up with her apathetic and “patriotic” cousin Emir and his charming best friend, Denis. As Alma attempts to adapt abruptly to a reality she’s not accustomed to, she embarks on an adventurous journey from Sarajevo to Mostar. During this road trip of self-exploration into the Bosnian heartlands, Alma will try to both understand and unearth her roots and her own identity.

Sympathy for the Devil | Guillaume de Fontenay | 100 min
It’s 1992 and war is raging in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Paul Marchand is covering the siege of Sarajevo. A flamboyant, loud, adrenaline junkie, Paul is the war correspondent archetype. Racing through Snipers Alley in his white Ford, the Frenchman relentlessly tells the apathetic Western world about the ongoing massacre. In an urban war zone where everything that moves is a target, Paul tries to live, love, and inform.

Stitches | Miroslav Terzić | 97 min
Based on true events, this film takes place in contemporary Belgrade, eighteen years after a young seamstress was coldly informed of her newborn's sudden death. She still believes the infant was stolen from her. Dismissed by others as paranoid, but powered by motherly devotion she summons the strength for one last battle against the police, the hospital bureaucracy and even her own family to uncover the truth.

SHORT FILMS

Natural Selection | Aleta Rajič | 10 min
Woman-Doe is a living sculpture trapped in urban spaces of boredom, melancholia, and utopian museums where she works. Despairing and bored, she entertains herself by acting out the behavior of humans: cleaning, drinking coffee, smoking, and sleeping. Problems begin when features of a raging animal appear on her head, in the form of two horns. Her eyes meet with a loner Woman dancing in the rain. Will she use her growing animal powers and human eyes to meet, fight and dance her way out towards her true nature?

Variables | Sabina Vajrača | 24 min
15-year-old math whiz Nikola is offered an unexpected chance to escape war-torn Sarajevo when his math club receives an invitation to participate in the 1995 International Math Olympics in Canada. Nikola initially sees the invitation as a reward for his dedication to mathematics and his club in the midst of the siege of Sarajevo.  It is also a chance to experience teenage life outside of a war zone. But escape comes with a price: Nikola must face the possibility of leaving, and perhaps never again seeing, his mother and younger sister.  

Snorty | Alen Šimić | 14 min
Snorty is a man with a past. Hoping to begin a new life, he searches for his place in society.  Unfortunately, trying to fit in and lead a conventional life is easier said than done, as Snorty finds out that the world, as he used to know it, has changed. Attempting to fit in, he says the wrong things and commits the wrong actions, and his place in society appears ever more elusive. Snorty comes to discover that, while society is ever-changing, one man’s change may not always be possible. 

DOCUMENTARY FILMS

The Infidel | Nejra Latić Hulusić | 63 min
A young Bosnian, Dino, whose father moved his family from Bihać to a closed commune of the Islamic Wahhabi movement, is trying to rebuild his life after inadvertently giving a ride to a man who later perpetrated a terror attack on the American embassy in Sarajevo. After being accused of involvement in the attack and spending time in jail, Dino renounces his religion and returns to his hometown to start over. But, he struggles with rejection both from his community and his family, who now live in Syria.

Stack of Material | Sajra Subašić | 7 min
Seeking an answer to the question of whether home is a place or a feeling, the filmmaker goes on the search for her parents' house in Bosanski Novi, a place she never lived. During her quest she collects a whole stack of material, creating a visual memento of a forgotten town--a place people left in the 90s due to war and which is still continuing to be abandoned out now, years after the war ended, due to economic and political negligence.

Don’t Cry for Me - Susan Sontag in Sarajevo | Nihad Kreševljaković | 72 min
The famous Susan Sontag's arrival in Sarajevo in 1993 is set on the backdrop of a besieged city, where she first staged the play Waiting for Godo. In an extremely simple documentary form, focusing on interviews with thirteen participants and witnesses of the play, this film presents an especially emotional account of life in Sarajevo under siege, in which the burst of life was ignited by Susan Sontag.

Let There Be Colour | Ado Hasanović | 15 min
In September of 2019, Bosnia's first ever LGBTQ pride march took place in Sarajevo. The event was considered a high-risk affair due to the threats by the conservative and religious right wing groups. This film captures this historic event and the atmosphere leading up to it.

OBJAVLJEN PROGRAM ZA 17. BH. FILM FESTIVAL KOJI ĆE OVE GODINE BITI ODRŽAN ONLINE OD 27.10. DO 01.11.2020

Festival ove godine obrađuje niz raznolikih tema i dotiče se važnih društvenih i kulturoloških tema uključujući prvu Povorku ponosa održanu u Sarajevu, slikoviti život žena u ruralnim oblastima, intimni portret porodične borbe, potragu mlade žene za ličnim uspomenama, prvi naučno fantastični igrani film kao i dirljivu priču muškarca da preokrene svoj život nakon odslužene zatvorske kazne zbog pomaganja navodnom teroristi. BHFF je ponosan što ima priliku prikazati rad nekolicine fillmskih stvaralaca čiji inovativan rad odražava uzbudljiv estetski, tematski i tehnički pristup.

"Kao direktori programa BHFF, u ovogodišnjem izdanju ponosni smo što možemo uključiti nove i dolazeće glasove ali i što možemo ponovo pozdraviti filmske stvaraoce čiji su raniji radovi odnijeli dio nagrada u prethodnim izdanjima festivala” naglašavaju direktori Dijana Jelača i Amir Husak. “Kao i uvijek, BHFF je ponosan što može prikazati i podržati rad velikog broja žena filmskih stvaraoca.”

Sedamnaesto izdanje BHFF će ponuditi šest igranih dugometražnih filmova, tri kratka filma i četiri dokumentarna filma. Svi filmovi ovogodišnjeg programa su u utrci za BHFF Nagradu žirija za Najbolji dokumentarni film, Najbolji kratkifilm, Najbolji igrani dugometražni film, Najbolju glumu kao i Posebnu nagradu Žirija te BHFF Nagradu Publike za Najbolje filmsko ostvarenje.

IGRANI FILMOVI:

Nika | Slobodan Maksimović | 92 min

Odlučnost mlade djevojke da postane vozač u auto trkama je stavlja u u konflikt sa svojom majkom I pobuđuje teme tinejdžerskog otpora I generacijskog raskola

Moja tetka u Sarajevu | Goran Kapetanović | 58 min

Osamnaestogodišnja djevojka ubjeđuje svoga oca da je odvede u zemlju njegovog rođenja, Bosnu, gdje otkrivaju svoje korijene ali se i suočavaju sa prošlošću.

Dobra žena | Mirjana Karanović | 94 min

Život supruge se uznemiri kad otkriva da je njen muž umješan u ratne zločine iz prošlosti.

Smrt u Sarajevu | Danis Tanović | 85 min

Nezgode se dešavaju u hotelu u Sarajevu na 100-godišnjicu atentata Franca Ferdinanda.

KRATKI FILMOVI

Prirodni odabir | Aleta Rajič | 10 min
Žena-srna, živuća je skulptura, zarobljena u urbanim prostorima dosade i melanholije, i u utopijskim muzejima u kojima radi i zabavlja se pretvarajući se da je ljudsko biće, ali samo u pozama (čisti, ispija kafu, puši, spava). U stvarnosti, ona je usamljena, beživotna životinja. Problemi nastaju kada se na njenoj glavi, u formi dva roga, pojave pokazatelji životinjskog bijesa. Pogled joj pada na usamljenju Ženu koja pleše na kiši. Da li će iskoristiti svoje narastajuće životinjske moći i ljudske oči da pronađe, izbori i otpleše put ka svojoj pravoj prirodi – slobodi?

Varijacije | Sabina Vajrača | 24 min
Nikola, petnaestogodišnji genijalac iz matematike, dobija neočekivanu priliku da izbjegne ratom razoreno Sarajevo kada klub matematičara dobija pozivnicu da učestvuje u Međunarodnoj Matematičkoj Olimpijadi 1995. godine u Kanadi. Na početku Nikola vidi pozivnicu kao nagradu za svoju odanost matematici i svom klubu usred opsade Sarajeva. To je i prilika da iskusi tinejdžerski život izvan ratne zone. Ali taj bijeg dolazi sa cijenom: Nikola se mora suočiti sa mogućnošću da ostavi, i možda nikada više ne vidi, svoju majku i mlađu sestru.

Šmrk | Alen Šimić | 14 min
Šmrk je čovjek sa prošlošću. Nadajući se da će započeti novi život, traži svoje mjesto u društvu. Nažalost, pripadanje društvu i vođenje normalnog života je lakše reći nego ostvariti, jer Šmrk otkriva da svijet, onakav kakav je on znao, više ne postoji. Trudeći se da se uklopi, on govori pogrešne stvari i pogrešno se ponaša, te mu njegovo mjesto u društvu sve više izmiče. Polako otkriva da, bez obzira na stalno mijenjanje društva, promjene u jednom čovjeku nisu uvijek moguće.

DOKUMENTARNI FILMOVI

Ćafir | Nejra Latić Hulusić | 63 min
Mladi Bosanac, Dino, čiji je otac preselio porodicu iz Bihaća u zatvorenu zajednicu islamskog vehabijskog pokreta, pokušava obnoviti svoj život, nakon što je nehotično prevezao autom čovjeka koji je kasnije počinio teroristički napad na američku ambasadu u Sarajevu. Nakon što je optužen za umiješanost u napad i nakon provedenog vremena u zatvoru, Dino se odriče religije i vraća se u svoj rodni grad da bi krenuo iz početka.  On se bori sa odbacivanjem od  strane svoje zajednice, kao i od svoje porodice koja sada živi u Siriji.   

Gomila materijala | Sajra Subašić | 7 min
Tražeći odgovor na pitanje da li je dom mjesto ili osjećaj, režiserka kreće u potragu za kućom svojih roditelja u Bosanskom Novom, mjestom u kojem nikad nije živjela. Tokom svoje potrage, prikuplja čitavu gomilu materijala, stvarajući vizualnu uspomenu na zaboravljeni grad -- mjesto koje su ljudi napustili 90-ih zbog rata, i koje se jos uvijek prazni danas, godinama nakon završetka rata, zbog ekonomske i političke zapuštenosti.

Don’t Cry For Me - Susan Sontag in Sarajevo | Nihad Kreševljaković | 72 min
Dolazak poznate Susan Sontag u Sarajevo 1993. godine jer smjesten u pozadini grada pod opsadom gdje je po prvi put postavila predstavu Čekajući Godoa. U ekstremno jednostavnom dokumentarnom obliku, koji se fokusira na trinaest učesnika i svjedoka predstave, film posebno emotivno opisuje život u Sarajevu pod opsadom a u kom je Susan Sontag probudila želju za životom.

Nek je što šarenije | Ado Hasanović | 15 min
Prva bosansko-hercegovačka Povorka ponosa održana je u Sarajevu u septembru 2019. godine. Povorka ponosa se smatrala događajem visokog rizika obzirom na prijetnje konzervativnih i religioznih grupa. Film prikazuje ovaj historijski događaj i atmosferu koja je vodila do Prve bh. povorke ponosa.