Towards the end of the four-year siege of Sarajevo, in 1995, Obala Art Centar initiated the Sarajevo Film Festival with the aim of helping to reconstruct civil society and retain the cosmopolitan spirit of the city.
Today, the Sarajevo Film Festival is the leading film festival in the region, recognized by both film professionals and the wider audience. The Sarajevo Film Festival is an international film festival with a special focus on the region of South-East Europe (Albania, Armenia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Greece, Georgia, Hungary, Kosovo*, Macedonia, Malta, Moldova, Montenegro, Romania, Serbia, Slovenia, Turkey), shining an international spotlight on films, talent and future projects from the region.
High quality programming, a strong industry segment, an educational and networking platform for young filmmakers and thus generated presence of the international film industry, film authors and media representatives alongside a paying audience of over 100,000, confirm its status as the leading film festival in the region, recognised by both professionals and the wider audiences.
In an emerging territory of more than 140 million inhabitants, Sarajevo Film Festival serves as a common platform for film businesses from all over the region, setting the future standards in festival organisation, film promotion and presentation in South-East Europe.
Feel the creative energy of our Festival and share our passion for films in the remarkable atmosphere of the city of Sarajevo.
Sarajevo Film Festival is an international film festival with a focus on Regional cinema as stated below, as its specific aim lies in promoting and aiding the development of regional cinema and authors. Its goal is to act as the main meeting point where international and regional cinema converge in a spirit of cooperation and cultural exchange through the presentation of the finest and most recent achievements in world cinema. Sarajevo Film Festival dedicates its Competition Programme solely to regional film, showing regional, European, international and world premieres of films from Albania, Armenia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Georgia, Greece, Hungary, Kosovo*, Macedonia, Malta, Moldavia, Montenegro, Romania, Serbia, Slovenia and Turkey.
International Jury for Competition Programmes will be comprised of prominent representatives of: filmmakers, actors and actresses, producers, film festival programmers, representatives of culture.
Four international juries will be established, one for each competitive section - feature, short, documentary and student film.
The majority of members from each of the four juries will come from countries other than Festival host country. No Jury member will be assigned if previously had taken part in the making of any film in the competition programmes.
Festival programmes for submissions:
* Competition Programme - Feature Film
* Competition Programme - Documentary Film
* Competition Programme - Short Film
* Competition Programme - Student Film
* European Shorts
* Children's Programme
* TeenArena
* BH Film Programme