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Cristi Puiu's “Sieranevada” Gets Warm Reception From Critics and Audiences at Cannes
SIERANEVADA, the latest film by Romania’s Cristi Puiu, premiered Thursday in the Competition programme of the 69th Cannes Film Festival and earned a warm reception from critics and audiences in attendance. This is a great news for Bosnia-Herzegovina’s film industry because our country was represented among the film’s co-producers.
Bosnia and Herzegovina was represented in the co-production team by the Sarajevo-based production house 2006. and its producers Mirsad Purivatra and Sabina Brankovic, as well as its co-producer Izeta Gradjevic. The film received funding from the regional co-production budget of the Sarajevo Foundation for Cinematography. Members of the film crew from Bosnia and Herzegovina also included assistant editor Dejan Coric, assistant set designer Adnan Besirovic and production assistant Nedim Brankovic.
“I am very happy that the idea for SIERANEVADA was born in Sarajevo in 2012 during a conversation with Puiu. Reactions to the film by critics and moviegoers proves that that idea was realized in the best possible way. It makes me happy that Puiu has been praising the members of the film crew from Bosnia and Herzegovina, describing them as some of the most professional people he had ever worked with in all his public statements in Cannes,” Bosnian film producer Mirsad Purivatra said.
The fact that SIERANEVADA was selected to open the prestigious competition program at the Cannes is the best evidence of the good impression it left. Purivatra stressed that it was very important for the film crew that the festival directors Christian Jeune and Thierry Fremaux voiced satisfaction after the premiere with their choice of Puiu’s film for the opening film of the competition lineup. The good reception by film critics of the opening film of the competition program is very important for the festival and SIERANEVADA had met the expectations of the key people of the Cannes Film Festival.
After the premiere of SIERANEVADA, the film crew led by director Cristi Puiu have joined a reception hosted by the representatives of Bosnia-Herzegovina’s film industry in their regional pavilion in the Village international Riviera. Along with Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Serbia, Slovenia, Cyprus, Bulgaria, Croatia and Macedonia also presented the richness of their film industry at the Village international Riviera.
Sieranevada was produced by Romanian production house Mandragora in coproduction with 2006., Alcatraz Films (France), Spiritus Movens Production (Croatia) and Sisters and Brother Mitevski (Macedonija).
SIERANEVADA is 2006.’s fourth feature film project. Their first production was Danis Tanovic’s CIRKUS COLUMBIA. The company then coproduced two films that were included in the official competition at the Cannes, namely the Cannes Grand Jury prize winner ONCE UPON A TIME IN ANATOLIA by Turkish director Nuri Bilge Ceylan and a collection of short films by 13 European directors BRIDGES OF SARAJEVO.
SIERANEVADA will be screened at the forthcoming 22nd Sarajevo Film Festival.