News

In memory of the victims of the crime in Gradačac

On account of the crime in Gradačac, the Sarajevo Film Festival is organizing a public discussion where filmmakers who have dealt with the topic of violence against women in their work and through their social engagement will discuss artistic and media representations of such violence.

Regional authors, actors, and actresses have approached the theme of femicide through various directorial methods and motivations, but its persistence is undeniable. Films that address the issue of violence against women, and femicide as its most extreme form, raise questions about the personal and social responsibility carried by artistic and media actions. Their complex societal imagery demands systematic analysis, especially in light of the real murders of women and other forms of gender-based violence witnessed in today's society.

The panel "Femicide in Film, Television, and New Media" will feature directors Aida Begić, Vanja Juranić, Kumjana Novakova, director Ademir Kenović, and actress Nadine Mičić, moderated by Nebojša Jovanović. The panel will take place on August 16th at Festival Square, starting at 10:30 AM.

Still moved by the tragic events in Gradačac, director Vanja Juranić dedicated the festival screening of her film "Only When I Laugh" to the victims in Gradačac. "This film is a universal story about a woman trapped in a patriarchal environment. Despite being a victim, she is active and tries to change the situation, as happened in reality in Gradačac, and that's why we want to dedicate this screening to the victims of this great tragedy," Juranić said at the screening. For those who missed the screening, the film will have additional showings at the Sarajevo Film Festival.

In addition to the aforementioned film, this year's Sarajevo Film Festival programme includes numerous other films that deal with the topic of violence against women and femicide.

In the Competitive Programme – Fiction Film, Sofia Exarchou's film "Animal" addresses these themes. In the Competitive Programme – Documentary Film, two films tackle these themes: "Day, 365 Hours" by Eylem Kaftan and "Silence of Reason" by Kumjana Novakova.

In the Competitive Programme – Short Film, the film "Between the Edges of the Day" explores these issues. In the Competitive Programme – Student Film, the films "While I Lay Still" by Yana Eresina and "I Want to Shatter the Greenhouse" by Teona Galgotiu touch on these themes. In the "Focus" programme, films such as "The Lesson" by Stephan Komandarev, "Have You Seen This Woman?" by Dušan Zorić and Matija Gluščević, "Only When I Laugh" by Vanja Juranić from the Open Air programme, and "Sweet Dreams" from the Network of Festivals of the Adriatic Region programme, deal with these topics. In the BH Film programme, films like "Red Bermuda Shorts" by Saša Peševski, "So Much Water So Close to Home" by Ilija Puljić, "Fatherland" by Stefan Tomić, "Sarajevo Overdrive" by Adnan Hrustemović, and "Love You Forever" by Ismar Vejzović address these themes.

We hereby inform our viewers and Festival guests that on Wednesday, August 16th, on the Day of Mourning, the Festival will focus exclusively on key activities – film screenings, workshops, lectures, and presentations. In respect for the victims, there will be no social events organized by the Sarajevo Film Festival on that day, including the absence of Red Carpet coverage and the passing of guests without ceremonial announcements, statements, or photography.

Today, on August 14th, the Day of Mourning in the Tuzla Canton, the scheduled screening of the Sarajevo Film Festival in Tuzla at the Bingo Open Air Cinema Tuzla will not take place.

Solidarity with all victims of violence against women!