CineLink Co-Production Market selection finalized

Sarajevo Film Festival announces the second round of film projects in development selected to participate in CineLink Co-Production Market. Two titles finalize the roster with projects from established directors from Southeast Europe whose projects are in the advanced stages of development and financing and will be joined by four guest projects, further enriching the diverse and dynamic line-up of 8 titles developed through our CineLink Project Development Workshop in June this year during the Slano Film Days. 

 

All selected projects will participate in CineLink Industry Days during the Sarajevo Film Festival from August 18 to 21 and will be presented to the industry guests, experts and juries in a moderated session. 

 

This year’s lineup is enriched by three guest projects in CineLink Co-production Market selection: two presented through our long-standing partnership with the Doha Film Institute, and one via TRT’s 12 Punto platform. Additionally, two more feature film projects from the official selection will be presented: The City by Ukrainian director Stanislav Bytiutskyi, and Two Little Nightmares, the debut feature by acclaimed Croatian filmmaker Nebojša Slijepčević (The Man Who Could Not Remain Silent). 

 

 

DIRECTOR: Tarık Ötgen 

WRITER: Tarık Ötgen 

PRODUCER: İpek Erden, Bilal Petek 

PRODUCTION COMPANY: Vayka Film 

COUNTRIES: Turkey 

 

Tayfun, haunted by the possibility that he unintentionally killed a child at a wedding where he fired his gun in celebration, shows up at the victim’s family’s door in search of redemption. 

 

 

DIRECTOR: Anas Khalaf 

WRITERS: Anas Khalaf, Rana Kazkaz 

PRODUCER: Marine Vaillant 

PRODUCTION COMPANY: Special Touch Studios 

COUNTRIES: France, Syria, Lebanon, Switzerland, Qatar 

 

Walid, an overweight Lebanese man, is caught up in a destructive spiral. He is sent away to build a tennis court in the Beqaa Valley. His encounters with Laith and Maya lead him to find the path back towards hope. 

 

DIRECTOR: Noor Al-Nasr 

WRITERS: Noor Al-Nasr, Dana Atrach 

PRODUCER: Poppy Clinton, Jamie Riordan 

PRODUCTION COMPANY: The Edge 

COUNTRY: Qatar 

When a tech-obsessed Qatari boy is thrust back into a time when modern technology doesn’t exist, he must navigate a world where pearl diving is the center of culture, commerce, and family. 

 

DIRECTOR: Stanislav Bytiutskyi 

WRITER: Stanislav Bytiutskyi 

PRODUCER: Dmytro Sukhanov 

CO-PRODUCER: Glib Lukianets 

PRODUCTION COMPANY: Toy Cinema 

CO-PRODUCTION COMPANY: Gogol Film 

COUNTRIES: Ukraine, Poland 

 

After the war ends, 25-year-old Stepan arrives in Kyiv to conquer the city and its club scene. But memories of occupation and captivity haunt him every night, making it impossible to escape his past. 

 

DIRECTOR: Nebojša Slijepčević 

WRITERS: Nebojša Slijepčević, Nađa Petrović 

PRODUCERS: Danijel Pek, Katarina Prpić 

PRODUCTION COMPANY: Antitalent 

CO-PRODUCTION COMPANIES: Contrast Films, Les Films Norfolk, Studio Virc, Sense Production

CO-PRODUCERS: Milan Stojanović, Boštjan Virc, Katya Trichkova, Noelle Levenez 

COUNTRIES: Croatia, Bulgaria, France, Slovenia, Serbia

 

Thirty years after his father’s suicide wiped a year from his memory, Matija returns home. As he pieces together the past, he unearths a long-buried betrayal, a haunting secret, and the terrified boy he once was. 

The 31st Sarajevo Film Festival will be held from the 15th to the 22nd of August 2025.