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Asja Krsmanović Imamović: This Year, the Selection Is Dominated By a Female Perspective

The Programmer of the Competition Programme – Student Short Film present selection of 11 films, with as many as six world premieres and a strong female perspective, which brings forth bold visions from young authors.

How would you describe this year's selection of the Competition Programme – Student Short Film?

Every year when it comes to this programme, it is a discovery of the unknown. These are films by young directors whose names we have never heard of before and from whom, when we open the film link, we have no idea what to expect. This year, we have selected eleven films, six of which are world premieres, one international and four regional premieres. The selection is dominated by narrative films, with the presence of one animation and, unfortunately, without a single documentary film. It is obvious that regional academies and film schools pay much more attention to narrative feature forms and that quality documentaries are still a rarity when it comes to student film. The films in the selection are diverse in terms of thematic focus and stylistic guidelines. While some of the students boldly experiment with different concepts and stylistic and formal solutions, others tend towards narrative films with full-blooded dramatic characters and attempt to coherently communicate important stories using the language of film.

Although stylistically different, students often share similar motifs. What can you single out as a general theme of young authors this year

This year, the selection is dominated by a female perspective. Strong female characters who experience different situations and experiences specific to women in modern society, from unrealistic social expectations when it comes to female beauty and violence against their bodies to achieve that ideal, to accepting the aging process, facing gender-based violence, or accepting their primordial instincts. All of these are specific female experiences, precisely articulated in the language of film through different individual styles.

What new auteur approaches can we expect in this year’s selection

When it comes to auteur approaches, it is difficult to define them as new, but we can talk about the individual styles of the authors in approaching the topics that intrigue them. This year, in the selection, we have a range from mock documentary and sharp social satire through the language characteristic of the authors of the Romanian New Wave to intimate, poetic studies of human emotions and states, told through details. It is nice to see this whole range of auteur approaches in student film.

What was the most interesting moment in this year's film selection process for you?

For me, the most interesting was the collaboration with the pre-selectors, Arman Fatić, who led the team, and Berina Mušanović and Zoja Perović. It is a pleasure to read their comments and see what is important to each person from their perspective in selecting a film, and it is also a great pleasure to work with such a dedicated team.

What is the key importance of a festival like the Sarajevo Film Festival when viewed from the perspective of young authors?

The Sarajevo Film Festival introduced student short films into the official competition category ten years ago, and this was a strategic decision in order to provide young authors with greater support in their professional entry into the industry. It is not often the case when it comes to festivals that student films are on an equal footing with others in the competition programme. We did this with the aim of trying to create continuous support for authors who will enter the festival through the programme, in a very dynamic and unstable regional film industry, and to feel free to contact us at every next step in their careers because they know that they will have support there. And that is precisely why a large number of them returned to Talents Sarajevo, developed their projects through CineLink and participated in other festival programmes. We now have generations of authors whom the festival has helped to develop their careers and become established film professionals, and their journey began precisely in the student programme.

How excited are you to follow the careers of authors who, at the beginning of their careers, participated with a student film at the Sarajevo Film Festival?

That's actually the most beautiful part: seeing the successes of former students who are now developing projects and shooting films, and have premieres at various important film festivals. That's why we're here and why we do everything we do.