Sarajevo City of Film
(Route-3, 2019)
“Sarajevo City of Film” is an Obala Art Center / Sarajevo Film Festival project. The festival started during the war and siege of Sarajevo. Today, 29 years later, SFF is the region’s leading film festival, recognised by film professionals and the wider audience. High-quality programming, a substantial industry segment, and an educational and networking platform for young filmmakers has confirmed its status as the leading film event in this part of Europe. The festival brings the international film industry, filmmakers, and media representatives together alongside a paying audience of over 100,000 people. In an emerging territory of more than 140 million inhabitants, SFF serves as a common platform for film businesses from all over the region, setting the standard for the future of festival organisation, film promotion, and presentation in South-East Europe.
“Sarajevo City of Film” is one of its successful and well-respected projects launched with the mission to discover, support, and promote the talent of filmmakers in Bosnia and Herzegovina and the wider region. The project aims to enable their cooperation and exchange of experience for the creation of a joint film work. From 2008 to today, more than 300 young directors, screenwriters, producers, actors, cameramen, and editors have shot their short films in Sarajevo and collaborated on them. As part of this engaging project, many famous directors like Radu Jude, Hana Jusic, Sonja Tarokic, Dane Komljen, Paul Negoescu, and Cristina Grosan made remarkable shorts in collaboration with colleagues from the neighbouring countries. Dive into the enchanting world of Sarajevo, where we present a unique collection of thrilling short films. All these films were shot in the vibrant city of Sarajevo, serving as the backdrop for stories that captivate the hearts of the audience.
In a tram on Route-3 (2019), the Old Lady in the leopard dress treats the passengers with juicy oranges during a hot, but rainy day in the centre of Sarajevo. Nadja, the princess-teen in her pink hijab; Luka, the virgin bully; an Orthodox Priest; a creepy old man and many, many more ordinary people in this tram have nothing in common, but a juicy slice of orange. All except a shy, yet horny, teenager named Amar.
Liberation in 26 Pictures (2009) shows a short meditation on the resilience of life in 26 perfectly set pictures. A forgotten old partisan leads a lonely life. His only interests are observing his neighbours and watching Sumo wrestling on his antique television set. One day he notices something through his WW2 binoculars that will set him on his last guerilla mission.
What would it mean to dare? In a bizarre tango lesson in Frigidance (2010), everybody is pretending to dance without any music. Everybody follows the directions of the tango teacher, who leads every couple to a more passionate approach to the tango. She urges them to feel it, to pretend that the music and rhythm is leading their steps. Ema, one of the students, tries to break this absurdity just for once and be herself. She does something that may spoil the balance of this awkward reality.
Smart Girls (2010) is a fresh, unexpected, comic story about the loss of virginity. The joint work of two established female directors that plays with stereotypes and conventional social norms. While Marija is set with her boyfriend, her roommate Nikolina is still a virgin. But, after realising that the social practices have changed, she has to follow her duties and restructure her beliefs.
