Elene Naveriani’s “Blackbird Blackbird Blackberry” gained the highest prize, the Coronary heart of Sarajevo Award for finest characteristic movie, Friday on the Sarajevo Movie Competition. The Georgian movie, during which a stoically unbiased girl in her late 40s experiences a mild existential awakening throughout an affair with an area deliveryman, additionally gained one of the best actress prize for Ekaterine Chavleishvili’s efficiency.
The award for finest director went to Ukraine’s Philip Sotnychenko for “La Palisiada,” and one of the best actor prize was picked up by Serbia’s Jovan Ginić – who gained the Louis Roederer Basis Rising Star Award at Cannes – for “Misplaced Nation.” Serbian director Nemanja Vojinović’s “Bottlemen” took the documentary movie award.
The awards got by a jury headed by actor Mia Wasikowska (“Membership Zero”), which included Danish-Croatian actor Zlatko Burić (“Triangle of Unhappiness”), Serbian-Danish actor Danica Ćurčić (“The Chestnut Man”), Museum of Trendy Artwork Division of Movie curator Josh Siegel and Croatian writer-director Juraj Lerotić, who gained final yr’s high prize in Sarajevo with “Secure Place.”
The ceremony at Sarajevo’s historic Nationwide Theater occurred beneath stormy skies, as thunder rumbled over the inexperienced hills that ring this picturesque Balkan metropolis and arrivals did their finest to strike poses on a crimson carpet nonetheless water-logged from night rain showers. Many wore orange ribbons pinned to their lapels that have been handed out by the pageant as an emblem of the combat towards gender-based violence.
It was a fittingly sober near a pageant that, regardless of shattering final yr’s record-breaking attendance figures, performed out towards the backdrop of a grisly crime that has left this small Balkan nation reeling.
Final Friday, within the small northeastern city of Gradačac, a person livestreamed the homicide of his former spouse on Instagram earlier than killing one other man and his son, injuring an extra three folks earlier than committing suicide. Officers later mentioned some 12,000 folks watched the slaying dwell, and the video acquired 126 likes.
On Wednesday, the Bosnia and Herzegovina authorities declared a nationwide “Day of Mourning” following the ugly crime. In response, the pageant cancelled all screenings and public occasions that day, aside from a particular panel that included a number of filmmakers discussing the representations of violence towards ladies in a area the place such crimes are nonetheless shockingly, appallingly frequent.
The emotional, standing-room-only occasion at Sarajevo’s red-carpeted Competition Sq. was broadcast dwell on Bosnian tv. Competition topper Jovan Marjanović, expressing his dismay at a “horrible incident” that “shocked the nation,” instructed Selection that the swiftly assembled panel was a “humble however related contribution” to the continued dialog round home violence and femicide, noting that the pageant program this yr included over 15 titles dealing straight with the topic. “These are horrible circumstances, however I believe we did what a movie pageant ought to do,” he mentioned.
The sudden disruption mid-fest brought on by the sweeping cancellations left organizers on their again foot as they scrambled to shuffle movie premieres and different public occasions. “We needed to reschedule the final three days completely,” mentioned Marjanović. “It was fairly an enormous feat to maneuver 100 completely different programming gadgets — screenings and panels and masterclasses. It was a terrific effort from the staff that did this in a single day.” The trouble paid off, with the pageant registering a 50% field workplace enhance and a 30% bounce in whole admissions from a record-breaking 2022, with greater than 130,000 tickets bought at this yr’s occasion.
It wasn’t the one disturbance at this yr’s Sarajevo Movie Competition, which confronted a backlash on Wednesday over the inclusion of a controversial Serbian historic drama in an business occasion. The World Warfare II drama, “Heroes of Halyard,” which was a part of a content material showcase from Serbia’s state-backed Telekom Srbija, was criticized for glorifying a Serbian nationalist group accused of struggle crimes. Amid a firestorm on social media and within the Bosnian press, the mayor of Sarajevo referred to as for resignations earlier than if town would proceed to supply the pageant with help.
Finally, mentioned Marjanović, cooler heads prevailed, with the pageant chief insisting that “misinformation” across the movie’s inclusion was the primary perpetrator and that the political firestorm has blown over. “I don’t suppose this may, ultimately, have an enormous impact in the marketplace and the way in which that CineLink occurred this yr,” he mentioned. “It’s only a story that exploded, so folks adopted it. However general, I believe that is one thing that we’ll overcome, have the teachings realized and ensure it by no means occurs once more.”
AWARDS OF THE 29TH SARAJEVO FILM FESTIVAL
COMPETITION PROGRAM – FEATURE FILMJury:Mia Wasikowska (actor, director, Australia)Zlatko Burić (actor, Croatia, Denmark)Danica Čurčić (actor, Serbia, Denmark)Juraj Lerotić (director, actor, Croatia)Josh Siegel (curator of MOMA’s Division of Movie, U.S.)
Coronary heart of Sarajevo for finest characteristic movie“Blackbird Blackbird Blackberry” (Georgia, Switzerland)Director: Elene NaverianiProducer: Britta Rindelaub, Thomas Reichlin, Ketie Danelia
Coronary heart of Sarajevo for finest directorPhilip Sotnychenko, “La Palisiada” (Ukraine)
Coronary heart of Sarajevo for finest actressEkaterine Chavleishvili, “Blackbird Blackbird Blackberry” (Georgia, Switzerland)
Coronary heart of Sarajevo for finest actorJovan Ginić, “Misplaced Nation” (Serbia, France, Croatia, Luxembourg, Qatar)
COMPETITION PROGRAM – DOCUMENTARY FILMJury:Iva Dimitrova (Program supervisor at Hen and Egg Photos, U.S.)Niklas Engstrom (inventive director at CPH:DOX, Denmark)Péter Kerekes (director, Producer, Slovakia)
Coronary heart of Sarajevo for finest documentary movie“Bottlemen” (Serbia, Slovenia)Director: Nemanja Vojinović
Coronary heart of Sarajevo for finest brief documentary movie“Valerija” (Croatia)Director: Sara Jurinčić
Human Rights Award“Silence of Purpose” (North Macedonia, Bosnia and Herzegovina)Director: Kumjana NovakovaThe Human Rights Award is introduced for one of the best movie from the competitors program – documentary movie that addresses human rights points.
Particular Jury Award“Fairy Backyard” (Hungary, Romania, Croatia)Director: Gergő Somogyvári
COMPETITION PROGRAM – SHORT FILMJury:Turai Balazs (director, animation artist, Hungary)Nina Rodriguez (head of programming at Guanajuato Movie Competition, Mexico)Wim Vanacker (programmer at Cannes brief movie competitors, France)
Coronary heart of Sarajevo for finest brief movie (eligible for Oscar nomination)“27” (Hungary, France)Director: Flóra Anna Buda
COMPETITION PROGRAM – STUDENT FILMJury:Kumjana Novakova (programmer, professor, producer and filmmaker, North Macedonia)Tomek Popakuł (director, animation artist, Poland)Damir Šagolj (journalist, photographer, director of images, professor at Academy of Performing Arts Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina)
Coronary heart of Sarajevo for finest scholar movie“Falling” (Hungary, Belgium, Portugal)Director: Anna Gyimesi
Jury Particular Point out“Brief Minimize Grass” (Croatia)Director: David Gašo
SPECIAL AWARD FOR PROMOTING GENDER EQUALITYJury:Jay Van Hoy (producer, U.S.)Nashen Moodley (director of the Sydney Movie Competition, Australia, South Africa)Mila Schlingemann (Head of Programming at Eye Filmmuseum, Netherlands)
“De Facto” (Austria, Germany)Director: Selma Doborac
HONORARY HEART OF SARAJEVOAwarded in recognition of outstanding contribution to the artwork of movie.Mark Cousins, director and screenwriterLynne Ramsay, director, screenwriter and producerCharlie Kaufman, screenwriter, director and producer
