SARAJEVO (Reuters) – A Bosnian-Dutch film about a girl leaving the Netherlands and returning to her native Bosnia to visit the sick father she has never met was chosen on Thursday as the best movie at the Sarajevo Film Festival (SFF), celebrating its silver jubilee.
The jury chaired by Swedish film-maker Ruben Ostlund, whose film “The Square” won Cannes’ Palme d’Or in 2017, awarded “Take Me Somewhere Nice” by Bosnian director Ena Sendijarevic with the 16,000 euros ($17,736) Heart of Sarajevo award.
The film was selected from nine features competing for the top award. Ostlund described it as beautifully photographed and surreal. Overall, 53 other films competed in four different sections during the week-long festival, which has a special focus on South-East Europe.
Georgian actor Levan Galbakhiani was named the best actor for his role in “And Then We Danced”, while Bulgarian actress Irini Jambonas won best actress for her role in film “Rounds”.
Hollywood star Tim Roth and French actress Isabelle Huppert also received honorary awards.
The festival was launched in 1995, towards the end of the 1992-95 Bosnian war in the besieged Sarajevo, as an act of resistance.
SFF has made dealing with the recent past as a prerequisite to resolving the problems that still burden Western Balkan societies a particular theme.
Reporting by Maja Zuvela; Editing by Alexandra Hudson
