Heart Of Sarajevo

… is the name of the awards given at the Sarajevo Film Festival, distributed last night in the beautiful city with Romanian Monica Lazurean Gorgan as the winner in the documentary category for her “A Mere Breath” (photo) (the heart was accompanied by 3000 €). The catalogue description goes like this:

“The film explores the profoundly contradictory nature of family love. Both a journey of initiation and a theological parable, the film follows seven years in the life of Sicrea family in Romania, capturing trials and tribulations of Dobrin who is waiting for a miracle that will help his youngest daughter get up from her wheelchair. As we watch his children grow up and become adults, we witness the deep impact of Dobrun’s close connection to God on relationships between members of his family…” 7 years… again you can only say thank you to a filmmaker, who stays with her characters for so long time. I am looking fwd. to see that film.

My source for this information is Rada Sesic, great praise to her, who stands

behind all that has to do with documentaries at a festival with red carpet and this year a focus on Robert de Niro, who was there and in an interview compared the siege of Sarajevo with 9/11 in New York…

Rada Sesic tells me that two awards were given to the Bosnian film “Scream for me Sarajevo” by Tarik Hodzic, one for the best human rights film (3000€) and one given by Al Jazeera Balkans (2500€). On top of that, the film received the audience award. An EDN Talent award went to the Austrian film “Unten” by Djordje Cenic and Hermann Peseckas. 

At the Docu Rough Cut Boutique, held parallel to the festival, a very intense seminar where projects are looked upon and discussed, awards were also given out:

IDFA Award: City of the Sun, director Rati Oneli (the recipient will visit IDFA where they will meet with film professionals to discuss the project that participated in Sarajevo)

CAT&Docs Award: In the Shadow of War, Reyan Tuvi (2000 Euro)

HBO Adria Award: In the Shadow of War, Reyan Tuvi (2000 Euro)

DOK Preview Award: In the Shadow of War, Reyan Tuvi (the recipient will participate in the DOK Preview program, part of DOK Leipzig)

Work in Progress Digital Cube Award: Ultra, Balazs Simonyi (postproduction services valued at 20000 Euro).

https://films.sff.ba/en/detail?film=A-Mere-Breath

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Tue Steen Müller
Tue Steen Müller

Müller, Tue Steen
Documentary Consultant and Critic, DENMARK

Worked with documentary films for more than 20 years at the Danish Film Board, as press officer, festival representative and film consultant/commissioner. Co-founder of Balticum Film and TV Festival, Filmkontakt Nord, Documentary of the EU and EDN (European Documentary Network).
Awards: 2004 the Danish Roos Prize for his contribution to the Danish and European documentary culture. 2006 an award for promoting Portuguese documentaries. 2014 he received the EDN Award “for an outstanding contribution to the development of the European documentary culture”. 2016 The Cross of the Knight of the Order for Merits to Lithuania. 2019 a Big Stamp at the 15th edition of ZagrebDox. 2021 receipt of the highest state decoration, Order of the Three Stars, Fourth Class, for the significant contribution to the development and promotion of Latvian documentary cinema outside Latvia. In 2022 he received an honorary award at DocsBarcelona’s 25th edition having served as organizer and programmer since the start of the festival.
From 1996 until 2005 he was the first director of EDN (European Documentary Network). From 2006 a freelance consultant and teacher in workshops like Ex Oriente, DocsBarcelona, Archidoc, Documentary Campus, Storydoc, Baltic Sea Forum, Black Sea DocStories, Caucadoc, CinéDOC Tbilisi, Docudays Kiev, Dealing With the Past Sarajevo FF as well as programme consultant for the festivals Magnificent7 in Belgrade, DOCSBarcelona, Verzio Budapest, Message2Man in St. Petersburg and DOKLeipzig. Teaches at the Zelig Documentary School in Bolzano Italy.

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