Documentary Focus at Sarajevo FF

Sarajevo Film Festival reinforces its commitment to powerful documentary storytelling with a revitalized concept for its documentary strand at CineLink Industry Days. Building on its longstanding support for filmmakers across Southeast Europe and beyond, the Festival introduces a dynamic platform for exchange, visibility, and industry momentum tailored to the evolving needs of contemporary documentary cinema. 

Taking place on August 17–18, the documentary focus will bring together decision-makers, filmmakers, and industry professionals for two days of curated sessions, presentations, and meetings. These activities are designed to foster collaboration, elevate emerging trends, and respond to the shifting landscape of production, distribution, and audience engagement in documentary filmmaking.

As part of its programme, CineLink Talks will feature a panel dedicated to the following topic: Decoding the Documentary Industry: What Decision Makers are Looking For? taking place on 18 August, 15:00. This panel aims to demystify the documentary industry by shedding light on the perspectives of decision-makers when selecting documentary films. Industry experts will share insights into the trends and considerations influencing their choices, offering valuable guidance to filmmakers seeking funding and distribution opportunities. Joining the conversation are Tereza Bona Keilova, Inka Achte, and Ania Trzebiatowska, with Martichka Bozhilova moderating the session. 

At the heart of this year’s activities are still our two key platforms:

Docu Rough Cut Boutique, co-organized with the Balkan Documentary Center, continues to be the leading regional programme dedicated to projects in the final stages of editing. Known for its intimate, tailor-made format, it supports five carefully selected films from Southeast Europe and the Caucasus that we already announced earlier this year. 

Docu Rough Cut Boutique Awards 
Avanpost Award | in kind post-production services worth €20,000 
HBO Award | €2,000 
The Institute of Documentary Film (IDF) – East Silver Caravan Award | €3,500 
DOK Leipzig Preview Award | invitation to present a project at DOK Leipzig 2025 
Movies that Matter Award | invitation to present a project at Movies that Matter

Docu Rough Cut Boutique Jury 
Eugen Kelemen | Avanpost 
Marcel Maiga | German Films / Dok Leipzig   
Margje de Koning | Movies that Matter   
Nora Sarak | Institute of Documentary Film   
Tereza Bona Keilova | Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD)

Docu Talents from the East, organized by Ji.hlava International Documentary Film Festival, presents seven compelling feature-length documentaries from Central and Eastern Europe in production or post-production. These projects are seeking festival launches and international partners to move toward completion. 

Docu Talents from the East Awards 
Docu Talents Award  | Award for the most promising project from the region of Central and Eastern Europe. 

Avanpost Post-production Award  | The 25,000 EUR in-kind award of post-production services (color grading, master file, and DCP, 8 days for grading in Baselight, etc.) 

DAFilms Distribution Award  | The 3,000 EUR in-kind DAFilms Distribution Award, covering international VOD release on DAFilms (including Americas, Europe, Asia) for two years.

Docu Talents from the East Jury 
Nina Numankadić | DAFilms 
Martichka Bozhilova | AGITPROP 
Jarmila Outtratova | Ji.hvala IDFF 
Ben Dalton | Screen International 
Steve Rickinson | Modern Times Review 


Docu Talents from the East Selection: 

A SONG WITHOUT HOME 
Director: Rati Tsiteladze 
Producer:  Olga Slusareva 
Production company: ArtWay Film 
Country: Georgia 

This immersive journey follows a young trans woman seeking freedom in Europe and her mother facing estrangement in Georgia, bound by love, longing, and the search for self-liberation across divided worlds. 

MONUMENT OF REVOLUTION 
Director: Mladen Ivanović 
Producer:  Tamara Puizina 
Production company: The Academy of Dramatic Art 
Country: Croatia

The Monument of the Uprising of the Peoples of Banija and Kordun is one of the most significant monuments ever built in this region. Filming both casual and intentional visitors throughout the seasons, this film shows its gradual decay, which, in a metaphorical sense, means more than just the disappearance of a single monument.

LAND OF FIRE 
Director: Nikola Klinger 
Producer: Kristina Husova 
Co-producer: Jan Wilde, Taghreed Saadeh 
Production company: Cinepoint 
Countries: Czech Republic, Germany, Canada

In the wilderness of British Columbia, a grieving father’s quest for justice for his murdered daughter interweaves with local rituals of healing and demolition derby races. 

STRANGE SEA 
Director: Lala Aliyeva 
Producer: Aysel Akhundova 
Production company: Yaman Film 
Countries: Azerbajian, Georgia

In the depths of the Caspian Sea the whispers of its dark past intertwine with the tales of ordinary life. Through a personal journey, ‘Strange Sea’ paints an impressionistic portrait of Azerbaijan. 

I AM ONE OF THEM 
Director: Nadim Suleiman 
Producer: Kasia Kuczynska 
Production companies: Pamlyra Films, Haka Films 
Countries: Poland, Saudi Arabia

A Syrian filmmaker and a Polish nationalist cross paths, beginning a complex journey of friendship, self-discovery, and the struggle to bridge their differences. 

FLYING COWS (PHOTO)
Director: Vahagn Khachatryan and Aren Malakyan 
Producer: Vahagn Khachatryan and Irene Munoz Martin 
Production companies: Oolik Production 
Countries: Armenia, Switzerland

In the chaos of war, a cow gives birth to a calf. As villagers pack their belongings and flee their homes, the calf is sold to cattle traders and begins a journey from Armenia to Iraqi Kurdistan. 

SHUT THE FUCK UP! 
Director: Taisiia Kutuzova 
Producer:  Alona Savchuk 
Production company: Crimean Waves 
Country: Ukraine

When a 16-year-old activist from a village near Kyiv exposes local corruption on Facebook, he triggers a storm of threats and violence. As he runs for office under pressure, he must also confront a deeper personal struggle — in a country at war and a community that seems not ready for change.


Docu Rough Cut Boutique Projects 

CORDON 
Director: Anton Mezulić 
Producer: Oliver Sertić 
Co-producer: Victor Ede 
Editor: Dora Slakoper 
Production company: RESTART 
Co-production company: CINEPHAGE PRODUCTIONS, HRT 
Countries: Croatia, France 
Length: 80’

In a small, nationally divided town, Nikola, a child of a mixed marriage, is approaching manhood while dealing with a chaotic past and an uncertain future, trying to realise his true identity. 

LOST AND FOUND: Romania’s Hidden Adoption Market 
Director: Laurentiu Garofeanu 
Producer: Laurentiu Garofeanu 
Editor: Iulian Ghervas 
Production company: Mekanism Media (RO) 
Country: Romania 
Length: 90 min

When a young Canadian woman who was sold as an infant in post-Ceaușescu Romania returns to reclaim her identity, she uncovers the machinery that trafficked the sister she never knew, one of 30,000 children “exported” for adoption. 

WE SHALL LIVE TOGETHER 
Director: Damir Markovina 
Producer: Tamara Babun Zovko 
Co-producer: Damir Markovina 
Editor: Marta Bregeš, Vladimir Gojun 
Production company: Wolfgang & Dolly LLC 
Co-production company: Osoba D 
Countries: Croatia 
Length: 75′

Thirty years after the war ended, two brothers urge their father to return to the place they were exiled from—their divided hometown, a city made up of hurt, trauma, and precious memories. 

ABOUT THE END OF THE WORLD 
Director: Jakob Krese 
Producers: Ivana Naceva, Annika Mayer 
Co-producers: Chiara Castiglioni, Vanja Jambrović, Marina Gumzi 
Editor: Annika Mayer 
Production companies: Pótem, Majmun Films 
Co-production company: Zero Stress Production, Restart, Nosorogi 
Countries: Slovenia, Germany, Italy, Croatia 
Length: 100’

A Yugoslav family reflects on over half a century of upheaval, hope, destruction, and new beginnings. A dialogue about missing gods, an end that is not, and the price that must be paid for never giving up.

THE GREAT RESET 
Director: Peter Akar and Ambrus Fater 
Producers: Rita balogh and Barbara Frank 
Editor: Marriana Rudas 
Production companies: Other Films 
Countries: Hungary 
Length: 80’

Ever-competitive, thirty-eight-year-old Anna seeks to outdo her mother and earn her own recognition—so when she inherits her two-star Michelin restaurant, she tears it down to the studs to build her own legacy.