ABOUT 10TH ANNUAL BOSNIAN-HERZEGOVINIAN FILM FESTIVAL - 2013
PHOTO GALLERY - 2012
Halima's Path (Halimin Put), a feature film by Arsen Ostojić, Baggage, a short film by Danis Tanović, and Zizi, a documentary film by Nedžad Begović, won Golden Apple awards at the tenth annual Bosnian-Herzegovinian Film Festival (BHFF), held at prolific Tribeca Cinemas.
Halima's Path (Halimin Put) won the BHFF 2013 Jury Award for Best Feature Film. Baggage won the BHFF 2013 award for Best Short Film, and Zizi won the BHFF 2013 Jury Award for Best Documentary Film. The BHFF 2013 Jury Special Mention award went to Children of Sarajevo (Djeca), a feature film by Aida Begić.
These outstanding films were selected by the official BHFF 2013 Jury, an expert panel comprising acclaimed director and screenwriter Goran Rusinović; award-winning filmmaker and humanitarian Bill Carter; and acclaimed photojournalist and documentary filmmaker Sara Terry.
Additionally, Halima's Path (Halimin Put) won the BHFF 2013 Audience Award for Best Picture.
Ostojić, who directed Halima's Path, said, "I am especially glad that the film received an award from both the audience and the jury at BHFF, the festival which may be small in size but is certainly large in spirit." He added, "The most beautiful aspect of all of this is when a film is shown before a full theater, before a public consisting of people from our parts of the world, as well as Americans. It is absolutely beautiful to see how they all react in the same manner, recognizing true human emotion as well as the story's persuasiveness."
Halima's Path tells the compelling story of a widow who is trying to salvage the remains of her son and husband who were killed years ago, in the war. In this emotional drama inspired by true events, Ostojić depicts a heart-wrenching story of motherhood and a nation struggling to find closure.
The tenth annual BHFF screened a total of 13 feature, short, and documentary films, compiled from a total of 32 submissions from 11 countries including Bosnia and Herzegovina, Canada, Croatia, England, Ireland, Italy, Macedonia, the Netherlands, Serbia, Slovenia, and the United States.
Other films that screened at the tenth annual BHFF include: Nebojša Šerić–Shoba's Blockhouse; Orsi Nagzpal's Roundabout (Kružni Tok); Jelena Gavrilović's Something Sweet (Nešto Slatko); Slobodan Maksimović's Thank You For Sunderland (Hvala za Sunderland); Miro Benković's Mirza Delibašić – The Legend (Mirza Delibašić – Legenda); Igor Drljača's Krivina; Miroslav Momčilović's Death of a Man in Balkans (Smrt čoveka na Balkanu); Ante Novaković's The Fix; and Pjer Žalica's The Orchestra (Orkestar).
BHFF 2013 PROGRAM
SOMETHING SWEET
(Nešto slatko)
2012 | Jelena Gavrilović | 19 min
Short Fiction
Ena, a 10-year-old girl, is struggling to find her place in the world, and has a constant urge to eat something sweet. Ena's frustration surfaces as she bids farewell to her friend Ado on the eve of his move to Frankfurt. Something Sweet premieres in the U.S. at the 2013 BHFF.
DEATH OF A MAN IN BALKANS
(Smrt čoveka na Balkanu)
2012 | Miroslav Momčilović | 80 min
Feature
An artist commits suicide before his webcam, which goes on to record the reactions of his neighbors as they rush to his home upon hearing a gunshot. Unaware that they are being filmed, neighbors, police, and medical workers respond to the man's death. Filmed entirely in one shot, Momcilovic's dark comedy examines people's preoccupation with how they are perceived. A "witty, brilliantly choreographed exercise in mise-en-scene," according to Variety
ZIZI
2013 | Nedžad Begović | 26 min
Documentary
From Begović, known for his unique comedic style, comes Zizi, a documentary film about a native Sarajevan and consummate storyteller. In this amusing short film, the eponymous Zizi recounts past escapades and adventures, fantastical dreams, and things as he had once hoped would come to pass. Zizi also enjoys billiards, and sees distinct parallels between life in Bosnia and Herzegovina and his beloved game of strategy and calculation. Zizi is a nuanced and heart-warming look at Bosnian society.
THANKS FOR SUNDERLAND
(Hvala za Sunderland)
2012 | Slobodan Maksimović | 92 min
Feature
In Maksimovic's dark comedy, Johan, a factory worker struggling to support his family, comes across a get-rich-quick scheme offered by shady businessman Zlatko. Johan steals €1800 to invest with Zlatko, but his life soon takes a turn for the worse as his wife leaves him, he loses his job, and the deal turns out to be a scam. Thanks for Sunderland debuted at the 2012 Slovenia Film Festival, where it won multiple awards.
CHILDREN OF SARAJEVO
(Djeca)
2012 | Aida Begić | 90 min
Feature
Rahima and her younger brother Nedim are orphans of the Bosnian war and are living in Sarajevo, a transitional society that has lost its moral compass. After crime-prone adolescent years, Rahima has found comfort in Islam and hopes her brother will follow in her footsteps. But everything changes the day Nedim gets into a fistfight at school with the son of a local strongman, and Rahima learns just how much trouble he is in.
BAGGAGE
(Prtljag)
2011 | Danis Tanović | 26 min
Short Fiction
Having been away for many years, Amir returns to Bosnia and Herzegovina to locate and bury the remains of his parents, who were were murdered during the war. Beside a ruined house in his hometown, Amir finds a forgotten friend who knows more about him than he does about himself. Baggage, a film from Academy Award-winning director and screenwriter Danis Tanovic, has screened at a number of film festivals in Europe and beyond.
MIRZA DELIBASIC - THE LEGEND
(Mirza Delibašić - Legenda)
2012 | Miro Benković | 85 min
Documentary
This intimate retrospective examines the life of Bosnian-Herzegovinian professional basketball player Mirza Delibašic, who is internationally renowned for both his skill on the court and his extraordinary sportsmanship. Benkovic draws on archival materials and accounts from Delibašic's friends and family in this emotional portrait of a basketball icon.
THE BLOCKHOUSE
2013 | Nebojša Šerić - Shoba | 11 min
Short Fiction
A jarring transition occurs when a soldier on the front line leaves the battlefield to call his mother, only to return to battle after a brief conversation. The Blockhouse is a powerful visual manifesto of how history is perceived and interpreted. It makes its world premiere at the 2013 BHFF.
THE FIX
2013 | Ante Novaković | 18 min
Short Fiction
Redemption is only a bullet away, as two middling underworld associates and lifelong friends quickly come to realize after failing a seemingly simple task from an otherworldly crime boss. The two are then offered a chance at clemency, but at what price? The Fix, featuring the inimitable Armand Assante, was an official selection at the 2013 SOHO International Film Festival, and won the Audience Selection Award at the 2013 Gasparilla Film Festival.
KRIVINA
2012 | Igor Drljača | 67 min
Feature
Miro, a Yugoslavian immigrant, returns to his homeland after years abroad to search for his friend Dado, who has been missing for decades and is now implicated in war crimes. As he searches the Bosnian countryside for traces of his old friend's whereabouts, Miro finds that he must untangle a complex series of contradictory clues and memories that challenge his—and the viewer's—perception of reality. Krivina was called "astute and philosophical beyond its young director's years." at the 2012 Toronto IFF
ROUNDABOUT
(Kružni tok)
2012 | Orsi Nagypal | 19 min
Short Fiction
Frustrated with his routine life and tense marriage, a man falls in love with the female voice of his GPS. The unlikely connection breathes life back into the man, but the unorthodox "relationship" also has its drawbacks. Roundabout received the Atlantic Group Award at the 2012 Sarajevo Film Festival, and makes its U.S. debut at the 2013 BHFF.
HALIMA'S PATH
(Halimin put)
2012 | Arsen Ostojić | 105 min
Feature
Halima, a widow, is trying to salvage the bones of her son, who was killed in the war years ago. However, a deeply personal dilemma is preventing her from claiming them. In this emotional drama inspired by true events, Ostojic depicts a heart-wrenching story of motherhood and a nation struggling to find closure. Halima's Path has won numerous awards at festivals around the world.
ORCHESTRA
(Orkestar)
2011 | Pjer Žalica | 105 min
Documentary
This award-winning documentary focuses on the fascinating 25-year-long career of Saša Lošic and the legendary Sarajevo band, Plavi Orkestar (Blue Orchestra). The documentary witnesses a period of time and a generation that lived through a change of system of values but also remained loyal to itself. This is a film about optimism, strength, and the indestructibility of talent, friendship, and music.
