At the eighth annual Bosnian-Herzegovinian Film Festival (BHFF™), which took place May 13 and 14, 2011 at Tribeca Cinemas, "Belvedere," feature film by Ahmed Imamovic and "Much Ado in Mostar," documentary film by Steve Nemsick, won Golden Apples - The Audience Award for the Best Short or Feature Film and the Audience Award for the Best Documentary Film, respectively.

In 2011, BHFF Executive Committee received films from Australia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Finland, France, the Netherlands, Serbia, Slovenia, Sweden, and the United States. In total, eleven films were showcased. The organizers were impressed by the high turnout and positive energy during the festival with audience members traveling from as far as Chicago, California, and Canada.

"Belvedere", a feature by Ahmed Imamovic, tells an intimate story of a widow yearning to forget the tragedy of war who spends most of her days caring for her extended family and searching for the remains of her husband and son. These activities offer a precarious hope, which is one day tested when her nephew gets selected to participate in a reality show in a former enemy enclave.

"Much Ado In Mostar" is a documentary that focuses on a group of Bosniak and Croat teenagers from both sides of the divided city of Mostar, coming together to perform Shakespeare's "Much Ado about Nothing". Their collaboration sends an inspiring message of peace, unity, and healing to its audiences regionally.

The selection of 11 films that were screened at BHFF included the U.S. premieres of "Sex Bomb," "Mother," "Munira," and "Rock n'war." Of note are also "Bijelo Dugme" ("White Button"), and "Piran – Pirano."

The festival also featured Q&A sessions with Steve Nemsick, Claire Wasserman, the producer of "Much Ado in Mostar," and Rešad Kulenovic, the director of "Snovi." The audience awards ceremony took place at the Tribeca Cinemas lounge on Saturday, May 14. Steve Nemsick, who was present, said: "This festival blew me away. It's a sophisticated, film savvy crowd and the outpouring of support following the screening is something I'll never forget. Truly independent film needs help and thanks to the Bosnian-Herzegovinian Film Festival, I'm finally getting it! It's events like these that matter, that can make a difference."

The ceremony was followed by a closing party, featuring a performance by "Burek The," a band that seeks to capture the glory of the "new primitives" movement was popular in ex-Yugoslavia in the mid-'80s, and explore ex-Yu folk and disco of the late '70s.

Among the numerous guests were directors Steve Nemsick, Refik Hodžic and Rešad Kulenovic, producer Claire Wasserman, poet Sasha Skenderija, actors Daniela Dakich and Senad Bašic, artists Nebojša Šeric Shoba and Aida Šehovic, as well as H.E. Mirsada Colakovic, Deputy Permanent Representative of Bosnia and Herzegovina to the United Nations and Ivan Barbalic, Permanent Ambassador of the Mission of Bosnia and Herzegovina to the United Nations.

Blogger Joe Bendel noted the following in his articles about BHFF 2011: "Bijelo and Rock 'n' War rock hard, closing this year's festival on a high note. A sold-out screening, the BHFF appears to be growing nicely, bringing films by and of interest to Bosnians to a wider audience beyond the local ex-pat community." In his second article, he noted the following: "Piran was an excellent selection to launch this year's BHFF, one of the friendliest and most provocative New York festivals." To read both articles, visit jbspins.blogspot.com

The executive committee is grateful for the support of the Major Sponsor, World TV - Provider of International Television, Burek The, Tribeca Cinemas, Marshall Restaurant, Drom, tireless volunteers, individual donors, and BHFF media partners – Radio M, InfoBar, BATV, Focus Magazine, Voice of America, Radio Voice of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and EuroChannel.

Sponsors
World TV (Major Sponsor)