Sarajevo Film Festival 2024

Land grab in Gaza

Documentary Melita Zajc -
PALESTINE: The blind obedience of radical Israeli settlers, their leadership influence, and the state of Israel's displacement tactics.
Documentary

Let’s talk about Riefenstahl

IDEOLOGY: Leni Riefenstahl shaped a controversial legacy, prompting reflection on whether her work’s fascist ideals still resonate in contemporary culture.
Melita Zajc -
Documentary

Cinema and the post-truth world

REALITY: Cinema's unique role in investigating reality, fiction, AI-driven propaganda, and how imagination shapes our perceptions in the post-truth world.
Melita Zajc -
Documentary

Abuser at home, victim in the fields

TRAUMA: An intimate story of family trauma and exploitation, tackling patriarchal structures and the complex life of migrant labourers.
Steve Rickinson -
Documentary

Does Europe exist?

EUROPE: Researching the sources, challenges, failures and the future of the phenomena «Europe.»
Dieter Wieczorek -

Industry news

Latest film reviews

When green promises fail

ENVIRONMENT: A Bosnian town grapples with pollution, health crises, and conflicting interests, as citizens demand accountability from a massive steel plant.

The war remains

UKRAINE: Collateral damage far from the frontlines of Ukraine's long struggle in the east with separatists and now Russian armed forces is seen in Lesia Diak's moving focus on a family torn apart by war.

A million roses and coal

UKRAINE: The impact of war on three generations of women, blending personal stories, family archives, and historical parallels.

Pedalling through pain

LOVE: Love, illness, and resilience on a transformative cycling journey through Italy.

Refugees in the wilderness

MIGRANTS: One family's pursuit of a simple life in nature, as they confront harsh political realities and moral dilemmas.

Written in stone

CLIMATE: Human impact on nature through stones.

A dive into neurodiversity

NEURODIVERSITY An experimental film about autism redefining neurodiversity, challenging societal norms with creative storytelling and humour.

The faces of trauma

TRAUMA: A 15-year cinematic journey highlighting Kosovo war survivors' trauma,

Editorials, comments & essays

Commentary

IceDocs 2024: Between the mountains and the sea

Avatar photo Steve Rickinson -
ICEDOCS: IceDocs emphasised authentic filmmaker-audience connections, featuring diverse documentaries, seminars, and local cultural experiences.
Commentary

The new barbarians

Avatar photo Truls Lie -
MIGRATION: When visiting a migrant island like Lampedusa, what experiences can be linked to the theory of the 'Other'? Perhaps some philosophers can show the way. Unless the migrants are the best guides.
Commentary

The privilege of the self-portrait

Avatar photo Maria Fernanda Arellanes Arellanes -
MEXICO: The intersection of migration and personal identity with Night of the Coyotes and Frida: A Self-Portrait.
Commentary

DOX:EXCHANGE: documenting change in restrictive environments

Karen Cirillo Karen Cirillo -
Making documentary films and nurturing an ecosystem is not easy for most filmmakers, but in #Belarus and #Georgia, filmmakers encounter hurdles outside of the...
Commentary

Bodies and freedom

Avatar photo Aleksander Huser -
THESSALONIKI: Elina Psykou's Stray Bodies sheds thought-provoking light on bodily autonomy through abortion, in-vitro fertilization and euthanasia, while Tzeli Hadjidimitriou tells the story of the lesbian community on the island of Lesvos in Lesvia.
Commentary

CPH:DOX INTER:ACTIVE: Intersections of flesh and code

Avatar photo Steve Rickinson -
REPORT: When CPH:DOX opened its doors for its 21st instalment between 13 and 24 March 2024, it centred on issues ranging from fertility, ableism, discrimination and trauma, regarding the body as a site of socio-political conflict.

The latest magazines

MajorDocs 2024
IDF 2024
BIFED 2024
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MIA Market 2024
Porto Post Doc 2024
Baltic Sea Docs 2024

Book reviews

Interviews

«Justice is something worth living for»

PAKESTINE/ISRAEL: How is it to be a Special Rapporteur on the occupied Palestinian territory? We spoke to Francesca Albanese about Israel's war against Gaza, genocide, antisemitism, and impunity – from her specialisation on international law. She talks about political, legal, psychological, and epistemic violence – coming from how Israel, with Western acquiescence, has been threatening the Palestinians for decades.
Truls Lie -

«Dokufest emerged from this feeling of newfound freedom—the possibility of doing something despite the challenges.»

DOKUFEST: Modern Times Review spoke with DokuNights curators Nita Deda and Leart Rama on their road to the festival, Kosovo's love for electronic music, balancing local and international acts, and more.
Steve Rickinson -

«It’s nice to have an outlet to just laugh and enjoy»

ICEDOCS: With the sixth edition kicking off this week, Modern Times Review spoke with Festival Director Ingibjörg Halldórsdóttir on her background, Icelandic documentary aesthetics, the festival’s choice of location, and more.
Steve Rickinson -

We can be found at all the primary European documentary festivals, on-site for audiences, and in the delegate bags of professionals. Printed two times annually and with regularly updated online content, our archive of nearly 2000 reviews and articles cover political, ecological, big-tech and existential documentary films – and now non-fiction books too. Please donate and you will get the print magazine too.

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© FILM AS / Truls Lie
96100 Siracusa, Italy 
Editor-in-chief: Truls Lie

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