Rada Šešić, selector of the Competition Programme – Documentary Film, has unveiled 20 films competing in this year’s Sarajevo Film Festival, comprising 12 feature-length and 8 short documentaries. The selection includes five world premieres, three international premieres, ten regional premieres, and two Bosnian and Herzegovinian premieres. Additionally, one film will screen out of competition as an international premiere.
Awards in the section include the Heart of Sarajevo for Best Documentary Film (€4,000, Oscar® qualifying), Heart of Sarajevo for Best Short Documentary Film (€2,000), and a Special Jury Prize (€2,500).
Competition titles
- Bosnian Knight (dir. Tarik Hodžić) – Bosnia and Herzegovina/Croatia — World premiere
- I Saw a ‘Suno’ (dir. Katalin Barsony) – Hungary/Belgium — World premiere
- Kite (dir. Thanos Psichogios) – Greece — World premiere
- Third World (dir. Arsen Oremović) – Croatia — World premiere
- Steel Hotel Song (dir. Bojan Stojčić) – Bosnia and Herzegovina — World premiere
- Letters (dir. Aysel Küçüksu) – Bulgaria — International premiere
- My Dad’s Lessons (dir. Dalija Dozet) – Croatia — International premiere
- Red Slide (dir. Nebojša Slijepčević) – Croatia — International premiere
- Cuba & Alaska (dir. Yegor Troyanovsky) – Ukraine/France/Belgium — Regional premiere
- Divia (dir. Dmytro Hreshko) – Ukraine/Poland/The Netherlands/USA — Regional premiere
- Dreamers: People of the Light (dir. Imam Hasanov) – Azerbaijan — Regional premiere
- Everytime You Leave, You Are Born Again (dir. Mladen Bundalo) – Bosnia and Herzegovina/Belgium — Regional premiere
- I Believe the Portrait Saved Me (dir. Alban Muja) – Kosovo*/The Netherlands — Regional premiere
- In Hell with Ivo (dir. Kristina Nikolova) – Bulgaria/USA — Regional premiere
- Militantropos (dir. Yelizaveta Smith, Alina Gorlova, Simon Mozgoviy) – Ukraine/Austria/France — Regional premiere
- Our Time Will Come (dir. Ivette Löcker) – Austria — Regional premiere
- The Men’s Land (dir. Mariam Bakacho Khatchvani) – Georgia/Hungary — Regional premiere
- Slet 1988 (dir. Marta Popivoda) – Serbia/Germany/France — Regional premiere
- 9-Month Contract (dir. Ketevan Vashagashvili) – Georgia/Bulgaria/Germany — B&H premiere
- Tata (dir. Lina Vdovîi, Radu Ciorniciuc) – Romania/Germany/The Netherlands — B&H premiere
Out of competition
- OHO Film (dir. Damjan Kozole) – Slovenia/Croatia — International premiere
The 31st Sarajevo Film Festival runs 15–22 August 2025.
