Stefan Đorđević’s Wind, Talk to Me (Vetre, Pričaj Sa Mnom) was awarded the Heart of Sarajevo for Best Feature Film at the Sarajevo Film Festival. The jury, presided over by Ukrainian director Sergei Loznitsa and comprising Dragan Mićanović (actor), Emanuel Pârvu (director), Ena Sendijarević (director), and Tricia Tuttle (director of the Berlin International Film Festival), praised the film for its courageous and deeply personal vision.
Wind, Talk to Me started as a documentary about Đorđević’s mother but was tragically interrupted by her death. Years later, while shooting at his family’s reunion birthday celebration with his grandmother, the director re-explored the latent footage while simultaneously rescuing a neglected hound. These experiences became a meditation on grief, remembrance, and the delicate but long-lasting ties of family that deeply impressed the jury.
The award for Best Director went to Ivana Mladenović for her film Sorella di Clausura, described as “a Dostoevskian current of accumulating failures that ultimately flows into a romantic comedy — without the romance.” In acting categories, the jury opted for a collective choice: the Best Actress award was given to the quartet from Fantasy — Sarah al Saleh, Alina Juhart, Mia Skrbinac, and Mina Milovanović — for the charisma and authenticity with which they “embodied characters exploring the distances between self-perception and how others see them.” The Best Actor award went to Andrija Kuzmanović for his performance in Yugo Florida.
Ivette Löcker’s Our Time Will Come took the top honour in documentaries. The film follows the intercultural relationship between an Austrian woman, Victoria, and her Gambian husband, Siaka, in Vienna. In the short documentary category, the award went to The Man’s Land (Kacebis Mista) by Georgian director Mariam Bakacho Khatchvani — a film that “challenges a centuries-old tradition through intimate cinematography and precise editing.” A Special Jury Award was given to In Hell With Ivo by Bulgarian filmmaker Kristina Nikolova, for “capturing with honesty and compassion the figure of an iconoclastic artist” — the queer performer and songwriter Ivo Dimchev. A Special Mention in the documentary category went to I Believe the Portrait Saved Me by Alban Muja, which uses re-enactment to explore survival and the redemptive power of art.
In the short film competition, the top prize went to Winter in March (Lumi Saadab Meid) by Armenian director Natalia Mirzoyan — an Oscar®-qualifying film. The jury highlighted its precision and creativity in telling a story of inner conflict amid the moral collapse of the protagonist’s country. A Special Mention was awarded to Eraserhead in a Knitted Shopping Bag by Bulgarian filmmaker Lili Koss, a playful yet moving portrait of children growing up in post-communist Bulgaria, inventing their own world. In the student film category, the award went to Tarik by Serbian director Adem Tutić — a visually striking portrayal of toxic masculinity and youthful sensitivity.
Two special awards highlighted social commitment: the Special Award for Promoting Gender Equality was given to God Will Not Help (Bog Neće Pomoći) by Croatian director Hana Jušić, while the Special Youth Perspectives Award went to DJ Ahmet by Macedonian director Georgi M. Unkovski — described as a “lighthearted yet deeply moving story about young people challenging local traditions.” The film also received the Cineuropa Prize.
Among partner awards, Things Hidden Since the Foundation of the World by Kevin Walker and Irene Zahariadis (Greece, USA) was selected as a candidate for the European Film Academy’s Best Short Film Award. White Snail by Elsa Kresmer and Levin Peter received the CICAE Award.
The Sarajevo Film Festival took place from August 15 to 22.