20/08/2018 - Milko Lazarov’s sophomore feature has triumphed at the 24th edition of the festival, where Ioana Uricaru received the Best Director Award for her debut, Lemonade

Bulgarian director Milko Lazarov’s sophomore feature, Ága [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Milko Lazarov
film profile], has won the Heart of Sarajevo for Best Feature Film at the 24^th Sarajevo Film Festival, which ran from 10-17 August. The international jury, headed up by Iranian director Asghar Farhadi and comprising the artistic director of the Macau International Film Festival, Mike Goodridge, actress Judita Franković Brdar, photographer Brigitte Lacombe and last year’s winner, director Ana Urushadze, handed the award to the director. The prize was also accompanied by €16,000 and was given out during the ceremony held at Sarajevo’s National Theatre.

The Heart of Sarajevo for Best Director was bestowed upon Romanian debutant Ioana Uricaru for her feature Lemonade [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Ioana Uricaru
film profile]. The award will also be accompanied by €10,000 in financial aid from Agnès B. Hungarian actress Zsófia Szamosi received the Heart of Sarajevo for Best Actress for her performance in Zsófia Szilágyi’s debut feature, One Day [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Zsófia Szilágyi
film profile], and also received €2,500 from Tondach. Finally, acclaimed Croatian actor Leon Lučev was awarded the Heart of Sarajevo for Best Actor for his role in Ognjen Glavonić’s debut fiction film, The Load [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Ognjen Glavonić
film profile]; the trophy was also accompanied by €2,500, sponsored by Tondach.

In the Documentary Competition section, the jury was made up of DOK Leipzig director Leena Pasanen, Swiss artist-photographer Luciano Rigolini and Slovenian producer-scriptwriter Marina Gumzi. They awarded the Croatian documentary Srbenka [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Nebojša Slijepčević
film profile] by Nebojša Slijepčević with the Heart of Sarajevo for Best Documentary, which comes with a financial award of €3,000 from the government of Switzerland. The Special Jury Prize was handed to Nine Month War [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] by László Csuja, and with it came €2,500 in financial support. The best documentary dealing with the subject of human rights was deemed to be Araf by Didem Pekün and received the Human Rights Award, together with €3,000 in support from the government of Switzerland.

The partner awards ceremony was held at noon on the last day of the festival, before the main ceremony. The Cineuropa Award went to Love 1: Dog [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Florin Şerban
film profile] by Florin Şerban, which also snagged the CICAE Award.

Here is the complete list of winners at the 24^th Sarajevo Film Festival:

Feature Film Competition

Heart of Sarajevo for Best Feature Film
Ága [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Milko Lazarov
film profile] – Milko Lazarov (Bulgaria/Germany/France)

Heart of Sarajevo for Best Director
Ioana Uricaru – Lemonade [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Ioana Uricaru
film profile] (Romania/Canada/Germany/Sweden)

Heart of Sarajevo for Best Actress
Zsófia Szamosi – One Day [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Zsófia Szilágyi
film profile] (Hungary)

Heart of Sarajevo for Best Actor
Leon Lučev – The Load [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Ognjen Glavonić
film profile] (Serbia/France/Croatia/Iran/Qatar)

Documentary Competition

Heart of Sarajevo for Best Documentary Film
Srbenka [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Nebojša Slijepčević
film profile] – Nebojša Slijepčević (Croatia)

Special Jury Prize
Nine Month War [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] – László Csuja (Hungary/Qatar)

Human Rights Award
Araf – Didem Pekün (Turkey/Greece/Bosnia and Herzegovina) (medium-length film)

Short Film Competition

Heart of Sarajevo for Best Short Film
Breath – Ermin Bravo (Bosnia and Herzegovina)

Special Jury Mention
Icebergs – Eirini Vianelli (USA/Greece)

Student Film Competition

Heart of Sarajevo for Best Student Film
Last Call – Hajni Kis (Hungary)

Honorary Heart of Sarajevo
Nuri Bilge Ceylan, director
Nijaz Hastor, owner and founder of the ASA Prevent Group and founder of the Hastor Foundation

Partner awards

Awards from the Association of Bosnian Filmmakers

Ivica Matić Award
Alen Drljević and Damir Ibrahimović – Men Don’t Cry [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Alen Drljević
film profile]

Cineuropa Prize
Love 1: Dog [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Florin Şerban
film profile] – Florin Şerban (Romania/Poland)

CICAE Award
Love 1: Dog – Florin Şerban

Sarajevo Short Film Nominee for the 2018 European Film Awards
I Signed the Petition – Mahdi Fleifel (UK/Germany/Switzerland)

Best Pack & Pitch Award (Talents Sarajevo Pack & Pitch)
The Land Within Me – Fisnik Maxhuni
Remember – Thanos Psichogios

BH Film Student Programme Award

Best B&H Student Film Award
Precious – Irfan Avdić

Special Jury Award
The Confidence-Man – Kouros Alaghband

Special Mention
A Self-Reflection in Three Episodes – Sara Ristić

Kisakes Short Film Award
Precious – Irfan Avdić