email print share on Facebook share on Twitter share on LinkedIn share on reddit pin on Pinterest

SARAJEVO 2017 Awards

Scary Mother wins the Heart of Sarajevo

by 

- Ana Urushadze’s debut feature triumphs at the 23rd edition of festival, where it also received the Cineuropa Prize

Scary Mother wins the Heart of Sarajevo
The team of Scary Mother, with their Heart of Sarajevo (© SFF / Obala Art Centar)

Georgian director Ana Urushadze’s debut feature, Scary Mother [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Ana Urushadze
film profile
]
, has won the Heart of Sarajevo for Best Feature Film at the 23rd Sarajevo Film Festival, which ran from 11 to 18 August. The international jury headed up by Mexican director Michel Franco and comprising the artistic director of Edinburgh IFF Mark Adams, actor Goran Bogdan, CEO of Doha Film Institute Fatma Al Remaihi and actress Melisa Sözen, handed the award to the director and her producer Lasha Khalvashi, the prize was also accompanied by €16,000 awarded yesterday during the ceremony held at Sarajevo’s National Theatre.

(The article continues below - Commercial information)

The Romanian film Meda or the Not So Bright Side of Things [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Emanuel Pârvu
film profile
]
has been awarded with two Heart of Sarajevo awards, with Best Director going to Emanuel Parvu and Best Actor going to Şerban Pavlu. The awards will also be accompanied by €10,000 in financial aid from Agnes B. and €2,500 from Tondach respectively. The Heart of Sarajevo for Best Actress was handed to Ornela Kapetani for her performance inGentian Koçi’s debut feature Daybreak [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Gentian Koçi
film profile
]
, also receiving €2,500 from Tondach. Finally, the Bulgarian film, Directions [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Stephan Komandarev
film profile
]
, by Stephan Komandarev received a Special Mention from the Jury.

In the Documentary Competition section the jury was comprised of Mitteldeutsche Medienfoerderung CEO Claas Danielsen, Deputy Director of First Hand Films Gitte Hansen and director Želimir Žilnik. The jury awarded another Georgian film City of The Sun [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
by Rati Oneli,with the Heart of Sarajevo award for Best Documentary. Kinders [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
by Arash T. Riahi and Arman T. Riahi received the Special Jury Prize, Home by Zdenko Jurilj won the Special Jury Mention, while the Human Rights Award went to Mr. Gay Syria [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
by Ayse Toprak, judged to be the best film dealing with the subject of human rights.

The partner awards ceremony was held at noon on the last day of the festival, before the ceremony. The Cineuropa Award went to Scary Mother, while Son of Sofia [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Elina Psykou
film profile
]
by Elina Psykou won the CICAE Award. Serbian director Biljana Tutorov won the European Documentary Network Talent Grant for When Pigs Come [+see also:
trailer
interview: Biljana Tutorov
film profile
]
.

Here is the complete list of winners at the 23rd Sarajevo Film Festival:

Competition Feature Films

Heart of Sarajevo for Best Feature Film
Scary Mother [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Ana Urushadze
film profile
]
- Ana Urushadze (Georgia/Estonia)

Heart of Sarajevo for Best Director
Emanuel Parvu – Meda or the Not So Bright Side of Things [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Emanuel Pârvu
film profile
]
(Romania)

Special Jury Mention
Directions [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Stephan Komandarev
film profile
]
– Stephan Komandarev (Bulgaria/Germany/Macedonia)

Heart of Sarajevo for Best Actress
Ornela Kapetani – Daybreak [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Gentian Koçi
film profile
]
(Albania/Greece)

Heart of Sarajevo for Best Actor
Şerban Pavlu –Meda or the Not So Bright Side of Things

Competition Documentaries

Heart of Sarajevo for Best Documentary Film
City of The Sun [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
- Rati Oneli (Georgia/USA/Qatar/Netherlands)

Special Jury Prize
Kinders [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
- Arash T. Riahi, Arman T. Riahi (Austria)

Special Jury Mention
Home - Zdenko Jurilj (Croatia/Bosnia and Herzegovina)

Human Rights Award
Mr. Gay Syria [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
- Ayse Toprak (Turkey/France/Germany)

Competition Short Films

Heart of Sarajevo for Best Short Film
Into the Blue -Antoneta Alamat Kusijanović (Croatia/Slovenia)

Special Jury Mention
Soa - Dušan Kasalica (Montenegro)
Copa-Loca – Christos Massalas (Greece)

Competition Student Films

Heart of Sarajevo for Best Student Film
Clean - Neven Samardžić (Bosnia and Herzegovina)

Special Jury Mention
Ljubljana – Munich 15:27 - Katarina Morano (Slovenia)

Honorary Heart of Sarajevo
John Cleese, actor
Oliver Stone, director

Partner Awards

Awards from Association of Bosnian Filmmakers

Ivica Matić Award
Redžinald Šimek

Ivica Matić Award
Tomislav Topić

Ivica Matić Award
Action Group of the Association of Bosnian Filmmakers for copyrights (Pjer Žalica, Jovan Marjanović, Elma Tataragić and Amar Nović)

Cineuropa Prize
Scary Mother - Ana Urushadze

CICAE Prize
Son of Sofia [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Elina Psykou
film profile
]
- Elina Psykou (Greece/France/Bulgaria)

European Documentary Network Talent Grant
When Pigs Come [+see also:
trailer
interview: Biljana Tutorov
film profile
]
- Biljana Tutorov (Serbia/Croatia/Bosnia and Herzegovina)

Sarajevo Short Film Nominee for European Film Awards 2017
Copa-Loca – Christos Massalas

Best Pack & Pitch Award (Talents Sarajevo Pack & Pitch)
Sirin [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
-Senad Šahmanović
(invitation for participation in the co-production market CineLink)
Pinkler - Patricia D'Intino
(post-production sound services totalling €4,000 by studio Chelia)

BH Film Student Programme Award

Best B&H Student Film Award
To Outlive a Turtle -Katarina Živanović (Fakultet dramskih i filmskih umjetnosti Bijeljina)

Special Jury Award
Clean - Neven Samardžić (Akademija scenskih umjetnosti Sarajevo)

Special Mention
Winter Sun -Pilar Palomero (Sarajevo Film Academy)

(The article continues below - Commercial information)

Did you enjoy reading this article? Please subscribe to our newsletter to receive more stories like this directly in your inbox.

Privacy Policy