15/07/2024 - The gathering will open with the Palestinian short An Orange from Jaffa on 19 July; highlights include premieres, the OFF Pro Film Market and special appearances by prominent industry figures

The 16th edition of the Youth Film Festival Sarajevo, one of the foremost short and youth film festivals in Southeast Europe, will commence on Friday 19 July. This year's opening film, the Palestinian short An Orange from Jaffa by Mohamed Almughanni, spearheads a vibrant line-up of over 65 movies, including more than 20 premieres. Tickets have been available since 12 July on the festival’s website.

The festival’s OFF Generation Features section will showcase a selection of critically acclaimed European flicks, previously screened at prestigious festivals of the likes of the Berlinale and Cannes. This line-up includes titles such as Forever-Forever [+see also:
film review
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interview: Anna Buryachkova
film profile] by Anna Buryachkova, Last Summer [+see also:
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interview: Catherine Breillat
film profile] by Catherine Breillat, Suspicious Minds by Emiliano Corapi, Dormitory [+see also:
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interview: Nehir Tuna
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interview: Hanna Slak
film profile] by Hanna Antonina Wojcik Slak, Last Swim [+see also:
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interview: Sasha Nathwani
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interview: Delphine Deloget
film profile] by Delphine Deloget, Sweet Sorrow by Kosta Djordjevic and An Endless Sunday [+see also:
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interview: Alain Parroni
film profile] by Alain Parroni. The main short-film competition, OFF Generation Shorts, will feature 12 titles.

Beyond the film screenings, the festival has introduced numerous accompanying programmes. These include OFF talks, discussions and industry panels. This year’s Youth Film Festival Sarajevo boasts an impressive roster of guests, featuring young talents, producers, directors and notable industry figures.

Among the most prominent guests is Ukrainian actor Zachary Shadrin, star of the Apple+ series Little America and the first Ukrainian thesp to be nominated for an Emmy Award. Shadrin will present Forever-Forever, in which he plays the lead role. Additionally, he will participate in the CastingForm Agency presentation and panel with producer Dasha Timbush. Timbush, founder of the LA-based CastingForm, a leading global technology for discovering and booking actors, will also conduct a national selection of actors from Bosnia and Herzegovina, who will be showcased at the Cannes Film Festival in 2025.

Mirela Balić, a Netflix teen sensation known for her role in Elite, is another highlight of the festival. Esteemed European directors such as Emiliano Corapi, Jure Pavlović, Anthony Schatteman, Zdenka Gold, Christian Avilés and Marius De Saeger, plus Clermont-Ferrand Film Festival executive director Laurent Crouzeix, will also be in attendance.

Throughout the year, in collaboration with Telemach BH, Youth Film Festival Sarajevo promotes short films through the OFF+ catalogue available on the EON Platform. This ongoing partnership supports the continuous growth of short-film production and distribution.

The OFF Pro Film Market, running concurrently with the festival, will host four days of sessions focused on the production and distribution of short films, covering independent productions and the introduction of green policies aimed at reducing production costs. This year, the market will present 12 projects in development, competing for a prize fund of €15,000.

Kenan Musić, the festival’s director, expressed pride in its growth: “There are only a few days left until the start of the 16th Youth Film Festival Sarajevo, the second-largest and most significant film gathering in Bosnia and Herzegovina. We are more than proud of what Youth Film Festival Sarajevo has achieved over the past 16 years, and the pace at which it is developing and growing. Sarajevo has become a regional European centre for short film, which was our goal."