On Saturday 25 October, the Adriatic Film Awards were handed out to winners across ten separate categories. The ceremony was the jewel in the crown of a two-day event held in the Museum of Naval Heritage in Porto Montenegro in the Montenegrin coastal town of Tivat, which kicked off on Friday with the opening of the first premium multiplex cinema in Montenegro and the Adriatic Region: Cine Grand Epic.

The initiative to found the Adriatic Film Academy - rewarding the region’s best actors, films, TV series and the creative forces behind them - came from the Network of Film Festivals in the Adriatic Region, of which the Sarajevo Film Festival, the Zagreb Film Festival and the Festival of Auteur Film in Belgrade are also a part, having co-organised the event and now working on founding the Adriatic Film and TV Academy. Conceptually, the Adriatic Film Awards are a continuation of the traditional Heart of Sarajevo Awards for TV series, with a jury consisting of over 560 film professionals and future members of the Adriatic Film and TV Academy from all over the region deciding the winners across ten distinct categories.

As explained by Sarajevo Film Festival director Jovan Marjanović during this first edition of the Adriatic Film Awards: “When we launched the Network of Film Festivals in the Adriatic Region a few years ago, we wanted to create a space in this region for cooperation between festivals and professionals who share the same values and the same passion for film. The idea for the Adriatic Film and TV Academy was born out of this cooperation. It isn’t just an awards project; it’s a space for constant dialogue, knowledge transfer and inter-generational solidarity. A place where experienced authors and producers can pave the way for emerging peers, where experience is learned and shared, and where the entire region is recognised for what it is: one of the most vital, creative film spaces in Europe”. He further added: “We believe that the AFAs will act as a platform to help films and series from our region get the season off to a good start, and that the recognition and visibility the awards will bring will help these films’ positioning on the international scene and market.”

In terms of film categories, Igor Bezinović’s docu-fiction Fiume o morte! [+lee también:
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The series accolades were dominated by Operation Sabre, created by Goran Stanković and Vladimir Tagić, which homes in on the assassination of Serbian Prime Minister Zoran Đinđić in 2003 and the resulting police operation to apprehend the suspects. In addition to scooping Best TV Series, it also earned awards for its lead actors Milica Gojković and Dragan Mićanović.

Overall, fifteen films and six TV series hailing from the region of former Yugoslavia were nominated for prizes at this inaugural edition of the Adriatic Film Awards.

The full list of award winners:

Best Film
Fiume o morte! [+lee también:
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Best Actress
Jara Sofija Ostan – Little Trouble Girls [+lee también:
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Best Actor
Leon Lučev – Working Class Goes to Hell [+lee también:
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Rising Star Award
Lidija Kordić – Working Class Goes to Hell

Best Director
Igor Bezinović – Fiume o morte!

Best Screenplay
Igor Bezinović – Fiume o morte!

Best First Feature Film
Little Trouble Girls – Urška Djukić

Best TV Series
Operation Sabre – Goran Stanković, Vladimir Tagić (Serbia/Bulgaria)

Best Actress in a TV Series
Milica Gojković – Operation Sabre

Best Actor in a TV Series
Dragan Mićanović – Operation Sabre