CineLink Industry Days ran from 15-20 August as an integral part of the Sarajevo Film Festival (14-21 August). Across three categories (CineLink Co-Production Market, aimed at feature films in development; CineLink Work in Progress; and CineLink Drama, showcasing TV series in development), a total of 32 projects were presented, 30 of which were competing for prizes while two took part as guest projects, out of competition. Their topics varied from personal stories to historical issues, while the artistic approaches to them ranged from festival-friendly dramas to arthouse-genre hybrids. Eleven awards were given out in total (see the news).

Below, we take a look at the winners, divided into three categories:

Forbidden Fruit by Urška Djukić Lecamus

CineLink Co-Production Market

Forbidden Fruit - Urška Djukić Lecamus (Slovenia/Greece)
The new project by Urška Djukić Lecamus, whose previous film, Little Trouble Girls, premiered at last year’s Berlinale, tells the story of a pregnant healer who flees a witch hunt and finds refuge within the walls of a monastery populated by male monks. When a miraculous birth takes place, a disciplined Carthusian monk is forced to look for the presence of God in a place he never would have thought to find it – the body of a woman. Luka Peterca serves as the producer, and OINK! Pictures and Heretic as the production companies. The project was awarded the ARTEKino International Prize.

How to Disappear in the Lake - Selcen Ergun (Turkey)
The winner of the Film Centre of Montenegro CineLink Award tells the story of a ten-year-old girl who gets cast as both a saviour and a threat after discovering a woman’s body reclaimed by the forest in a lakeside town. It is written by Selcen Ergun, of Snow and the Bear fame, who also serves as the director. It is being produced by Diloy Gülün and the writer-director herself through the companies Karma Films and Albino Zebra Film.

The Taste of Peach by Elena Mikaberidze

The Taste of Peach - Elena Mikaberidze (North Macedonia/Belgium/Georgia)
The winner of the Kosovo Cinematography Centre Award, The Taste of Peach tells the story of a young woman who, after being drawn back to her roots, builds a peaceful guesthouse near a disputed border. Her quiet dream gets disrupted when the war and politics bring unexpected strangers to her doorstep. The writer-director of the film, Elena Mikaberidze, also won the newly established Next Step Studio Participation Award. Labina Mitevska, of Sisters and Brother Mitevski, serves as the main producer, while Entre Chien et Loup, Takes Film and Nushi Film are listed as co-production companies.

Wolf Days - Emilija Gašić (Serbia/USA/Croatia)
The winner of the Eurimages Co-Production Development Award is Emilija Gašić’s project Wolf Days. Her sophomore feature (after 78 Days) tells the story of Jelena, who, when faced with the menopause, turns to a folk healer who draws her into a series of increasingly ridiculous rituals that drive her to the edge of madness. Dragana Jovović, of Non-Aligned Films, serves as the main producer, while Istok Films and Restart are mentioned as co-production companies.

Pay the Bill by Assel Aushakimova

CineLink Work in Progress

Pay the Bill - Assel Aushakimova (Kazakhstan/Saudi Arabia)
Assel Aushakimova’s new film tells the story of a 65-year-old Kazakh woman who, after an unexpected late-night call from the police, starts a search for her daughter in a world steeped in general indifference. The filmmaker, known for her features Welcome to the USA and Bikechess, serves as her own producer through the company Film Film Film. The project won the Avanpost Media Award, to the tune of €30,000 in in-kind services.

The First Week of August - Filip Mojzeš (Croatia/Poland)
The feature debut by Filip Mojzeš, and the winner of the €30,000 HBO Max Award, tells the story of a holiday that turns into a battleground between a mother and her ten-year-old son after her sudden physical outburst. Tamara Babun Zovko and Matija Drniković, of Wolfgang&Dolly, serve as the producers, while Black Photon is listed as the co-production company.

The White Week by Bojan Vuletić

The White Week - Bojan Vuletić (Serbia/Croatia/Slovenia/Montenegro)
The film tells the story of a tragic loss – a brother’s death – which an 11-year-old boy starts to use as a weapon in a conflict with his father and the environment. Out of fear, he starts manipulating the investigation, revealing exactly how a hypocritical and corrupt society works. It is directed by Bojan Vuletić (Requiem for Mrs. J.), and produced by Jelena Mitrović, Boris T Matić, Lana Matić, Danijel Hočevar and Ivan Đurović, with the companies involved being Baš Čelik, Propeler Film, Vertigo and Artikulacija. It was presented with the Post Republic Award (€30,000 in in-kind services) at the festival.

CineLink Drama

Little Yugoslavia - Teona Strugar Mitevska, Sonja Prosenc (North Macedonia/Belgium)
Created by Sonja Prosenc (most recently Family Therapy) and Teona Strugar Mitevska (Mother), Little Yugoslavia is a darkly comic and feminist vampire tale set in a modernist apartment complex occupied by ex-Yugoslav migrants on the fringes of a Western metropolis. It is being produced by Labina Mitevska for Sisters and Brother Mitevski, in co-production with Entre Chien et Loup. The project won the Female Voices CineLink Award of €20,000, aimed at projects by female filmmakers, and offered in partnership with the Slovenian Film Centre and the United Nations in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Stringers by Danis Tanović

Stringers - Danis Tanović (Croatia)
The winner of the TV Drama Vision Pitch Award is this political-thriller project written by Nikola Kuprešanin, with Danis Tanović attached as the director. The same duo was behind the TV series The Hollow, as well as the films Not So Friendly Neighbourhood Affair and My Late Summer. The production company staging it is Nukleus Film, represented by producer Siniša Juričić. The premise follows three freelance journalists from different backgrounds and their separate inquiries into the murder of a translator in Riga, which start converging.

You Can Always Come Back - Tena Gojić (Croatia)
“As war tears Yugoslavia apart, a mother leaves her three daughters in search of a better life on the other side of the continent,” goes the plot description for the upcoming mini-series written by Hana Jušić, of Quit Staring at My Plate and God Will Not Help fame. It was created and is being produced by Tena Gojić, for Dinaridi Film. The project won the Croatian Audiovisual Centre Award, worth €15,000.