Winners of the 30th Sarajevo Film Festival Announced: “Three Kilometers to the End of the World” Takes Top Prize
The 30th Sarajevo Film Festival concluded with the announcement of its prestigious Heart of Sarajevo awards, recognizing outstanding achievements in filmmaking across multiple categories. This year’s top honor, the Heart of Sarajevo for Best Feature Film, was awarded to "Three Kilometers to the End of the World," a Romanian production directed by Emanuel Pârvu. The film's producers, led by Miruna Berecsu, received a monetary prize of €16,000, co-funded by the Tourism Association of Canton Sarajevo.
Yorgos Zois was awarded the Heart of Sarajevo for Best Director for his work on "Arcadia," a co-production between Greece, Bulgaria, and the USA. This recognition comes with a €10,000 prize, sponsored by the United Nations in Bosnia and Herzegovina in cooperation with UNESCO. The acting awards also celebrated international talent, with Anab Ahmed Ibrahim winning Best Actress for her role in "Village Next to Paradise" and Doru Bem taking home Best Actor for "Holy Week." Each received a monetary award of €2,500.
In the Documentary Film category, "A Picture to Remember" by Olga Chernykh was named Best Documentary, representing Ukraine, France, and Germany. The prize of €4,000 was sponsored by the Government of Switzerland. The award for Best Short Documentary Film went to "Like a Sick Yellow" from Kosovo, directed by Norika Sefa, accompanied by a €2,000 prize.
The festival also presented a Human Rights Award to "Your Life Without Me" by Anna Rubi, a Hungarian-Swiss co-production. This award, recognizing films that address human rights issues, included a €3,000 monetary prize sponsored by the Kingdom of the Netherlands. Additionally, the Special Jury Award in the Documentary category went to "What We Ask of a Statue Is That It Doesn't Move," directed by Daphné Hérétakis from Greece and France, with a prize of €2,500.
In the Short Film competition, "Absent" from Türkiye, directed by Cem Demirer, received the Heart of Sarajevo for Best Short Film. This award qualifies the film for consideration for the Academy Award® for Best Short Film and comes with a €2,500 prize. A Special Mention was given to "Tako Tsubo," a co-production between Austria and Germany, directed by Eva Pedroza and Fanny Sorgo.
The Student Film competition recognized "The Smell of Fresh Paint" by Nađa Petrović from Serbia with the Heart of Sarajevo for Best Student Film, including a €1,000 prize sponsored by the Regional Cooperation Council.
Two special awards were also presented at the festival. The Special Environmental Awareness Award went to "The Sky Above Zenica," a Denmark-Bosnia and Herzegovina co-production directed by Zlatko Pranjić and Nanna Frank Møller. The film was awarded €5,000, sponsored by the United Nations Development Programme in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The Special Award for Promoting Gender Equality was awarded to "Cent'Anni," a co-production involving Slovenia, Italy, Poland, Serbia, and Austria, directed by Maja Doroteja Prelog, with a prize of €7,500 sponsored by Mastercard.
The Sarajevo Film Festival continues to be a prominent platform for recognizing and celebrating cinematic excellence, with this year's awards highlighting a diverse array of international talents and thought-provoking films.
Complete List of Awards and Awarded Films at the 30th Sarajevo Film Festival
Honorary Heart of Sarajevo Recipients
Philippe Bober / Producer, Founder of Coproduction Office
Christof Papousek / Co-owner of Constantin Film-Holding, CFO and Managing Partner of Cineplexx International
Alexander Payne / Director, Screenwriter, Producer
Meg Ryan / Actress
Paul Schrader / Director, Screenwriter (Honorary Heart of Sarajevo recipient in 2018)
Elia Suleiman / Director
John Turturro / Actor, Screenwriter, Director
Competition Programme - Feature Film
Heart of Sarajevo for Best Feature Film
"Three Kilometers to the End of the World" / Director: Emanuel Pârvu / Romania / €16,000
Heart of Sarajevo for Best Director
"Arcadia" / Director: Yorgos Zois / Greece, Bulgaria, USA / €10,000
Heart of Sarajevo for Best Actress
"Village Next to Paradise" / Anab Ahmed Ibrahim / Austria, France, Germany, Somalia / €2,500
Heart of Sarajevo for Best Actor
"Holy Week" / Doru Bem / Romania, Switzerland / €2,500
Competition Programme - Documentary Film
Heart of Sarajevo for Best Documentary Film
"A Picture to Remember" / Director: Olga Chernykh / Ukraine, France, Germany / €4,000
Heart of Sarajevo for Best Short Documentary Film
"Like a Sick Yellow" / Director: Norika Sefa / Kosovo* / €2,000
Human Rights Award
"Your Life Without Me" / Director: Anna Rubi / Hungary, Switzerland / €3,000
Special Jury Award
"What We Ask of a Statue Is That It Doesn't Move" / Director: Daphné Hérétakis / Greece, France / €2,500
Competition Programme - Short Film
Heart of Sarajevo for Best Short Film
"Absent" / Director: Cem Demirer / Türkiye / €2,500
Special Mention
"Tako Tsubo" / Directors: Eva Pedroza, Fanny Sorgo / Austria, Germany
Competition Programme - Student Film
Heart of Sarajevo for Best Student Film
"The Smell of Fresh Paint" / Director: Nađa Petrović / Serbia / €1,000
Special Awards
Special Environmental Awareness Award
"The Sky Above Zenica" / Directors: Zlatko Pranjić, Nanna Frank Møller / Denmark, Bosnia and Herzegovina / €5,000
Special Award for Promoting Gender Equality
"Cent'Anni" / Director: Maja Doroteja Prelog / Slovenia, Italy, Poland, Serbia, Austria / €7,500