The main documentary film competition at the SFF will screen four Croatian films: A Two Way Mirror and Islands of Forgotten Cinemas as well as the minority Croatian co-productions Four Passports and Wall of Death, and All That.

A Two Way Mirror, the feature documentary film by Katarina Zrinka Matijević, and winner of the Octavian Award for Best Documentary Film at this year’s Croatian Film Days, explores the hauntingly beautiful but cold mountain landscapes of Lika that reflect the state of the spirit, inner conflicts and revelations. Matijević also wrote the screenplay, while Vjeran Hrpka is the cinematographer and Ana Štulina the editor. The film’s producers are Nenad Puhovski and Tamara Babun, while the film was produced by Factum Productions with support from the Croatian Audiovisual Centre.

The award-winning film Islands of Forgotten Cinemas by Ivan Ramljak explores the lost cinema culture of remote island towns. Ramljak not only directed the film but also wrote it; the cinematographer is Ivan Slipčević, the editor is Damir Čučić, the producers are Vanja Jambrović and Tibor Keser, while Restart produced the film with support from the Croatian Audiovisual Centre.

The German-Serbian-Croatian co-production Four Passports follows the intimate travels of the film’s director Mihajlo Jevtić through his microcosm of family and friends, told through present day images, archival footage filmed on Super 8-milimeter film and animated sequences of dreams and memories. Jevtić also wrote the film and is its cinematographer, while Aleksandar Stojanov is the editor. The Croatian co-producers are Morana Komljenović and Iva Tkalec and the production house is Fade In.

Also screening in this year’s SFF’s documentary competition, among twenty other films, will be this year’s winner of the 9th Beldocs Documentary Film Festival, the minority Croatian co-production Wall of Death, and All That by Mladen Kovačić. Kovačić is also the film’s producer with Horopter (Serbia), while the co-producer is Tibor Keser with Restart (Croatia) while Vanja Jambrović and Oliver Sertić are assistant producers. The film is about Brankica, a former star in a family of circus performers and acrobats.

The short competition programme will screen The Beast directed by Miroslav Sikavica – the film received a special mention at this year’s 48th “Quinzaine des Réalisateurs” which was held in parallel with the Cannes Film Festival. The screenplay is written by Miroslav Sikavica and Marija Šimoković Sikavica, the producers are Lana Ujdur and Boris T. Matić from Propeler Film, while the film stars Ivan Smoljo and Marko Ban. The cinematographer is Danko Vučinović, the editor is Marko Ferković and the sound engineer is Martin Semenčić.

The feature film programme will screen, out of competition, the Croatian film Transmania by a group of 15 directors (Dalibor Matanić, Sonja Tarokić, Hana Jušić, Bobo Jelčić, Zvonimir Jurić, Vlatka Vorkapić, Jasna Zastavniković, Filip Šovagović, Ivan Salaj, Tanja Golić, Petar Orešković, Stanislav Tomić, Edi Mužina, Ivan Sikavica and Sara Hribar). Each of them, in five minutes, continues the story of the previous director having seen only the last minute of the filmed sequence. The film is produced by Zebra Creative Productions in Zagreb, and will have its world premiere at the National Theatre on August 16th.

The non-competition programme In Focus brings the best of regional cinematography and will include three Croatian films: the multiple award-winning film On the Other Side by Zrinko Ogresta and two minority co-productions: Interruption by Yorgos Zois and Sieranevada by Cristi Puiu.

The 22nd Sarajevo Film Festival, which will be held in Bosnia and Herzegovina’s capital, will run from August 12th to 20th and is one of the most prominent film festivals in South Eastern Europe. Each year it attracts nearly 100 000 visitors. For more information please visit the festival’s official website.

Cover photos: scenes A Two Way Mirror, Islands of Forgotten Cinemas and The Beast; SFF