As part of the 76th Cannes Film Festival at this year’s market, in the pavilion of Southeast Europe, an event called Film it in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina was held, where Sarajevo the UNESCO City of Film was presented as an attractive filming destination.
The event was attended by numerous guests, including representatives of international film festivals, film workers, and authors from the region and the world.
Attendees were welcomed by Sarajevo Canton Minister of Culture and Sports Kenan Magoda, Sarajevo Mayor Benjamina Karić, and Sarajevo Film Festival Director Jovan Marjanović.
“Sarajevo Film Festival truly reflects the spirit of Sarajevo and that’s the main reason why it is attractive for so many people. During the Festival the city lives 24 hours a day – and the whole city lives the Festival. Thanks to them, we stimulating the film industry to shoot films in our city and we try to make good business for potential investors. We are working on capital projects and we’re constantly developing the tourist offer and looking for improved and new tourist products.,” Magoda said.
Mayor Karić said that Sarajevo Film Festival serves as a common platform for film business in the entire region, setting high standards in the festival’s organization, promotion, and presentation of films.
“As the Mayor of Sarajevo, I am proud to be here and to have the opportunity to promote Sarajevo as a UNESCO City of Film in front of an international film audience. The City of Sarajevo is shortlisted for the Global Production Awards, which are awarded for outstanding work in supporting film and TV production, which confirms the commitment of the City of Sarajevo to the development and promotion of film creativity,” said Karić.
Director of Sarajevo Film Festival Jovan Marjanović emphasized that the goal of the Festival is that Sarajevo has a strong production sector when it comes to the development of the film industry and further emphasized that, since the City of Sarajevo became the holder of the UNESCO Creative City of Film title in 2019, the amount of film and TV production in Sarajevo has increased by 400 percent.
“Our goal is for Sarajevo and Bosnia and Herzegovina to be generators of production, with a strong production sector, a destination that will attract foreign investments, and a place where best practices will be promoted. Cannes, also a UNESCO City of Film mostly thanks to the grand film festival, is an opportunity for meetings with film professionals from around the world, representatives of European funds and investors for the exchange of good practices and networking,” said Marjanović, and invited everyone to the 29th Sarajevo Film Festival which will take place from 11 to 18 August 2023.
