New film projects from Bulgarian filmmaker Stephan Komandarev and Renen Schorr, the former head of Jerusalem’s Sam Spiegel School for Film and Television, are among the 12 features selected for Sarajevo’s CineLink Work In Progress section.
The festival has also programmed the world premiere of Bosnian-Herzegovinian director Pjer Zalica’s May Labor Day as its closing film, on August 19.
Scroll down for the full list of projects
The Work In Progress strand consists of 10 fiction and two documentary projects, which will be presented to industry professionals including funders, sales agents, distributors, broadcasters and festival programmers.
Titles will compete for a €40,000 Post Republic award, and a €25,000 Turkish National Radio award, chosen by a five-person jury: International Film Festival Rotterdam artistic director Vanja Kaludjercic; Dennis Ruh, director of the European Film Market; Marcin Luczaj, head of acquisitions at New Europe Film Sales and Screen Future Leader 2021; Esra Demirkiran from Turkish National Radio Television; and Deniz Erel from The Post Republic.
Komandarev’s feature project is a drama called Blaga’s Lessons, and is currently in post-production after finishing shooting in April. The Bulgarian-German film is produced by Komandarev and Katya Trichkova for Argo film and 42film; it was selected for Bulgaria’s Sofia Meetings earlier this year.
Schorr is participating with Israeli documentary project Rabbi Heller Blues, which he is directing and producing through Blues Production. Schorr left the Sam Spiegel School in 2019 after 30 years in charge there, and handed over the reins at the Sam Spiegel Film Lab to Aurit Zamir the following year. He has worked as a writer, producer and director both prior to, during and since his time at Sam Spiegel, most recently as executive producer on Pini Tavger’s Jerusalem Film Festival 2021 selection More Than I Deserve.
Closing the festival, Zalica’s May Labor Day will play in the Open Air Programme. The film follows a recently-married man who returns to Bosnia from Germany to surprise his father on Labor Day; only to find that his father has been arrested under suspicious circumstances.
Sarajevo Film Festival 2022 will run from August 12-19.
Sarajevo CineLink Work In Progress 2022
Backstage (Mor-Tun-Qat-Bel-Fr) dirs. Afef Ben Mahmoud, Khalil Benkirane
Blaga’s Lessons (Bul-Ger) dir. Stephan Komandarev
Capturing Sami (working title) (Rom-Bul) dir. Adi Voicu
Dormitory (Tur-Ger) dir. Nehir Tuna
Expedition 49 (Ukr-Fr-Pol) dir. Alisa Kovalenko*
Freedom (Rom-Hun) dir. Tudor Giurgiu
The Future (Isr) dir. Noam Kaplan
Hesitation Wound (Tur-Fr-Rom) dir. Selman Nacar
Rabbi Heller Blues (Isr) dir. Renen Schorr*
Sirin (Mon-Cro-Alb-Kos-Bos/Her-Fr) dir. Senad Sahmanovic
The Trap (Bul-Ger) dir. Nadejda Koseva
When You Are 17 (Geo-Ger) dir. Giorgi Mukhadze
* - documentary
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