As at every Sarajevo Film Festival, the Association of Filmmakers in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina presents awards for the best Bosnian-Herzegovinian student films. This year’s jury for the Student Competition Program – BH Film consisted of Bosnian actor Kemal Rizvanović, Bosnian producer Dženita Čamo , and Dijana Jelača, a film studies professor and BHFFNYC programme selector from the United States.
They decided on three awards: Best Student Film, the Jury Special Award, and the Jury Special Mention. Their explanations follow below.
“ The jury recognizes this stunning film for its astonishing clarity of vision, purity of emotional core, touching family story and intricate weaving of archival home video footage. A love letter to a camera-loving father, the film is also a love letter to cinema itself, as it probes questions around the nature of the medium, what it means for moving image to become our lifelong memory, and how a father’s love for his daughters shines through his loving camera gaze.“
BEST BH STUDENT FILM is awarded to TAPE 2025: I LOVE YOU, DAD, directed by Zoja Perović.
“ The jury recognizes this remarkable film for its gripping story, intricate narrative arc, and sharp dialogues. The film makes expert usage of limited runtime as well as the small space of a taxi cab to tell a complex story. Through a chance encounter, and by using stunning visual language of cinema, it displays a mature clarity of vision in short film form.”
JURY SPECIAL AWARD is awarded to AS IF I AM NOT THERE, directed by Milica Vujasin.
“ The jury recognizes this documentary for telling a story that is essentially and urgently needed for the Bosnian-Herzegovinian society today. A road movie that chronicles the message of peace and mutual understanding across Bosnia, the film is gripping, touching, engaging and humorous all at once. It effectively documents many deeply rooted issues that continue to mark Bosnia’s past, present and future.”
JURY SPECIAL MENTION is awarded to PEACE IS THE PATH, directed by Haris Habibija.
We congratulate all the award winners and wish them, as well as all the participants in this year’s Student Competition Programme – BH Film, every success in their future professional careers.
