The Sarajevo Film Festival was initiated by Obala Art Centar in 1995, towards the end of the four-year siege of the city, as a way to help rebuild civil society. Its competitions are reserved for films from South-East Europe and neighbouring countries, from Albania and Armenia to Türkiye and Ukraine, with separate juries for narrative features, documentaries, short films and student films. The festival's main award is the Heart of Sarajevo, and the Avant Premiere section presents new regional drama series.
Beyond the competitions, programmes such as Kinoscope, Open Air, European Shorts, Dealing with the Past, the Children's Programme and TeenArena fill cinemas across Sarajevo, while CineLink Industry Days and Talents Sarajevo support regional film projects and young filmmakers. The dates for the 32nd edition are 14–21 August 2026.
Awards and prizes
The official award is the Heart of Sarajevo. The Feature Film Jury presents the Heart of Sarajevo for Best Film, Best Director, Best Actress and Best Actor. The Documentary Film Jury presents the Heart of Sarajevo for Best Documentary Film, a Special Jury Prize and the Heart of Sarajevo for Best Short Documentary Film. The Short Film Jury presents the Heart of Sarajevo for Best Short Film, and the Student Film Jury the Heart of Sarajevo for Best Student Film. Films from all official selections can compete for three special awards: the Special Award for Promoting Gender Equality, the Special Award for Environmental Awareness and the Special Award for Youth Perspectives. Audience awards go to a feature fiction film, a documentary and a drama series. Partner awards include the CICAE Arthouse Cinema Award, the Cineuropa Award and the European Film Academy short film candidacy.
Festival rules
Submissions are accepted for the Competition Programmes for feature, documentary, short and student films, Avant Premiere (regional drama series), the Children's Programme and Dealing with the Past. The competition programmes are open to films from Albania, Armenia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Georgia, Greece, Hungary, Kosovo, Malta, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Romania, Serbia, Slovenia, Türkiye and Ukraine; the director, most of the authors and the production company must come from these countries, and student films must be produced by a regional film school. Films must have been produced in the 12 months before the festival, and priority goes to world, international, European or regional premieres. Feature films must be longer than 60 minutes, short films no longer than 30 minutes and student films no longer than 60 minutes; documentaries may be of any length. Films must not have been shown publicly in the region beyond the limits set for each programme, or broadcast on television or online without geoblocking. The director of a selected competition film is expected to attend and present it.
