Sarajevo Film Festival, Council of Europe Launch Youth Perspectives Award as Bosnia Marks 30 Years of Peace
Bosnia and Herzegovina’s Sarajevo Film Festival and the Council of Europe have launched the Special Youth Perspectives Award, which will be presented at this year’s festival. It coincides with the 30th anniversary of the end of the Bosnian War, which left more than 100,000 people dead and around two million displaced.
The award will be given to a film in the festival that portrays young people’s role in shaping their society, as well as their experiences and aspirations, and issues that matter the most to them. The value of the award is Euros 7,500 ($7,815), and it will be presented annually for the next three years.
Jovan Marjanović, director of the festival, said the award will highlight “films that reflect the reality and thoughts of today’s youth – the challenges they face, their fears and hopes – bringing them closer to the audience and emphasizing the key role young people play in shaping the future.”
Tobias Flessenkemper, head of the youth department of the Council of Europe, stated, “The transformative potential of cinema is often reflected by showcasing fresh and new perspectives. With the youth perspectives award we wish to encourage more engagement with the questions of being young today, and how people born in this century will shape it.”
Bojana Urumova, head of the Council of Europe in Sarajevo, stated: “By helping young cinematic storytellers reach a wider audience, we hope to do our part towards surmounting divisions and building bridges, a vital task at this time of global challenges.”
The festival runs from Aug. 15 to 22.
The award will be given to a film in the festival that portrays young people’s role in shaping their society, as well as their experiences and aspirations, and issues that matter the most to them. The value of the award is Euros 7,500 ($7,815), and it will be presented annually for the next three years.
Jovan Marjanović, director of the festival, said the award will highlight “films that reflect the reality and thoughts of today’s youth – the challenges they face, their fears and hopes – bringing them closer to the audience and emphasizing the key role young people play in shaping the future.”
Tobias Flessenkemper, head of the youth department of the Council of Europe, stated, “The transformative potential of cinema is often reflected by showcasing fresh and new perspectives. With the youth perspectives award we wish to encourage more engagement with the questions of being young today, and how people born in this century will shape it.”
Bojana Urumova, head of the Council of Europe in Sarajevo, stated: “By helping young cinematic storytellers reach a wider audience, we hope to do our part towards surmounting divisions and building bridges, a vital task at this time of global challenges.”
The festival runs from Aug. 15 to 22.