For over two decades, as the parallel arm of the Sarajevo Film Festival, CineLink Industry Days has evolved into the leading film and television industry event in the Balkans, an incubator for talent from Southeast Europe – and increasingly, beyond – and a crucial stop for globe-trotting industry executives looking to discover new cinematic voices.
The midsummer event, which this year runs from August 17 to 22, traditionally follows the Locarno Film Festival and concludes in the run-up to Venice and Toronto, and perhaps occupies a fitting place on the calendar. “It’s not too big, but it’s not too small,” says Maša Marković, now in her third year as head of the festival’s industry. As a result, “Sarajevo has managed to create this feeling that it’s the place to be.”
Markovic believes that the event's “organisational approach” ensures that the selection of projects for the influential CineLink co-production market and the array of invited guests allow filmmakers, distributors, programmers and other industry tastemakers to make the most of their time in the Bosnian capital.[It’s] “A place where you have the opportunity to be present and dedicate your time to the people and projects you want to do. That's what we're all about,” she says.
While this tried-and-true approach has earned Sarajevo its share of loyal fans and regular visitors, this year will see a host of changes to both the festival and its industry arm. One of the major changes for industry guests is the move from the venerable CineLink venue in the historic Hotel Europa to a new venue, the ultra-modern Swissôtel, located in the heart of downtown Sarajevo.
The move is part of a broader plan to reshape the annual event’s landscape, which includes building a new outdoor cinema and creating an outdoor events hub, Festival Park. These venues will help shift the focus of the festival and industry activity from the old, touristy city to its modern counterpart.
The change will provide a “new atmosphere” for foreign guests, says Markovic, and will bring “more visibility to the industry” by hosting events in the city’s commercial centre. “We’ve been there. Our biggest cinema is there. We’re also building a new open-air cinema there. For us, it seemed like a logical step to embrace this neighbourhood as our own and bring the industry to the heart of Sarajevo,” she says.
This year also sees a transition with the appointment of Isaac Galimam as the new head of CineLink, taking over from Amra Bakšić Čamo, who has managed the industry programme since its inception. Čamo has stepped down to focus on developing new projects under the umbrella of the Sarajevo Film Festival.
Markovic describes Galimam, a veteran producer with extensive experience in both production and management, as “the child of the festival…[who] “He brings a fresh perspective and a new dynamic to the market.” Based on his work as a producer and his management roles at Sarajevo and other festivals, she says, “He has the approach to sense what you need as a producer, and also how the market should react.”
As head of CineLink, Galimam oversees the selection of projects for both the co-production market and the works-in-progress sector. This year’s lineup includes a number of CineLink alumni, including Filip Sotnichenko, who won the festival’s directing award last year for “La Palisiada” and returns to the event with the Ukrainian war drama “Times New Roman”; Mina Mileva and Vesela Kazakova, directors of Locarno Competition title “Cat in the Wall,” who are presenting their third feature, “Mather/Papan”; and local talent Aida Pejic, known for her Cannes-winning film “Children of Sarajevo,” who will be screening her latest feature, “Air in a Bottle.”
“The Cat in the Wall” by Mina Mileva and Vesela Kazakova competed in Locarno.
Courtesy of Sarajevo Film Festival
These titles are among 13 projects in development that will participate in the co-production market. Meanwhile, the pipeline includes new films from Alisa Kovalenko, who competed in Sarajevo last year with her Berlinale premiere “We Shall Not Fade”; Adrian Setaru, who won Best Director at Locarno for “The Best Intentions”; Tarik Aktas, who won Best Emerging Director at Locarno for “Dead Horse Nebula”; Ralitza Petrova, who won the Golden Leopard for Best Film at Locarno for “The Godless”; Maya Vitkova, who competed at Sundance for her film “Victoria”; and Anna Urushadze, who won Best Debut Film at Locarno for her film “The Scary Mother.” (Pictured above is Urushadze’s new film “The Supporting Role.”)
Among the prizes to be awarded are the Eurimages Co-Production Development Award worth €20,000 ($21,900), as well as the CineLink Impact Award, introduced last year, which also offers €20,000 ($21,900) in in-kind consultancy services to support the development of an impact campaign around the film’s release. There’s also the CineLink Female Voices Award, created in 2022 to amplify the role of female filmmakers from the region, with the award’s value doubling again this year to €20,000 ($21,900).
Meanwhile, the CineLink Talks programme features a wide range of keynotes, debates and panel discussions featuring key players from the regional and global film industries. The talks will focus on the growing impact of AI on film production, the potential and challenges of sustainable filmmaking, and the question of how to transform a popular IP from Southeast Europe into a global phenomenon.
“Accountability” is the focal point of this year’s event, with other sessions focusing on creating safe spaces, improving representation and access to the global market, Markovich says, highlighting efforts to “make the industry a safer and more inclusive environment.”
These messages are in line with the broader goal of making both CineLink and the Sarajevo Film Festival a welcoming space for all. Perhaps that is one reason why the twin events have developed a loyal and passionate community of filmmakers from the region’s talent, many of whom grew up with the festival, pitched projects to the co-production market, and later walked the red carpet outside the National Theatre for festival premieres. For newcomers and established talent alike, Sarajevo feels like home.
“That’s the key thing for us – to strike a balance between people who have confidence, because they’ve co-produced their projects with us, and filmmakers and producers who are just entering the scene, so they feel supported by us,” says Markovich. “The balance we strike is essential, so we can serve newcomers and very established filmmakers from all over the region.”
The Sarajevo Film Festival takes place from August 16 to 23.
