NUMEROUS GUESTS AT 27TH SFF Film by Danis Tanović to be screened tonight at 14 locations

SARAJEVO, (Patria) - The 27th Sarajevo Film Festival will open tonight with a ceremonial event at the National Theatre Sarajevo. It will open with the premieres of two BiH films: DESET U POLA by Danis Tanović and the omnibus PISMA S KRAJEVA SVIJETA by the film collective Bistrik7, an international group of directors from the first generation at the cult director Béla Tarr's Sarajevo film.factory.

For the first time, the Festival will open at all locations – due to reduced cinema capacities caused by the pandemic, the number of locations has been increased so that as many people as possible who wish to can watch the films. Danis Tanović's film will be screened at as many as 14 locations tomorrow. SFF Director Mirsad Purivatra said that it is an ambitious idea they have realized and that he is not aware of any festival having so many screenings simultaneously.

Purivatra said that 900 guests from the film industry from the region, Europe, and the world have been accredited and will be staying in Sarajevo during these festival days. He invited everyone to enjoy the films in the coming days.

The film DESET U POLA will be screened at the opening of the Festival at the National Theatre, at the Coca-Cola Open Air Cinema, at the "Safet Zajko" Open Air Cinema, at the Children's House Novo Sarajevo, at the cinema in Ilidža, and at two new festival locations: at Cineplexx Sarajevo where it will be shown in several halls, including an additional one, and at the Stari Grad Open Air Cinema (the plateau opposite the City Hall). The world premiere of this film will also mark the beginning of the Sarajevo Film Festival screenings in Mostar – at the Cineplexx Plaza Mostar Open Air Cinema. The film is being shown as part of the Sarajevo Film Festival's Open Air program. The omnibus PISMA S KRAJEVA SVIJETA will have its world premiere at the Vatrogasac Open Air Cinema, as part of the Special Screenings program.

At the opening ceremony at the National Theatre Sarajevo, the Honorary Heart of Sarajevo will be awarded to Wim Wenders, one of the central figures of world cinema.

"We are overjoyed to be able to recognize one of the central figures of world cinema. Through his work in the field of visual arts, as an outstanding film author and photographer, Wim Wenders always brings unforgettable stories and emotions to the audience," said Festival Director Mirsad Purivatra.

Wenders will hold a Masterclass, and the Festival will also organize a special screening of the newly restored version of his film THE MILLION DOLLAR HOTEL, which won the Silver Bear at the Berlin Film Festival in 2000.

Wenders returns to the Sarajevo Film Festival ten years after his first visit: in 2011, he presented his revolutionary 3D film PINA, a feature-length documentary tribute to the legendary choreographer Pina Bausch (1940-2009), nominated for an Oscar. In the same year, Wenders gave lectures to participants of the Talents Sarajevo program at the 17th Sarajevo Film Festival (2011), an educational program that the Sarajevo Film Festival organizes in cooperation with Berlinale Talents and the Berlin International Film Festival.

Wenders gained international recognition in the seventies as one of the pioneers of the new German cinema and is considered one of the most important authors in the history of cinematography.

The 27th Sarajevo Film Festival is a COVID-safe event that will be held in accordance with the opinion of the Ministry of Health of Sarajevo Canton and according to the measures and instructions issued by the Public Health Institute of Sarajevo Canton for the holding of the Sarajevo Film Festival. The 27th Sarajevo Film Festival is held from August 13 to August 20, 2021.