Actress Maja Izetbegović to Host the Opening Ceremony of the 30th Sarajevo Film Festival

(Patria) - The jubilee 30th Sarajevo Film Festival will open on Friday, 16 August with a ceremonial gala at the National Theatre Sarajevo and a series of preceding events.

The honour of hosting the opening ceremony of the 30th edition of the Sarajevo Film Festival has been given to actress Maja Izetbegović.

"I had the fortune and privilege of growing up with the Sarajevo Film Festival, which in the most beautiful way shaped the path of my professional choice. Today, it represents for me a space of freedom and inspiration for my own creative growth. The reason I love Sarajevo most during the Festival is that in those days, the values I cherish living in my city come to the fore. These are art, freedom and cosmopolitanism," said Izetbegović.

Bosnian actress Maja Izetbegović lives and works in Sarajevo. She graduated from the Academy of Performing Arts in Sarajevo in 2008 and has built a successful career in both film and theatre in Bosnia and Herzegovina and the region. She is known for her roles in feature films including "Our Everyday Story", "The Son", "Excursion" and "Hotel Pula", as well as in many short films.

The film "Excursion" premiered at the Locarno Film Festival, where it won a Special Mention.

She has also acted in TV series, including "I Know How You Breathe" and "Frust". As a member of the Chamber Theatre 55, she has embodied a wide range of roles. She has performed in more than 40 theatre plays, among them "Nora", "Antigone", "Disgraced", "The Caucasian Chalk Circle", "Ivanov", "Doubt", "The Lower Depths Wedding", "Elijah's Chair" and many others. For her performances in theatre plays and films, she has won numerous awards.

The Sarajevo Film Festival is pleased to entrust the role of opening ceremony host each year to successful regional film artists of the younger generation, with the desire to discover, support and promote young film professionals.

In previous editions of the Sarajevo Film Festival, the role of host of the opening ceremony was entrusted to actresses Helena Vuković, Belma Salkunić, Amila Terzimehić, Alena Džebo, Marija Pikić, Vanesa Glođo, Zana Marjanović, and actors Lazar Dragojević, Dino Bajrović, Igor Skvarica, Alban Ukaj, Ermin Bravo,
Boris Ler, Adnan Hasković and Feđa Štukan.

The 30th Sarajevo Film Festival will be held from 16 to 23 August 2024.