LARGE NUMBER OF GUESTS: The 31st Sarajevo Film Festival closes with an awards ceremony in the competition categories

(Patria) - The 31st Sarajevo Film Festival will close tonight with an awards ceremony. This year, a total of 227 films and series from 65 countries were screened in Sarajevo, distributed across as many as 22 program selections.

The focus was on four competition programs: feature, documentary, short, and student film, in which a total of 50 films are competing for the Heart of Sarajevo award.

In the feature film category, there were nine works in competition, three of which had world premieres and six regional premieres. The documentary program included 20 films – 12 feature-length and eight short – with a total of four world, four international, ten regional, and two Bosnian-Herzegovinian premieres. The short film category featured ten titles from various countries in the region and Europe, while the student film category had 11 works, including five world, one international, and five regional premieres.

Through accompanying programs, Sarajevo hosted numerous world and regional authors, including directors and producers whose works marked the past year. The audience had the opportunity to follow retrospectives, special screenings, and Masterclasses.

In addition to the competition segment, special attention was drawn by the awards presented to major names in world cinema. Paolo Sorrentino, one of the most significant European authors, was the central figure of this year's Tribute To program, featuring a retrospective of his films and the presentation of an honorary award.

Acting stars Stellan Skarsgård, Ray Winstone, and Willem Dafoe were awarded the prestigious Honorary Heart of Sarajevo, given for exceptional contribution to the art of film. Their presence in Sarajevo attracted great attention from the public and media, and numerous filmmakers and young authors took the opportunity to discuss professional experiences with them.

The work of the competition programs was overseen by international juries composed of prominent filmmakers. The main jury for feature film was led by the esteemed Ukrainian director Sergei Loznitsa, while the documentary, short, and student films were judged by directors, producers, and film critics from Europe and the world. Their decisions on the winners will be announced tonight at the closing ceremony at the National Theatre Sarajevo.

The Sarajevo Film Festival, founded in 1995 during the siege of Sarajevo, continues to carry a strong symbolism of cultural resistance, as well as the role of a bridge between East and West, and a space for the affirmation of regional talents. Over three decades, it has grown into the most important platform for films from Southeast Europe and an indispensable point on the international festival map.

Tonight, the Heart of Sarajevo awards will be presented in all four competition categories, thereby closing the 31st Sarajevo Film Festival, BHRT reports.