20/08/2021 - An overview of this year’s Work in Progress winners at Sarajevo, from a selection which included seven fiction and three documentary features from Southeast Europe and the MENA region

The CineLink Work in Progress section of the Sarajevo Film Festival is dedicated to presenting a wide selection of films currently entering their post-production phase and set to be released in the next few months. This year, the section invited ten feature-length films — seven fictions and three documentaries — hailing from South-Eastern Europe and the MENA region. A Ballad [+see also:
film review
interview: Aida Begic
film profile], The Taste of Apples Is Red, and Citizen Saint shared the awards, worth €75,000, as the overall winners of the section (read the news).

We offer here a detailed presentation of the winning projects, as chosen by the international jury (Cannes Critics’ Week new artistic director Ava Cahen, Turkish National Radio Television festivals coordinator Esra Demirkiran, Berlinale’s Panorama head Michael Stütz, senior in-house producer at The Post Republic Petra Kader-Göbel, and Charades co-founder Yohann Comte.

TRT Award (€25,000, cash)

A Ballad [+see also:
film review
interview: Aida Begic
film profile] - Aida Begić (Bosnia and Herzegovina/France)
The upcoming film by well-known Bosnian filmmaker Aida Begić (Children of Sarajevo [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Aida Begić
film profile]), is inspired by the poetic form of Bosnian traditional folk ballads and the film follows 30-year-old Meri, an unambitious housewife and mother of a little child, who returns to her parental home after ten years of marriage with Hasan. She will soon realize that she’s a prisoner rules as well as of a complex relationship between her mother and her spoiled younger brother. In an attempt to rediscover herself, she will audition for a film that is to be shot in the neighbourhood. Produced by Adis Đapo of Film House Sarajevo, in co-production with François D’Artemare of France’s Les Films de l'Après Midi, the film is looking for sales agents, co-producers, and partners.

Post Republic Award (€30,000, in kind)

The Taste of Apples is Red [+see also:
trailer
film profile] - Ehab Tarabieh (Israel/Germany)
The debut feature-length fiction film by Syrian filmmaker Ehab Tarabieh (Of Land and Bread) focuses on Sheikh Kamel, who manages everything in the Druze community and he hasn’t seen his brother for over 50 years. When his brother, who has been a rebel, suddenly appears to Kamel’s community, he receives pressure to accept him despite their previous conflict, but this will bring more trouble to his life. The film is produced by Sol Goodman for Israel’s Anemos Productions, in co-production with Jonathan Doweck, Viola Fügen and Michael Weber for The Match Factory, which also handles the sales, and is seeking funds to complete post-production this year.

CineLink Iridium Award (€20,000, in kind)

Citizen Saint [+see also:
film review
interview: Tinatin Kajrishvili
film profile] – Tinatin Kajrishvili (Georgia/France/Bulgaria)
In her upcoming film, Georgian writer-director Tinatin Kajrishvili (Horizon [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Tinatin Kajrishvili
film profile]), takes place in a small miner’s town, where 50-year-old Beso, takes care of the crucified Saint’s statue on the main square while a temple around it is ongoing. When the renovation of the sculpture starts, the statue from the cross disappears unexpectedly. As the whole town is searching for it, Beso finds the Stranger, considering he is a tourist, but it is believed that he’s the saint who becomes alive. The film is produced by Lasha Khalvashi of Georgian outfit Artizm, in co-production with Denis Vaslin for France’s Mandra Films and Bulgaria's Chouchkov Brothers. It is currently looking for sales agents, distributors, TV broadcasters and festivals.