What was the last film you watched from Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH)? Or, perhaps a better question, have you seen a film from BiH?
While the once developed industry thrived in Yugoslavia under the rule of cinephile Tito, it was left in shambles following the end of the Bosnian War in 1995. Despite the global successes of recent Bosnian filmmakers— Jasmila Žbanić’s Quo Vadis, Aida being a notable example— the nation’s film output still pales in comparison to many of its European neighbors.
A Historical Look at Film in Yugoslavia
“That of all the arts, the most important for us is the cinema,” said Lenin in the early years following the victory of the Bolsheviks in the Soviet Union. The independence of Yugoslavia, years later in 1945 brought with it a similar interest in utilizing film as an all-encompassing means towards constructing a strong sense of unity amongst the population. As such, the early works (mainly documentaries) produced by the nation focused on war— a recent memory that united Yugoslavs, to some extent, despite their ethnic and linguistic diversity. Nazism, through such films as Vjekoslav Afrić’s Slavica, was condemned as antithetical to the project of socialism, a rallying call which sought to unite Yugoslav’s under a blanket of brotherhood.
As Editor-in-Chief of Kinoeye, an online journal of European film, Andrew Horton reflected in a 1987 article, “There has been no CentralFilm Division in Yugoslavia linked to the politicians and to film. Rather, films are made in Yugoslavia by individual production companies through a complicated system which more closely resembles a Hollywood model than it does the rigid and centralized film industry in the USSR” (Horton, 24, The Rise and Fall of the Yugoslav Partisan Film: Cinematic Perceptions of a National Identity). Filmmakers, then, were given the freedom to create works with the support of the government while oftentimes being openly critical of it (this is not to say that there was no censorship, but that there was, instead, a relative freedom when compared to neighboring republics of the Eastern Bloc). There was no common narrative that war films had to subscribe to, nor was there a formal structure which fiction films had to adopt in the later years of Yugoslavia.
The former nation was the birthplace of the Yugoslav Black Wave, a formally experimental movement characterized by non-linear storytelling, dark humor, and critiques of the socialist system. With production companies opening in each of Yugoslavia’s former republics, directors from the region gained significant international attention for their unconventional approach to film making— six films even got nominations at the Academy Awards in the category of best foreign language film (Giuseppe De Santis’ The Road a Year Long in 1958, France Štiglic’s The Ninth Circle in 1960, Aleksandar Petrović’s Three and I Even Met Happy Gypsies in 1966 and 1967 respectively, Veljko Bulajić’s The Battle of Neretva in 1969, and Emir Kusturica’s When Father Was Away on Business in 1985).
Why has a robust film industry in Bosnia still not emerged?
The Yugoslav Wars of the early nineties fractured society in ways that have lasting influences on the viability of a pan-Balkan film industry. In comparison to its neighbors, Bosnia and Herzegovina remained relatively underdeveloped following the fall of Yugoslavia. Moreover, a combination of the physical (the destruction of infrastructure) and social effects (ethnic division between Bosniaks, Serbs, and Croats) of the Bosnian War rendered the newly independent nation incapable of building a strong national film industry following Yugoslavia’s dissolution. Film has certainly not been high on the newly independent nation’s list of priorities.
Today, Bosnia and Herzegovina produces (on average) less than five feature fiction films a year. This results from both a lack of formally trained film crews and a lack of financial resources for filmmakers present in the nation. While Sarajevo has a designated film center, there still does not exist a national one, leading many young directors to look internationally for the majority of their funding. Given that the nation invests so little in film (the annual budget for the production of all types of film is merely $1.76 million), many young artists study and eventually pursue careers in other (often Western) European nations.
In addition to a lack of domestic productions, there is an evident lack of foreign productions that come to shoot in Bosnia. This is because the government does not offer significant financial incentives for international productions to film in the nation. When compared to its neighboring countries, Bosnia stands out as being an unfavorable location. Serbia and Croatia, for example, have passed financial legislation which allows foreign productions to have a cash rebate of 25% for audiovisual projects ( in Serbia, an additional 5% rebate is awarded to projects whose local expenditure is over $5.45 million, and in Croatia, an additional 5% rebate is given to projects filmed in regions with “below average development”). In 2019, the Canton of Sarajevo introduced a rebate program, where eligible productions could earn up to a 30% rebate if filmed in Sarajevo Canton. The program was launched to promote both international and domestic film and television productions in Bosnia. While this initiative marks a step in the right direction, its reach is far more limited when compared to the more encompassing national programs established in both Croatia and Serbia.
This past year, more than 1.3 million Bosnians went to the cinema. Una Gunjak’s debut feature Excursion was BiH’s highest earning domestic film, and yet it only raked in 41,000 BAM ($22,986). This disappointing figure comes within a broader context of Bosnian viewers choosing international films over Bosnian-made, with a stark 77% of Bosnian cinema-goers choosing a US-produced film in 2023 versus just 2% choosing domestic. This trend could be explained by a multitude of reasons, including but not limited to audiences’ interests, the lack of options when it comes to Bosnian films, and the inability of smaller domestic productions to be screened outside of independent cinemas.
Sarajevo Film Festival and Grants for Young Artists
Given the popularity of the Sarajevo Film Festival (SFF), it is ironic that there is no emergent plan for the development of the Bosnian film industry. The SFF has endowed Sarajevo with a more formalized interest in audiovisual production, and has influenced the creation of film academy programs and production houses in Sarajevo. The industry, despite its slow progress, is moving in an encouraging direction, thanks to efforts by artists and organizations working domestically.
The SFF’s origins lie in the siege of Sarajevo. In 1993, theater director Haris Pašović organized the first festival, which generated popular support and served as a distraction from the all-encompassing siege imposed on Sarajevo by the Serbian Political and Military Authorities from 1992-1995. The festival’s first official iteration— organized by the Obala Art Center— came in 1995, and has snowballed in popularity since. Initiated as a means of “helping to reconstruct civil society and retain the cosmopolitan spirit of the city,” the film festival continues to further its mission 30 years later.
The SFF regularly attracts over 100,000 spectators, and remains Southeastern Europe’s largest annual film event. Considering the large influx of international guests, the festival has also risen to comprise a vital dimension of Sarajevo’s economy, a source from which local expenditure experiences a yearly high (N1, 2018). The film festival does not only draw international and regional attendance, but domestic attendance from cinema lovers around the country, too. The festival inspires an environment of unity, gesturing towards the potential of film events to serve as community-building initiatives in the region.
In addition to transforming the city, the festival serves as an opportunity for filmmakers from Southeast Europe and the Southern Caucasus (the festival’s stated areas of interest) to gain visibility on a global scale. It is thanks to the annual Film Festival, too, that Sarajevo was identified in 2019 as a UNESCO Creative City of Film. This designation aids the city in accomplishing cultural, economic and social development through film, and places Sarajevo within a rich network of over 20 other designated cities across the globe. Related to this designation is the SFF’s CineLink Industry Days, which provide a regional platform through which over 1,000 industry professionals convene during the festival to boost the development of the film industry and regional co-productions.
In its wake, the festival has also brought about tangible developments in Sarajevo’s film culture, clearly observed in the formation of youth educational initiatives. One such initiative is the Sarajevo Youth Film Festival, also known as the Omladinski film festival. The festival, which started in 2008 and has historically taken place over 5 days, brings together diverse audiences and filmmakers from the Balkans and beyond. As the largest short professional film festival in Southeastern Europe, the program was spurred by the desire to put young filmmakers into the spotlight, creating a valuable opportunity for networking and development. With educational workshops (focused on film development and networking) accompanying screenings, the festival has no doubt furthered the Sarajevo Film Festival’s ambition to make Bosnia a regional film hub.
Another important initiative spurred by the success of the Sarajevo Film Festival is the Sarajevo Film Fund. According to the organization, “The Sarajevo Film Fund is established with the objective to provide funds to stimulate, develop and improve film creativity, film production and film entrepreneurship in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina.” The fund, which operates as an initiative of the UNESCO Creative Cities network, provides young filmmakers with grants to develop documentaries, shorts, and feature films domestically. Unfortunately, due to political changes in Bosnia, the Film Fund has been out of service for the past year and a half, impacting the potential for domestic projects to receive funding.
While not directly related to either of the festivals, the Creative Europe Program has also played an instrumental role in revitalizing Bosnia’s film culture. Since 2014, the Creative Europe program— an offshoot initiative of the European Union— has provided grants to support creative media projects and develop regional production industries. As a prospective EU member state, Bosnian production houses and producers are able to apply for grants to supplement the creation of their work domestically. This undoubtedly plays a role in revitalizing Bosnia’s film culture. The central issue with the Creative Europe Program, though, is that grantees are required to receive funding for their projects domestically before applying for a Creative Europe Grant. The Creative Europe program is not meant to fund the entirety of a film project, but rather to supplement grants received domestically. This can be an issue, considering the difficulty of sourcing money through domestic organizations, exacerbated by the temporary inability of the Sarajevo Film Fund.
The Potentials for a Cross-Regional Film Industry
It is not just Bosnia that is underrepresented in film in the Western Balkans. While the respective industries of Croatia and Serbia provide more incentives for film making on a national scale, their output still pales in comparison to the more developed entertainment industries of Western Europe. Opportunities for collaboration between countries in Southeastern Europe are emerging more and more, coming to form a regional art network that transcends political boundaries.
Many filmmakers in Bosnia search regionally for funding and partnerships, partly influenced by a shared cultural interest and language. Due to comparatively low viewership, the potential for an expansive— globally reaching— industry in each respective Western Balkan nation is low, but combined efforts across neighboring states in Southeastern Europe could yield greater results.
Many recently produced films from the region are co-productions between nations in and surrounding the Balkans. The SEE Cinema Network, for example, “actively promotes the development of international co-productions and supports the production of short films” within Southeastern Europe. The Balkan Documentary Film Center also provides resources for documentarians as a regional creative laboratory based in Sofia, and is funded by Creative Europe.
Partnerships between nations harken back to the history of film in the region during the existence of Yugoslavia. A pan-regional effort to promote Western Balkan film to a global audience could prove effective, not only in the realm of culture, but in the realm of politics as well. An encompassing spirit of collaboration has the potential to unite audiences from the region, bringing people together who historically have not seen eye to eye.
