SARAJEVO, Aug 16 (Balkan View) – More than a dozen emerging filmmakers and film students from across the Western Balkans have gathered at the Sarajevo Film Festival for an intensive programme aimed at connecting a new generation of regional talent with some of the biggest names in international cinema.
The programme is part of the Second Regional Conference on Youth Cultural Cooperation, held this year as the Sarajevo Film Festival Student Forum. It is organised through the EU-funded Western Balkans Youth Lab (WBYL), implemented by the Regional Cooperation Council (RCC), in cooperation with the Sarajevo Film Festival.
The initiative brings students from film academies across the Western Balkans Six together to present their work, exchange experiences with other young filmmakers and industry professionals, and participate in screenings, workshops, masterclasses and selected Talents Sarajevo events during the festival.
RCC Secretary General Amer Kapetanović said at the programme’s opening that bringing young artists together was an investment not only in the region’s cultural sector but also in cooperation across the Western Balkans.
“Talent is personal, but it rarely grows alone. It needs opportunity, space and other talented people around it,” Kapetanović said.
“This is why we wanted to go one step further this year. Through our EU-funded Western Balkans Youth Lab, we are giving young people from across our region the chance to meet, learn, exchange ideas and build relationships that can continue long after the Festival is over.”
Kapetanović said film and storytelling could also influence how people across the region perceive one another.
“Stories shape how we see one another, and giving a new generation the space to tell their own stories is one of the most meaningful investments we can make,” he said.
Seven filmmakers selected to present their work
Seven young filmmakers were selected to screen their short films during the programme: Andi Barohoxha, Ibrahim Batuhan, Arman Zrno, Erlisë Beqiri, Kaća Žarić, Kolja Vasić and Uma Zuban.
Their films will be presented to fellow filmmakers, students and industry professionals gathered in Sarajevo.
Participants will also join networking sessions with Talents Sarajevo, meet students from regional film academies and attend workshops dealing with professional skills, career development and the future of the Western Balkans screen industry.
The programme includes sessions on cooperation between filmmakers and creative teams, adapting novels for the screen, changes in the media industry and the relationship between film, democracy and regional competitiveness.
A regional film academy roundtable and a workshop focused on strengthening the Western Balkans screen sector are also planned.
From Harrelson to Farhadi
Young participants will have access to masterclasses and conversations with internationally recognised filmmakers and actors attending the Sarajevo Film Festival.
Among them are Academy Award-winning Polish director Paweł Pawlikowski, Academy Award-nominated actor Woody Harrelson, two-time Academy Award nominee Emily Watson and two-time Academy Award-winning Iranian director Asghar Farhadi.
Participants will also attend the opening of Talents Sarajevo featuring actor, director and producer Diego Luna, alongside other festival and industry sessions.
The aim, according to the RCC, is to provide young filmmakers with something that can be as important to their careers as formal education: access to professional networks, audiences, ideas and opportunities.
RCC expands long-running Sarajevo partnership
The RCC has supported young filmmakers at the Sarajevo Film Festival for nearly a decade.
Since 2017, the Heart of Sarajevo for Best Student Film has been under RCC patronage, providing support and visibility to filmmakers at an early stage of their careers.
This year’s cooperation has been expanded through the Western Balkans Youth Lab, allowing a broader group of young filmmakers and students from across the region to participate in the festival.
The initiative follows the first Regional Conference on Youth Cultural Cooperation, held in December 2024.
The Western Balkans Youth Lab 2 is financed by the European Union and implemented by the RCC. Its broader objective is to establish sustained dialogue between young people and policymakers and strengthen youth participation and regional cooperation.
For the young filmmakers arriving in Sarajevo, however, the immediate objective is simpler: showing their films, meeting their peers and building relationships that could shape their careers long after the festival ends.