For a few busy days before the frantic fall festival slate hits high gear in Venice, Toronto and Telluride, key players from the international film world can be found mingling at Sarajevo’s stately Hotel Europe, the hub for the Bosnian festival’s CineLink Industry Days.
Though just 19 projects were selected from more than 150 submissions this year, Hadzic says at least 30 could have made the cut, testifying to the growing maturity of the local market. The co-production forum’s track record is strong; recent films launched in Sarajevo include Adina Pintilie’s Golden Bear winner “Touch Me Not,” and Ljubomir Stefanov’s Sundance-awarded documentary “Honeyland.
It’s a handy skill set at a time when the global entertainment industry is in tremendous flux. Hadzic has seen a significant shift in how local filmmakers are changing with the times, as a growing number of works-in-progress go into Sarajevo with strong commercial prospects. He adds: “We can feel that there is a change of generations happening right now. The new directors are coming.”