The Winners of the 5th Balkans Beyond Borders Short Film Festival

The Winners of the 5^th Balkans Beyond Borders Short Film Festival Serbian film “Springtime Suns” by Stefan Ivančić has won the BEST FILM AWARD at the 5^th Balkans Beyond Borders Short Film Festival, held in Sarajevo November 28-30, 2014. The film was recognized for its ability to interweave real life and documentary in order to deal with a complicated story of the construction of identity. Supported again by the European Fund for the Balkans, Balkans Beyond Borders functions as a stage for supporting and promoting young and emerging film makers. The audience that attended the Festival voted most for the Bosnian film “Toy car” by Muamer Celik, awarding the director with the AUDIENCE PRIZE 2014. Taking into consideration the high quality of this year’s films, the Jury, composed of Mr Leone Contini Bonacossi (Italy), Mr Bojan Mucko (Croatia) and Ms Tanja Smalcelj (Bosnia and Herzegovina), gave “Special Mentions” to three films: THE AEGEAN OR THE ANUS OF DEATH, by Eleni Gioti from Greece, for its commentary on important political issues in a minimalistic and satiric, but very direct, manner. REFIKA, a Turkish- Greek production by Ozge Deniz Ozker from Turkey, for the film’s very precise way of choosing a female character from shared cultural memory in order to discuss history. THE INVISIBLES, by Ishak Jalimam, Monika Šimunac, Nita Zeqiri, Petar Antevski (Kosovo, Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, respectively), because the authors of this surprisingly light and approachable film correctly diagnose problems we face in the Balkans on a daily basis, presenting them by hiding the protagonists’ faces. This year’s prizes were designed by Marietta Lyriotaki (Greece) and produced by Solid 3D Printing and Scanning of Greece. In addition, the “Best Film” Prize was awarded with 500€ and the “Audience Prize” with 100€ and a Lomo camera, by Lomography.gr. The audience that attended the Sarajevo festival had the chance to watch films of great quality and participate in an interactive event inspired by the theme of this year’s festival: DARE TO REPEAT. Attendees also, had the opportunity to discuss with film makers and special guests, making watching short films an interactive, live experience. Balkans Beyond Borders Short Film Festival is a festival that travels each year to a different city in the Balkans and is dedicated to encouraging young film makers to express themselves on issues relevant to their region and lives, building bridges between the peoples of the Balkans. Sarajevo was the latest stop of the BBB Short Film Festival after Belgrade, Athens, Tirana and Bucharest. And the journey in the Balkans continues...