Two Tuzla Film Festival winners in Cottbus

On 24 October, the 11th Tuzla Film Festival came to an end in Tuzla, the third largest city in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Best Film was A BALLAD (BA/FR 2022), in which acclaimed director Aida Begić loosely applies the plot of Hasanaginica, a 17th-century South Slavic folk ballad, to the emancipation aspirations of a young woman today - from the omnipresent mother, the ruthless ex-husband and everyone else who buys favours with a dependent relationship.

The award for best production value went to the family film HOW I LEARNED TO FLY (Radivoje Andrić, RS/HR/BG/SK 2022) and that for best screenplay to AS FAR AS I CAN WALK (RS/FR/LU/BG/LT 2021), Stefan Arsenijević's portrait of a refugee couple making their way through contemporary Serbia.

The festival focusses on films from all the successor states of the former Yugoslavia.

With A BALLAD (Spectrum) and HOW I LEARNED TO FLY (Kids in Cinema), two of the award winners from Tuzla will soon also be screened at the FFC.

FFC programme director Bernd Buder, who was part of the jury in Tuzla, about the festival: "The Tuzla Film Festival is a small, very charming festival in an equally charming city. Film festivals like this one contribute significantly to film culture. As a guest here, you move outside the film industry bubble, in the midst of life, and gain a lasting impression of the rich soul of the country, its challenges and opportunities. It's a beautiful experience where you realise how strongly current Bosnian film reflects the moods in the country."