Editor

This year’s winner of the Special Heart of Sarajevo Awards is the executive director of the MDM Fund Manfred Schmidt. The award is being granted for the outstanding contribution to film industry a support in development of Sarajevo Film Festival 2009.

But beside the usual program of one festival day I would like to mention an interesting talk about small cinematography, in Coffee with Program and its guests Denis Tanović and Jasmila Žbanić. „Small cinematography often need to step behind the big once " stressed Bosnian celebrity film director Denis Tanović on Sarajevo Film Festival. Denis Tanovic Oscar winner for “No Man’s Land“ and Jasmila Žbanić, winner of the Golden Bear for Grbavica. In Coffee With Program they talked about achieving of making the film. „Awards are a wonderful experience. A realization of some of your wishes. On the one hand they open many doors, make the production of future films much easier and help your country. They have also made people here realize that it is necessary to establish funds for film. But on the other hand, they can be a burden as well, not only for the author but also for other colloques, but simply because they create a climate in which authors who have not won awards for their film become irrelevant. This is not good because a film and its value should not be measured through awards alone," Tanovic said. "There is evident progress in Bosnian cinematography in terms of logistics," she emphasized, "some new kids on the block need to contemplate their decision to make films and live with them. Films can not be learnt you either do or do not have it within you. About the themes of the film it is difficult to escape the environment we live in My next project speaks about the daily life of a married couple. However, in this story again, like in many others we are unable to erase the events of war. " The international awards have created an opportunity to be successful and make films outside of the Bosnian region. Having made a film in French Tanović is now making his film in English, as part of an Irish Production. And Jasmila Žbanić has realized her part of the short story project through an international production as well. "Besides all this, the awards and the new international project I think, that this Festival is also important for the Bosnian cinematography. When Jasmila and I first started, we did not have the opportunity to see producers or authors of world renown. Today, you are able to see in the streets people you could only read about in the papers and whose films you watched. For example, I've met the director of Sony Pictures today, who had come to Sarajevo from LA. For ten days once a year, great opportunities are being opened for our cinematography. I think we should use them, " Tanović said to us.