18 August 2018•Update: 18 August 2018
By Talha Ozturk, Emre Bastug
BELGRADE, Serbia
The 24th Sarajevo Film Festival ended on Friday in Bosnia and Herzegovina’s capital.
Bulgarian director Milko Lazarov’s Aga, which tells the story of a troubled Inuit family, won the Heart of Sarajevo, the top prize, which includes a €16,000 ($18,200) award, on Thursday.
A total of 10 films from Turkey, Romania, Hungary, Germany, Bulgaria, Croatia and Serbia competed in the festival’s main category.
Turkish director Osman Nail Dogan’s ‘The Pigeon Thieves’ made its world premiere and competed with the nine other entries.
In the Documentary category, Araf’ directed by Turkey's Didem Pekun also received an award.
During the festival, Turkey’s Cannes Palme d'Or-winning director Nuri Bilge Ceylan's The Wild Pear Tree, Once Upon a Time in Anatolia, Winter Sleep, Clouds of May, Climates and The Town were screened for movie lovers.
His "Turkey Cinemascope" exhibition was also showcased at the Art Gallery of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Ceylan also received the Honorary Heart of Sarajevo Award.
Release Me, a Bosnian and Turkish co-production about Syrian orphans, was also screened.
The Sarajevo Film Festival was launched in 1995 as an act of defiance towards the end of the 43-month siege of Sarajevo by Bosnian Serb forces and is now one of the most important cultural events in Europe, attracting thousands of people every year.
The festival began on Aug. 10 and showcased 266 films from 56 countries.
