The Sarajevo Youth Film Festival ( bs, Omladinski Film Festival Sarajevo / Омладински Филм Фестивал Сарајево), also known as OFF Sarajevo, is an annual
film festival
A film festival is an organized, extended presentation of films in one or more cinemas or screening venues, usually in a single city or region. Increasingly, film festivals show some films outdoors. Films may be of recent date and, depending upon ...
held in
Sarajevo
Sarajevo ( ; cyrl, Сарајево, ; ''see Names of European cities in different languages (Q–T)#S, names in other languages'') is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Bosnia and Herzegovina, with a population of 275,524 in its a ...
,
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bosnia and Herzegovina ( sh, / , ), abbreviated BiH () or B&H, sometimes called Bosnia–Herzegovina and often known informally as Bosnia, is a country at the crossroads of south and southeast Europe, located in the Balkans. Bosnia and H ...
. It is held in September and showcases an extensive variety of feature, animated and short films from around the world. The main focus of the festival is on promoting young film directors and producers, student films and youth-themed films. OFF Sarajevo is considered to be one of the premium student film festivals in the
Balkans
The Balkans ( ), also known as the Balkan Peninsula, is a geographical area in southeastern Europe with various geographical and historical definitions. The region takes its name from the Balkan Mountains that stretch throughout the who ...
.
History
The festival was established by film professionals from Bosnia and Herzegovina with the goal of giving younger filmmakers from the
Former Yugoslavia
The Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, commonly referred to as SFR Yugoslavia or simply as Yugoslavia, was a country in Central and Southeast Europe. It emerged in 1945, following World War II, and lasted until 1992, with the breakup of Yu ...
a wider platform to promote their work. It was quickly internationalized even further, bringing in authors from all of Europe, North America and Asia. The first edition of the festival was organized from 9 to 13 September 2008. Most of the events were of open-air type. Traditionally,
Žuta tabija and the
House of the Military in downtown Sarajevo were used as primary venues for the event. However, since OFF Sarajevo 2018, all of the events are held in Cinema City cinema near
BBI shopping center. On average 30 authors from 11 different countries are programmed per edition, with over 50,000 visitors each year. The average age of festival employees is 22, while the management is headed by Kenan Musić. The main feature film competition program is called ''Made for Open Air''.
Sections
Main Program: Short meter, short feature film
Main program is the selection of a short feature film. Within this selection are young film professionals with their short films created in their own production or production of their film schools. The ''Short Meter'' Selection at the 11th edition of Youth Film Festival Sarajevo will present a 20 shorts.
Competition Program: Creative, art and experimental film
One of the competition selections of the festival is the selection of a short experimental, art and creative film. This selection in 2019 will present 5 films.
Competition Program: OFF Generation
"OFF Generation" is the old program of the Festival but with a new name. As in previous years, this program will present 5 films that are designed for the young generation of 15–26 years old and directed by former or recent film academy students.
Special Screenings: Family movies
One of the goals of the Youth Film Festival Sarajevo, from the outset, was to create unique cinema locations and special atmosphere during screenings at open-air cinemas. For this reason, OFF continues with projections of 5 family, feature films that will be screened as part of the Open Cinema at
Žuto tabija,
OS BiH and as part of the new open air venue of the festival in the center of Sarajevo - OFF Drive in cinema.
Awards 2017
Best short: Fabijan - Croatia, Director: Lovro Mrđen, Award: 1.000,00, TV Premiere, Best Documentary Film: Wedding Package - Director: Omer Mirac Turc, Award: 1.000,00, TV Premiere, Best Male Role: Filip Križar, Film "Fabijan" - Croatia, Prize: 500,00
KM, Best Female Role: Cathrine Salee - Film "Marlon" - France, Prize: 500,00 KM
References
{{Reflist
External links
Official website
Recurring events established in 2008
September events
Tourist attractions in Sarajevo
Annual events in Bosnia and Herzegovina
Film festivals in Sarajevo
2008 establishments in Bosnia and Herzegovina