Jasmila Žbanić (; born 19 December 1974) is a Bosnian film director, screenwriter and producer, best known for having written and directed '' Quo Vadis, Aida?'' (2020), which earned her nominations for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film, the

BAFTA Award for Best Film Not in the English Language The BAFTA Award for Best Film Not in the English Language is given annually by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts and presented at the British Academy Film Awards. The award was first given at the 36th British Academy Film Awards, rec ...

, and the BAFTA Award for Best Direction.

Early life

Žbanić was born in

Sarajevo Sarajevo ( ; cyrl, Сарајево, ; ''see names in other languages'') is the capital and largest city of Bosnia and Herzegovina, with a population of 275,524 in its administrative limits. The Sarajevo metropolitan area including Sarajevo ...

on 19 December 1974 into a Muslim family. Žbanić went to local schools before attending the Academy of Performing Arts in Sarajevo, where she got a degree. She worked for a time in the United States as a puppeteer in the

Vermont Vermont () is a state in the northeast New England region of the United States. Vermont is bordered by the states of Massachusetts to the south, New Hampshire to the east, and New York to the west, and the Canadian province of Quebec to ...

-based

Bread and Puppet Theater The Bread and Puppet Theater (often known simply as Bread & Puppet) is a Political radicalism, politically radical puppet theater, active since the 1960s, based in Glover, Vermont . The theater was co-founded by Elka and Peter Schumann. Peter is ...

and as a clown in a Lee De Long workshop. In 1997, she founded the artist's association "Deblokada" and started making documentaries and short films.

Career

Žbanić went to the United States in order to work as a puppeteer in the

-based

. She also learned to act as a clown in a Lee De Long workshop. After her return to Bosnia and Herzegovina, she founded the artists' association "Deblokada" (meaning "de-blocking.") Through Deblokada, Žbanić wrote and produced many documentaries, video artworks, and short films. Her work has been seen around the globe, screened in film festivals and shown at exhibitions such as the Manifesta 3 in

Slovenia Slovenia ( ; sl, Slovenija ), officially the Republic of Slovenia (Slovene: , abbr.: ''RS''), is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the west, Austria to the north, Hungary to the northeast, Croatia to the southeast, an ...

in 2000, the Kunsthalle Fridericianum in Kassel in 2004, and the Istanbul Biennale in 2003. Since then she has made well-received feature films. Jzbanic

Žbanić's 2006 feature film '' Grbavica,'' won the

Golden Bear The Golden Bear (german: Goldener Bär) is the highest prize awarded for the best film at the Berlin International Film Festival. The bear is the heraldic animal of Berlin, featured on both the coat of arms and flag of Berlin. History The win ...

at the 56th Berlin International Film Festival, the Grand Jury Prize at the International Feature Competition Festival in 2006, and was awarded the Best European Film and best European actress award in 2006. Her 2010 film '' Na putu'' (''On the Path''), which explores the relationship of a young couple living in

, was screened at the 60th Berlin International Film Festival. Žbanić's 2020 war drama film '' Quo Vadis, Aida?'' won the Audience Award at the 50th International Film Festival Rotterdam, the Best International Film Award at the 2021

Gothenburg Film Festival Göteborg Film Festival (GFF), formerly Göteborg International Film Festival (GIFF), known in English as the Gothenburg Film Festival, formerly Gothenburg International Film Festival, is an annual film festival in Gothenburg, Sweden and the larg ...

, entered into the

77th Venice International Film Festival The 77th annual Venice International Film Festival was held from 2 to 12 September 2020, albeit in a "more restrained format" due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Australian actress Cate Blanchett was appointed as the President of the Jury. '' The Ti ...

and also won the Best International Film Award at the

36th Independent Spirit Awards The 36th Film Independent Spirit Awards, honoring the best independent films and television series of 2020, were presented by Film Independent on April 22, 2021. Though it was initially intended for the ceremony to air on April 24, 2021, it was ...

. Further more, in March 2021, the film was nominated for Best Film Not in the English Language and Žbanić was nominated for Best Director at the

74th British Academy Film Awards The 74th British Academy Film Awards, also known as the BAFAs (or BAFTAs), were held on 10 and 11 April 2021 at the Royal Albert Hall in London, honouring the best national and foreign films of 2020 and early 2021. Presented by the British Aca ...

. On 15 March 2021, Žbanić's film was nominated for Best International Feature Film at the

93rd Academy Awards The 93rd Academy Awards ceremony, presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), honored films released from January 1, 2020, to February 28, 2021, at Union Station in Los Angeles. The ceremony was held on April 25, 202 ...

. At the

34th European Film Awards The 34th European Film Awards were presented in Berlin, Germany on 11 December 2021. Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the awards went ahead without an in person audience, taking the form of a hybrid event, including pre-produced and live onl ...

held in December 2021, ''Quo Vadis, Aida?'' won the Award for Best Film. Also, Žbanić won the Award for Best Director and cast member Jasna Đuričić won the Award for Best Actress at the same awards.

Themes and characters

Žbanić acknowledges that her films deal chiefly with the people of

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 ...

. She says that she uses film to explore problems and issues relating to her life. Žbanić strives to create characters that are not just "black and white," as real people are not that simple. She does not create characters who are strict saints and heroes, but who might be weak and also brave and tolerant. In 2017, Žbanić signed the

Declaration on the Common Language The Declaration on the Common Language ( sh, Deklaracija o zajedničkom jeziku / ) was issued in 2017 by a group of intellectuals and NGOs from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Montenegro and Serbia who were working under the banner of a projec ...

of the

Croats The Croats (; hr, Hrvati ) are a South Slavic ethnic group who share a common Croatian ancestry, culture, history and language. They are also a recognized minority in a number of neighboring countries, namely Austria, the Czech Republic, ...

Serbs The Serbs ( sr-Cyr, Срби, Srbi, ) are the most numerous South Slavic ethnic group native to the Balkans in Southeastern Europe, who share a common Serbian ancestry, culture, history and language. The majority of Serbs live in their na ...

, Bosniaks and

Montenegrins Montenegrins ( cnr, Црногорци, Crnogorci, or ; lit. "Black Mountain People") are a South Slavic ethnic group that share a common Montenegrin culture, history, and language, identified with the country of Montenegro. Genetics Accordi ...

Filmography

Film

Television

Awards

References

External links