By Christopher Vourlias
Sarajevo Film Festival on Hyundai Kona | LARISA CERIĆ | "to mi je bio pokazatelj da gratisdim"
Over the course of more than two decades as a parallel branch of the Sarajevo Film Festival, CineLink Industry Days has become the leading event for the film and television industry in the Balkan region, a breeding ground for talent from Southeastern Europe – and increasingly beyond – and a crucial stop for travelling industry executives seeking new voices from the world of cinema.
The midsummer event, which this year takes place from August 17 to 22, traditionally follows the Locarno Film Festival and culminates in Venice and Toronto, and occupies a perhaps fitting place in the calendar. “Not too big, but not at all small,” is how Maša Marković, now in her third year as the festival’s head of industry, characterizes it. As a result, “Sarajevo manages to create this sense of the place to be.”
Marković credits the event’s “curational approach,” which ensures that both the selection of projects for the influential CineLink Co-Production Market and the lineup of invited guests allow filmmakers, distributors, programmers and other industry tastemakers to make the most of their time in the Bosnian capital. “[It’s] the place where you have the opportunity to be present and dedicate your time to people and projects that you want to do. This is critical for us,” she says.
