The Son, selected Monday by the Association of Filmmakers of Bosnia and Herzegovina, centers on Arman, who was adopted as a baby by a couple who were unable to have children of their own. However, soon after, his adoptive mother gave birth to a son. Arman constantly battles the demons of his past while trying to protect his younger brother Dado, 14, from the challenges of life in present day Sarajevo.
Dino Bajrović, Snežana Bogdanović, Uliks Fehmiu, Emir Hadžihafizbegović, Jasna Ornela Bery, Lidija Kordić and Hamza Ajdinović star.
Bosnia and Herzegovina won the Oscar in 2002 with Danis Tanović’s No Man’s Land
THE SON, which was shot in September 2018, is a contemporary story about the life and relations of a four-member Sarajevo family that has one biological and one adopted son.
“It took us a long time to secure funding and organize the production of this film, but we had an amazing crew. Many coproducers gathered around this film and its producer, Alem Babic, gathered an amazing crew that included members from Slovenia, Croatia, Montenegro and Romania. The most important for me was that I had an excellent cast led by two young talented actors, Dino Bajrovic and Hamza Ajdinovic, who worked alongside regional acting stars such as Snezana Bogdanovic, Uliks Fehmiu, Emir Hadzihafizbegovic and Jasna Beri. I am proud that we managed to complete it in such a short time despite our limited budget,’’ said Tanović.
THE SON is Ines Tanović’s second feature film.
Ines Tanović was born in 1965 in Sarajevo. She is the writer and director of six short films, as well as numerous television shows, children’s programmes, documentaries, video spots and advertising campaigns. She is an alumna of the 2006 Berlinale Talent Campus, and her project DECISION was selected for the Berlin Today Award in 2011. Tanovic directed the Bosnian portion of the omnibus feature SOME OTHER STORIES; the film has been invited to more than 40 festivals worldwide and won six international prizes. OUR EVERYDAY LIFE, her first feature-length film, was invited to more than 40 international film festivals and won 15 awards and was a Bosnian candidate for the Academy Awards in 2015.