On-line ticket sales for all festival screenings will commence on August 3 at 12:00 o’clock. Tickets will be available on-line only via the official SFF web site. The Festival’s main Box Office opens on August 9 at 10:00 o’clock.
The 25th Sarajevo Film Festival features 270 films from 56 countries, 68 world premiers and 12 international premiers.
The 25th edition of the annual Sarajevo Film Festival will be held under the patronage of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, UNESCO. The UNESCO has recognized the Sarajevo Film Festival “as an event in line with the priorities of the Organization aimed at promoting dialogue and tolerance through the arts”, the UNESCO Director-General, Audrey Azoulay, wrote in a letter.
“I am confident that the 25th Sarajevo Film Festival and its programmes will contribute to giving access to films to a wide audience and to strengthening peace in Southern Europe”, states Azoulay.
“During the Sarajevo Film Festival, the Tourism Board of the Sarajevo Canton registers a record number of visitors. Last year, we registered 78.000 visitors in Sarajevo during August. For comparison, the average monthly number of tourists registered in Sarajevo stands at 48.000. In other words, the number of domestic and international visitors nearly doubles during the Festival. The Tourism Board of the Sarajevo Canton is thus proud to follow and support the regional promotion of the Sarajevo Film Festival ahead of its 25th edition. In our line of work, we get a chance to meet people from different countries, different cultures and different walks of life. I always find it interesting that even the people who never heard about Bosnia-Herzegovina are familiar with the Sarajevo Film Festival. The rhythm and the look of the city change during the Festival. I invite you to visit Sarajevo during the Sarajevo Film Festival to experience the special rhythm of the city, enjoy film screenings and join nearly 80,000 other satisfied guests of the city of film,” said Nermin Muzur, the head of the Tourism Board of the Sarajevo Canton.
In cooperation with and under the auspices of the City of Sarajevo and its mayor Abdulah Skaka, the red carpet – a recognizable symbol of one of the most significant European film festivals – will get a new look. The design of the new red carpet, which will traditionally be rolled out in front of the National Theater in Sarajevo to honor filmmakers, artists and filmgoers, combines traditional and modern elements.
After extensive research of traditional Bosnian kilims in the collection of the National Museum of Bosnia-Herzegovina, the creative team of the Sarajevo Film Festival found the inspiration for the design of the festival’s new red carpet in a traditional Sarajevo kilim from 1930.