Sarajevo’s selection of works in progress includes projects by Stephan Komandarev and Renen Schorr | New

New film projects by Bulgarian filmmaker Stephan Komandarev and Renen Schorr, the former director of the Sam Spiegel Film and Television School in Jerusalem, are among the 12 feature films selected for Sarajevo’s CineLink Work In Progress section.

The festival also programmed the world premiere of Bosnian director Pjer Zalica may labor day as the closing film, on August 19.

Scroll down for the full list of projects

The Work In Progress component includes 10 fiction projects and two documentaries, which will be presented to industry professionals, including funders, sales agents, distributors, broadcasters and festival programmers.

Jitles will compete for a Post Republic Prize of €40,000 and a Turkish National Radio Prize of €25,000, chosen by a five-person jury: Vanja Kaludjercic, artistic director of the Rotterdam International Film Festival; Dennis Ruh, director of the European Film Market; Marcin Luczaj, head of acquisitions at New Europe Film Sales and Filter Future Leader 2021; Esra Demirkiran from Turkish National Radio Television; and Deniz Erel of The Post Republic.

Komandarev’s feature film project is a drama titled The lessons of Blaga, and is currently in post-production after wrapping filming in April. The Bulgarian-German film is produced by Komandarev and Katya Trichkova for Argo film and 42film; he was selected for the Sofia meetings in Bulgaria earlier this year.

Schorr takes part in an Israeli documentary project Rabbi Heller Blues, which he directs and produces via Blues Production. Schorr left the Sam Spiegel School in 2019 after 30 years at its helm and handed over the reins of the Sam Spiegel Film Lab to Aurit Zamir the following year. He has worked as a writer, producer and director before, during and since his time with Sam Spiegel, most recently as executive producer of Pini Tavger’s 2021 Jerusalem Film Festival selection. More than I deserve.

At the end of the festival, Zalica’s may labor day will play in the Open Air program. The film follows a newly married man who returns from Germany to Bosnia to surprise his father on Labor Day; only to discover that her father has been arrested under suspicious circumstances.

The Sarajevo Film Festival 2022 will take place from August 12 to 19.

Sarajevo CineLink Work in Progress 2022

In the wings (Mor-Tun-Qat-Bel-Fr) dirs. Afef Ben Mahmoud, Khalil Benkirane

The lessons of Blaga (Bul-Ger) dir. Stephan Komandarev

Capture Sami (working title) (Rom-Bul) dir. Adi Voicu

Dormitory (Tur-Ger) dir. Tuna Nehir

Expedition 49 (Ukr-Fr-Pol) dir. Alisa Kovalenko*

Freedom (Rom-Hun) dir. Tudor Giurgiu

The future (Isr) dir. Noam Kaplan

Hesitation Wound (Tur-Fr-Rom) dir. Selman Nacar

Rabbi Heller Blues (Isr) dir. Renen Schorr*

Sirin (Mon-Cro-Alb-Kos-Bos/Her-Fr) dir. Senad Sahmanović

The trap (Bul-Ger) dir. Nadezhda Koseva

When you are 17 (Geo-All) dir. Giorgi Mukhadze

* – documentary