Veteran British actressVanessa Redgrave will be the jury president of thenew Regional Documentary Competition at this year's Sarajevo Film Festival(SFF) (August 18-26).

The 'Heart ofSarajevo' award for best documentary - with a prize of $3633 (Euros 3,000)- will be awarded to the best film in the festival's Regional DocumentaryProgramme selection and is open to films from nine countries: Albania, Bosniaand Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Hungary, Macedonia, Romania, Serbia andMontenegro, and Slovenia.

In addition, this jury willpresent the Human Rights Award, sponsored by the Swiss Federal Department ofForeign Affairs, for the documentary that best deals with the issue of humanrights.

Redgrave previously attended the Sarajevo Film Festival forits second edition in 1996, and she recently produced the human rightsdocumentary Russia/Chechnya Voices ofDissent.

Commenting on theestablishment of the Documentary Award, SFF director MirsadPurivatra, who is currently a member of theinternational jury at this week's goEast Festival inWiesbaden, told ScreenDaily.com:'We are closing the circle and definitely creating the best place for allfilm professionals of the region as well as those from around the world to beable to see the most interesting feature films, shorts and documentaries comingout of South Eastern Europe.'