The first Banja Luka International Film Festival (BLIFF), only the second international film festival in Bosnia and Herzegovina after Sarajevo and the first in Republika Srpska (the Serbian entity within the country), will take place from May 2-9.

The inaugural event will present over a hundred films in seven programmes, including three competitions- feature, documentary and student films. Other sections are Peace and Tolerance, Film and Laughter, Women Directors, Festival Favourites and a Special Programme with films such as Jiri Menzel's I Served The King Of England, Marcel Wehn's One Who Set Forth: Wim Wenders' Early Years, Farah Khan's Om Shanti Om and Steven Sebring's Patti Smith: Dream Of Life.

Emir Kusturica's Promise Me This will open the festival.

BLIFF will also include workshops and educational programme. The line-up for the masterclasses include Bernd Buder, Andy Serkis, Kiersten Wareing and Rada Sesic.

The festival is supported by the Government of the Republika Srpska, Ministry of Culture and the City of Banja Luka. It also receives support from the Prague Film Academy (FAMU); British Council; Serbian Academy of Drama Arts, Czech Institute of Documentary Film, and the UK's National Film & Television School.

The patron of the festival is a celebrated Serbian actor Lazar Ristovski. renowned for his roles in the films of Emir Kusturica. The festival director and founder is Irena Taskovski, born in Banja Luka, now director of London-based Taskovski Films, production and distribution company, best known for award-winning Czech Dream.

FEATURE COMPETITION
Lovesickness, Mariem Perez and Carlos Ruiz Ruiz (Puertorico/US)
The Band's Visit, Eran Kolirin (Izrael/France/US)
Armin, Ognjen Svilicic (Croatia/BiH/Germany)
Nothing Personal, Larisa Sadilova (Russia)
It's A Free World, Ken Loach (UK/Italy/Germany/Spain/Poland)
I Am From Titov Veles, Teona Strugar Mitevska (Macedonia/Slovenia/Belgium/France)
Empties, Jan Sverak (Czech Republic)
Huddersfield, Ivan Zivkovic (Serbia)

DOCUMENTARY COMPETITION
Monastery, Pernille Rose Gronkjaer (Denmark)
lDurakovo: Village Of Fools, Nino Kirtadze (France)
Alone In Four Walls, Aexandra Westmeier (Germany)
Lost Holiday, Lucie Kralova (Czech Republic)
The Mosquito Problem And Other Stories, Andrey Paounov (Bulgaria)
Souvenirs, Shahar Cohen, Halil Efrat (Israel)
Donkey In Lahore, Faramanz K. Rahber (Australia)

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