Ukrainian drama Cherry Blossoms from director Marysia Nikitiuk has picked up one of the top prizes at Sarajevo Film Festival’s industry platform CineLink, which handed out its awards last night (August 18).
See below for full list of winners
The project was among 12 presented at the CineLink Co-Production Market and won the Eurimages Special Co-Production Development Award of €20,000.
Cherry Blossoms centres on a man and girl who escape territories in Ukraine occupied by Russia and meet a Bosnian woman who survived the Balkan wars as a child. Nikitiuk’s first feature, When The Trees Fall, debuted in the Panorama section of the Berlinale in 2018.
The Eurimages Co-Production Development Award of €20,000 went to Greece’s The Boy With The Light Blue Eyes, described as a coming-of-age queer Greek tragedy, which will mark the feature directorial debut of Thanassis Neofotistos.
Winning the Film Centre Serbia Cinelink Award and newly launched Female Voices Cinelink Award was Dina Duma’s Skateboarding Is Not For Girls, whose debut feature Sisterhood played at Karlovy Vary in 2021. The North Mecedonia-Belgium co-production received the two prizes that each included €10,000.
In the work-in-progress section, winners included Stephan Komandarev’s Blaga’s Lessons, which picked up the €25,000 TRT Award. Bulgarian Komandarev is known for features such as Directions, which played in Un Certain Regard at Cannes in 2017 and won the Cineuropa Award at Sarajevo in 219 with Rounds. Blaga’s Lessons is in post-production after wrapping shooting in April.
Selman Nacar’s Hesitation Wound took the Post Republic Award worth €40,000 while the Tudor Giurgiu’s Freedom collected the €12,000 Jury Award.
CineLink Industry Days ran from August 13-19, during which 46 projects from Southeast Europe and MENA region were presented. It marked the 20th anniversary of the industry platform.
CineLink Co-Production Market Awards
Eurimages Co-Production Development Award (€20,000)
The Boy With The Light Blue Eyes (Greece), dir. Thanassis Neofotistos
Eurimages Special Co-Production Development Award (€20,000)
Cherry Blossoms (Ukr), dir. Marysia Nikitiuk
Film Centre Serbia Cinelink Award (€10,000)
Skateboarding Is Not For Girls (North Macedonia-Belg), dir. Dina Duma
Film Centre Montenegro Cinelink Award (€10,000)
Hear The Yellow (Turkey), dir. Banu Sivaci
Artekino International Prize (€6,000)
Petty Thieves (Ger-Crotia-Fr) dir. Mate Ugrin
Female Voices Cinelink Award (€10,000)
Skateboarding Is Not For Girls (North Macedonia-Belg), dir. Dina Duma
EAVE + Award
Oana Giurgiu
Cinelink Work In Progress Awards
TRT Award (€25,000)
Blaga’s Lessons, dir. Stephan Komandarev
Post Republic Award (€40,000)
Hesitation Wound, dir. Selman Nacar
Jury Award (€12,000)
Freedom, dir. Tudor Giurgiu
Cinelink Drama Awards
Croatian Audiovisual Center Drama Award (€15,000)
Rumpus, Dubravka Turić
TV Drama Vision Pitch Award
Brothers (Cro), Simon Farmakas
Docu Rough Cut Boutique Awards
Avanpost Award (€20,000)
Fairy Garden, dir. Gergő Somogyvári
Cat&Docs Award (€2,000)
The Soldier, dir. Aleksandar Nikolić
HBO Max Award (€2,000)
Fairy Garden, dir. Gergő Somogyvári
Dok Leipzig Preview Award
Requiem To The Hot Days Of Summer, dir. Giorgi Parkosadze
Movies That Matter Award
My Muslim Husband, dir. Daniel Barnuti and Alexandra Lizeta Barnuti.
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