Hungarian queer drama Places Half Empty led the winners at Sarajevo Film Festival’s CineLink Industry Days, receiving the €20,000 Eurimages co-production development award.
The project will be the second feature for Hungarian filmmaker Dorka Vermes, written by Sara Torley-Havas and produced by Evelyn Balogh and Botond Lelkes for Non Lieu Film Productions. It depicts two women – one working as an illegal cab driver, the other an affluent suburban woman trying to escape her family – who meet and fall in love.
Scroll down for the full list of winners
The film team previously attended the CineLink Workshop at Slano Film Days in Croatia in June.
Stone Over Stone, the 12th feature from Azeri filmmaker Hilal Baydarov, won the €10,000 Film Center Montenegro Award. It centres on a man and his pregnant wife who flee their village to escape his gambling debt; and find work and shelter at a mysterious construction site.
The CineLink industry platform is formed of the co-production market, work in progress and drama sections. It awarded over €250,000 in prizes, consisting of €171,000 cash prizes and €80,000 in-kind.
The biggest award, the €50,000 Council of Europe series co-production development award, went to Ljubica Lukovic’s series Red Water, to be directed by Antoneta Alamat Kusijanovic, winner of the Cannes Camera d’Or in 2021 for Murina. Danijel Pek will produce the series for Croatia’s Antitalent.
The CineLink ceremony took place in the Swissotel venue, having moved indoors from its original outdoor spot in the Festival Garden due to a two-hour thunderstorm in the city.
Sarajevo Film Festival concludes with its awards ceremony this evening (Friday, August 22).
CineLink Industry Days 2025 winners
Co-Production Market
Eurimages Co-Production Development award – Places Half Empty (Hun) dir. Dorka Vermes; prods. Evelyn Balogh, Botond Lelkes
Film Center Montenegro CineLink award – Stone Over Stone (Austria-Aze) dir. Hilal Baydarov; prods. Maeva Ranaivojoana, Georg Tiller, Hilal Baydarov
Film Center Serbia CineLink award – Pogana (Cro-Slovenia) dir. David Kapac; prods. Rea Rajcic, Tina Tisljar
Artekino International prize – Two Little Nightmares (Cro-Ser-Slovenia-Bul-Fr) dir. Nebojsa Slijepcevic; prods. Danijel Pek, Katarina Prpic
CineLink Co-Production Market & Cinelink Drama
Female Voices CineLink award – Rain Country (Tur) dir. Zeynep Koprulu; prods. Utku Zeka, Zeynep Koprulu, Cansu Menlikli
CineLink Drama
Council of Europe Series Co-Production Development award – Red Water (Cro) cre. Ljubica Lukovic; prod. Danijel Pek
Croatian Audiovisual Center Drama award – Wonderful (Ser) cres. Katarina Mitrovic, Isidora Veselinovic, Vladimir Tagic; prod. Marija Stojanovic
TV Drama Vision Pitch award – Gorilla (Ser) cre. Gabor Krigler; prod. Ivana Mikovic
CineLink Work in Progress awards
HBO award – Who Are We (Ser-It-Lux-Bul-Cro) dir. Miroslav Terzic; prod. Snezana van Houwelingen
Turkish National Radio Television award – Yesterday The Eye Didn’t Sleep (Bel-Pal-Leb) dir. Rakan Mayasi; prods. Jennifer Ritter, Rakan Mayasi
Post Republic award – Where To? (Isr-Ger) dir. Assaf Machnes; prods. Tomer Mecklberg, Haim Mecklberg, Oren Rogovin, Mohamad Babi
Avanpost Media award – 17 (N Mac-Ser-Slovenia) dir. Kosara Mitic; prod. Tomi Salkovski
CineLink Work in Progress & Docu Rough Cut Boutique awards
Think-Film Impact Production award – Lost And Found: Romania’s Hidden Adoption Market (Rom) dir. Laurentiu Garofeanu; prod. Laurentiu Garofeanu
EAVE+ award – Marija Stojanovic
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