Milica Tomovic’s ‘Big Women,’ Philip Sotnychenko’s ‘Times New Roman’ Win Big at Sarajevo Industry Awards

Milica Tomović’s “Big Women” and Philip Sotnychenko’s “Times New Roman” won big at the Sarajevo Film Festival‘s CineLink, its industry section that featured projects from Southeast Europe, the Middle East and North Africa.

Serbian director Tomović’s sophomore feature, which is produced by Dragana Jovović of Non-Aligned Films and Jelena Radenković for Big Time Production, won the Eurimages Co-Production Development Award, a cash prize of €20,000 ($22,200).

The film follows two wild women who embark on an unexpected trip to the coast of Montenegro, where they’ll settle forgotten bills, rediscover their friendship and uncover long-buried secrets. It’s the director’s follow-up to her critically lauded Berlinale and Sarajevo player “Celts.”

Sotnychenko’s second feature (pictured, top), which is produced by Valeria Sochyvets for Contemporary Ukrainian Cinema, won the Eurimages Special Co-Production Development Award, a cash prize in the amount of €20,000 ($22,200).

Set against the backdrop of Russia’s invasion, the film follows a contemporary artist with an alcohol problem who tries to find understanding with his loved ones. Caught up in a cycle of recurring events and circumstances, he turns to his past in order not to lose himself in the present. Sotnychenko won best director last year at Sarajevo for his first feature, Rotterdam prizewinner “La Palisiada.”

The Post Republic Award, in the CineLink Work in Progress section, went to Banu Sıvacı’s “Hear the Yellow,” produced by Yusuf Aslanyürek and Orkun Huylu for Anagraffilm, Huylu Film and Aslanyürek Film. The film, which will receive post-production services worth €30,000 ($33,400), follows a woman who returns to her Anatolian village in search of her missing cat, uncovering family secrets and reconnecting with her roots along the way.

The Turkish National Radio Television Award in the amount of €25,000 ($27,800) went to “Honey Bunny,” directed by Igor Jelinović and produced by Rea Rajčić and production companies Eclectica and Baš-Čelik. Pic centers on a woman’s secret effort to secure a coveted family property, leading to a fracture with her relationship with her sister when unspoken tensions come to a head.

The Female CineLink Award, a cash prize in the amount of €20,000 ($22,200) supported by the Slovenian Film Center and U.N. Women – Bosnia and Herzegovina, went to Keti Machaviarani’s “Lullaby,” produced by Anda Ionescu of View Master Films. The film follows a caregiver who’s threatened with the loss of her only source of income when she faces the death of the elderly man she cares for, questioning if she’ll be able to get through the challenge without betraying her values.

The CineLink Impact Award in the amount of €20,000 ($22,200) went to “Divia,” by director Dmytro Hreshko. A conceptual documentary about the impact of Russia’s war on Ukraine’s environment and its consequences for society, the film is produced by Polina Herman and Glib Lukianets for Gogol Film and UP UA Studio.

In the CineLink Drama strand, the Croatian Audiovisual Center Drama Award went to Filip Jokanović’s “Pray for Us,” produced by Jon Gojani and Sara Stijović for Kot Productions, an award in the amount of €15,000 ($16,700). The horror series follows a priest who battles 10 biblical plagues in an isolated Bosnian village, racing against time to save his family and his sanity.

In the Docu Rought Cut Boutique section, the big winner was “In Hell With Ivo,” from director-producer Kristina Nikolova for LunaClipse Media. A portrait of Bulgarian choreographer, visual artist and singer-songwriter Ivo Dimchev, the documentary feature scooped a trio of prizes, including the Avantpost Award offering €20,000 ($22,200) in post-production services.

Here’s a full rundown of the winners in Sarajevo:

CINELINK CO-PRODUCTION MARKET AWARDS

EURIMAGES CO-PRODUCTION DEVELOPMENT AWARD 

TIMES NEW ROMAN
Director: Philip Sotnychenko
Producer: Valeria Sochyvets
Production Company: Contemporary Ukrainian Cinema
Countries: Ukraine, Lithuania
Award in the amount of €20,000

FILM CENTER MONTENEGRO CINELINK AWARD

HYSTÉRA
Director: Asimina Proedrou
Producer: Maria Kontogianni
Production Company: Wild at Heart
Countries: Greece, Slovenia, France
Award in the amount of €10,000

FILM CENTER SERBIA CINELINK AWARD

AIR IN A BOTTLE
Director: Aida Begić
Producer: Snežana van Houwelingen
Production Companies: Film House Sarajevo, This and That Productions
Countries: Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia
Award in the amount of €10,000

ARTEKINO INTERNATIONAL PRIZE

UPTIGHT ASS
Director: Matija Gluščević
Producer: Čarna Vučinić
Production Company: Naked
Country: Serbia
Award in the amount of €6,000

CINELINK DRAMA AWARDS

CROATIAN AUDIOVISUAL CENTER DRAMA AWARD

PRAY FOR US
Creator: Filip Jokanović
Producers: Jon Gojani, Sara Stijović
Production Company: Kot Productions
Countries: Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro
Award in the amount of €15,000

TV DRAMA VISION PITCH AWARD 

ANGELMAKER
Creator: Cristina Groșan
Producer: Anda Ionescu
Production Company: Tangaj Production
Countries: Romania, Czech Republic

CINELINK CO-PRODUCTION MARKET & CINELINK DRAMA

FEMALE VOICES CINELINK AWARD, SUPPORTED BY SLOVENIAN FILM CENTER AND UN WOMEN BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA

LULLABY
Director: Keti Machaviarani
Producer: Anda Ionescu
Production Company: View Master Films
Countries: Greece, Georgia
Award in the amount of €20,000

CINELINK WORK IN PROGRESS 

TURKISH NATIONAL RADIO TELEVISION AWARD

HONEY BUNNY
Director: Igor Jelinović
Producer: Rea Rajčić
Production Companies: Eclectica, Baš-Čelik
Countries: Croatia, Serbia 
Award in the amount of €25,000

POST REPUBLIC AWARD

HEAR THE YELLOW
Director: Banu Sıvacı
Producers: Yusuf Aslanyürek, Orkun Huylu
Production Companies: Anagraffilm, Huylu Film, Aslanyürek Film
Country: Türkiye
Award in the amount of €30,000 in kind

CINELINK IMPACT AWARD

THINK-FILM IMPACT PRODUCTION

DIVIA
Director: Dmytro Hreshko
Producers: Polina Herman, Glib Lukianets
Production Companies: Gogol Film, UP UA Studio
Countries: Poland, Ukraine, Netherlands
Award in the amount of €20,000 in kind

DOCU ROUGH CUT BOUTIQUE

HBO AWARD

IN HELL WITH IVO
Director/Producer: Kristina Nikolova 
Production Company: LunaClipse Media   
Countries: Bulgaria, USA
Award in the amount of €2,000

CAT&DOCS AWARD

ELECTING MISS SANTA
Director: Raisa Razmerita
Producer: Ion Gnatiuc
Production Company: HaiDOC Productions 
Countries: Republic of Moldova, Romania
Invitation to present a project at DOK Leipzig 2024

AVANTPOST AWARD

IN HELL WITH IVO
Director/Producer: Kristina Nikolova 
Production Company: LunaClipse Media   
Countries: Bulgaria, U.S. 
Award in the amount of €20,000 in kind

MOVIES THAT MATTER AWARD

ELECTING MISS SANTA
Director: Raisa Razmerita
Producer: Ion Gnatiuc
Production Company: HaiDOC Productions   
Countries: Republic of Moldova, Romania 
Invitation to present a project at Movies that Matter Festival

EAST SILVER CARAVAN AWARD

IN HELL WITH IVO
Director/Producer: Kristina Nikolova
Production Company: LunaClipse Media   
Countries: Bulgaria, USA 
The Institute of Documentary Film (IDF), in kind distribution service worth €3,500

The Sarajevo Film Festival runs Aug. 16 – 23.