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BiH Atlas
CinemaFilm

A small country with a large filmography.

Twenty-three films, chosen for what they did: the partisan epics that China watched by the hundred million, the Sarajevo of Kusturica and Sidran, the one Oscar, the Berlin bear, and the directors who came after the war.

23
films catalogued
1969 to 2023
1
Academy Award
No Man's Land, 74th Awards (2002)
4
Oscar wins or nominations
plus several official submissions
1995
Sarajevo Film Festival founded
during the siege
Chronological

The films

Verified awards only. Ratings, posters and trailer links from the draft were removed: they were unsourced or placeholders.

  1. 1969
    The Battle of Neretva · Bitka na Neretvi
    dir. Veljko Bulajić · War, Drama, Epic · 175 min

    In 1943, Axis forces surround Partisan troops and thousands of wounded soldiers near the Neretva River in Bosnia. The Partisans execute a legendary tactic by blowing up the Neretva bridge.

    Oscar nomineeYugoslav era
  2. 1972
    Walter Defends Sarajevo · Valter brani Sarajevo
    dir. Hajrudin Krvavac · Action, War, History · 133 min

    During WWII in occupied Sarajevo, Nazi forces prepare a massive armored retreat. A secretive partisan leader known only as "Walter" thwarts their operation in a high-stakes cat-and-mouse game.

    Yugoslav era
  3. 1981
    Do You Remember Dolly Bell? · Sjećaš li se Dolly Bell?
    dir. Emir Kusturica · Drama, Coming-of-Age, Romance · 110 min

    In 1960s Sarajevo, a teenager enamored with Western rock music and hypnotism is tasked by a local petty criminal to shelter a young dancer named Dolly Bell, leading to his first deep awakening.

    Oscar submissionYugoslav era
  4. 1985
    When Father Was Away on Business · Otac na službenom putu
    dir. Emir Kusturica · Drama, Comedy, History · 136 min

    Told through the naive eyes of a young boy in 1950s Sarajevo, a family copes with the sudden political arrest and labor camp exile of the father during the Tito-Stalin split era.

    Oscar nomineeYugoslav era
  5. 1988
    Time of the Gypsies · Dom za vešanje
    dir. Emir Kusturica · Drama, Crime, Fantasy · 142 min

    A young Romani teenager in Sarajevo with telekinetic powers is lured into the criminal underworld of Milan to pay for his sick sister’s medical care, suffering heartbreak and betrayal.

    Oscar submissionYugoslav era
  6. 1989
    Kuduz · Kuduz
    dir. Ademir Kenović · Crime, Drama, Romance · 105 min

    Based on a true story in suburban Sarajevo, a released convict falls deeply in love with an alluring woman. When jealousy and betrayal erupt, his passion turns into a tragic downward spiral.

    Yugoslav era
  7. 1994
    The Awkward Age · Magareće godine
    dir. Nenad Dizdarević · Comedy, Drama, History · 98 min

    Based on Branko Ćopić’s nostalgic novel about schoolboy adventures and rebellions in 1930s Bihać, completed amidst the height of the Bosnian war.

    Oscar submissionWartime
  8. 1997
    Perfect Circle · Savršeni krug
    dir. Ademir Kenović · War, Drama · 110 min

    In besieged Sarajevo, a solitary poet who sent his wife and daughter to safety shelters two orphaned brothers accompanied by their dog, forming an unbreakable bond of survival.

    Post-war
  9. 2001
    No Man's Land · Ničija zemlja
    dir. Danis Tanović · War, Drama, Dark Comedy · 98 min

    Two enemy soldiers, a Bosnian and a Serb, find themselves trapped together in a trench between lines in 1993. Tensions escalate when a third soldier is discovered lying on a bouncing landmine that will explode if he moves.

    Oscar winnerPost-war
  10. 2003
    Fuse · Gori vatra
    dir. Pjer Žalica · Comedy, Drama · 105 min

    Two years after the Bosnian War, the small town of Tešanj learns US President Bill Clinton will pay a brief visit. Divided ethnic factions rush into frantic, hilarious corruption cleanup to impress the Americans.

    Oscar submissionPost-war
  11. 2003
    Summer in the Golden Valley · Ljeto u zlatnoj dolini
    dir. Srđan Vuletić · Drama, Crime, Coming-of-Age · 105 min

    A 16-year-old boy in post-war Sarajevo tries to clear his deceased father’s honor after discovering a false debt, entangling himself with local underworld figures.

    Post-war
  12. 2004
    Days and Hours · Kod amidže Idriza
    dir. Pjer Žalica · Drama · 94 min

    An apartment mechanic visits his elderly uncle Idriz and aunt in a traditional Sarajevo neighborhood to fix a heater, uncovering quiet grief and unspoken post-war family reconciliation.

    Oscar submissionPost-war
  13. 2006
    Grbavica: The Land of My Dreams · Grbavica
    dir. Jasmila Žbanić · Drama · 90 min

    In post-war Sarajevo, single mother Esma struggles to afford a school excursion for her teenage daughter Sara. Sara believes her father was a fallen war hero, but Esma harbors a painful secret.

    Oscar submissionPost-war
  14. 2007
    It's Hard to Be Nice · Teško je biti fin
    dir. Srđan Vuletić · Comedy, Drama · 102 min

    A taxi driver in Sarajevo tired of petty criminality decides to become a completely good, honest person. However, his surroundings make being nice extraordinarily chaotic.

    Oscar submissionPost-war
  15. 2008
    Snow · Snijeg
    dir. Aida Begić · Drama · 99 min

    In 1997, in an isolated Bosnian village populated almost entirely by women whose men vanished during the war, the women build a jam production collective to resist predatory foreign land developers.

    Oscar submissionPost-war
  16. 2012
    Children of Sarajevo · Djeca
    dir. Aida Begić · Drama · 90 min

    An orphaned young woman who converted to conservative Islam works in a restaurant while raising her rebellious younger brother in transitional Sarajevo.

    Oscar submissionmodern
  17. 2013
    An Episode in the Life of an Iron Picker · Epizoda u životu berača željeza
    dir. Danis Tanović · Drama, Docudrama · 75 min

    A impoverished Romani family living in rural Bosnia faces tragedy when the mother suffers a dangerous miscarriage, but hospitals refuse surgery because they lack health insurance.

    Oscar submissionmodern
  18. 2016
    Death in Sarajevo · Smrt u Sarajevu
    dir. Danis Tanović · Drama · 85 min

    On the 100th anniversary of the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, an iconic hotel in Sarajevo prepares for a European delegation while hotel staff plan a strike over unpaid wages.

    Oscar submissionmodern
  19. 2017
    Men Don't Cry · Muškarci ne plaču
    dir. Alen Drljević · Drama · 98 min

    Twenty years after the Yugoslav wars, a group of veterans who fought on opposing sides assemble at a remote mountain hotel for a peace workshop led by a Slovenian therapist.

    Oscar submissionmodern
  20. 2020
    Quo Vadis, Aida? · Quo Vadis, Aida?
    dir. Jasmila Žbanić · Drama, War, History · 104 min

    In July 1995, Aida is a UN translator in the small town of Srebrenica. When the Army of Republika Srpska takes over the city, her family is among thousands seeking shelter in the UN camp.

    Oscar nomineemodern
  21. 2021
    Not So Friendly Neighborhood Amore · Deset u pola
    dir. Danis Tanović · Comedy · 90 min

    During post-pandemic summer in Baščaršija (Sarajevo Old Town), two lifelong friends running rival ćevapi restaurants spark an all-out food war over who makes the absolute best ćevapi in town.

    modern
  22. 2023
    Excursion · Ekskurzija
    dir. Una Gunjak · Drama, Coming-of-Age · 93 min

    As a class field trip approaches, 15-year-old Iman in Sarajevo bluffs during a game of truth or dare that she slept with her crush, setting off a rumor mill that spiraling out of control.

    Oscar submissionmodern
  23. 2023
    Sirin · Sirin
    dir. Senad Šahmanović · Drama, Mystery · 85 min

    A lawyer returns to Montenegro from the United States after twenty years to handle an inheritance case involving a bequest to the Orthodox church, and finds the past waiting for her.

    Oscar submissionmodern
Locations

Where they were shot

Map of Bosnia and HerzegovinaSarajevoBanja LukaMostarTuzlaZenicaThe Battle of Neretva (1969): Jablanica & Neretva River CanyonWalter Defends Sarajevo (1972): Sarajevo Old Town (Baščaršija & Historic Center)Do You Remember Dolly Bell? (1981): Sarajevo Suburbs & Dom KultureWhen Father Was Away on Business (1985): Sarajevo Mahale (Vratnik & Mejtaš)Time of the Gypsies (1988): Sarajevo Romani Settlement & Miljacka RiverKuduz (1989): Suburban Sarajevo (Hadžići & Ilidža)The Awkward Age (1994): Bihać & Una River RegionPerfect Circle (1997): Besieged Sarajevo (Dobrinja & Grbavica)No Man's Land (2001): Central Bosnia Frontline Trench RegionFuse (2003): Tešanj Historic Fortress & Old TownSummer in the Golden Valley (2003): Marijin Dvor & Central SarajevoDays and Hours (2004): Sarajevo Historic Neighborhoods (Bistrik)Grbavica: The Land of My Dreams (2006): Grbavica District, SarajevoIt's Hard to Be Nice (2007): Sarajevo Taxi Stands & City CenterSnow (2008): Eastern Bosnia Rural Village (Višegrad / Rogatica)Children of Sarajevo (2012): Modern Sarajevo City CenterAn Episode in the Life of an Iron Picker (2013): Poljice / Lukavac Industrial AreaDeath in Sarajevo (2016): Hotel Europe, Historic Central SarajevoMen Don't Cry (2017): Mount Bjelašnica & Igman Hotel ComplexQuo Vadis, Aida? (2020): Srebrenica & Potočari UN Base RegionNot So Friendly Neighborhood Amore (2021): Sarajevo Old Town (Baščaršija & Historic Center)Excursion (2023): Sarajevo High School & City Parkssimplified outline · markers by coordinates
Filming location City
Shape of the catalogue

Films by decade

1960s
1
1970s
1
1980s
4
1990s
2
2000s
7
2010s
4
2020s
4
Reading the gap
The 1990s show almost nothing because the industry stopped when the war began; Sarajevo's studios, Bosna Film and Sutjeska Film, never recovered. The post-2000 revival ran through the Sarajevo Film Festival and co-productions with Croatia, Slovenia, Germany, France and Austria.
Terms

Glossary

Institutions

Sarajevo Film Festival (SFF) · Sarajevo Film Festival

Founded in 1995 during the Siege of Sarajevo, SFF has grown into the premier and largest film festival in Southeast Europe, attracting world cinema masters and debuting top regional talent.

Examples: No Man's Land, Gori vatra, Deset u pola, Quo Vadis, Aida?

Awards

Heart of Sarajevo · Srce Sarajeva

The main award given at the Sarajevo Film Festival across categories (Best Feature, Best Director, Best Actor/Actress, Documentary, Short Film). Designed by French designer Agnès B.

Examples: Gori vatra, It's Hard to Be Nice

Genres & Styles

Partisan Film · Partizanski film

A distinct genre of Yugoslav cinema focused on WWII anti-fascist partisan resistance against Axis powers, blending action, heroism, and epic landscapes. Hajrudin Krvavac was its legendary maestro.

Examples: Valter brani Sarajevo, Bitka na Neretvi, Kozara

Institutions

Bosna Film & Sutjeska Film · Bosna Film / Sutjeska Film

The state-backed film production studios established in post-WWII Bosnia and Herzegovina that produced foundational classics from the 1950s through 1980s.

Examples: Hanka, Valter brani Sarajevo, Sjećaš li se Dolly Bell?

Cultural Terms

New Primitivism · Novi primitivizam

A famous Sarajevo cultural and artistic movement in the 1980s characterized by self-deprecating humor, urban slang, rock music, and satirical social commentary, heavily influencing Bosnian cinema.

Examples: Do You Remember Dolly Bell?, Kuduz

Genres & Styles

Dayton Peace Agreement Cinema · Postratna kinematografija

Films created after the 1995 peace agreement that confront the emotional trauma, missing persons, corruption, humor, and social rebuilding in post-war Bosnia.

Examples: Perfect Circle, Grbavica, Days and Hours, Fuse

Awards

Golden Bear & Palme d’Or Winners · Međunarodna priznanja

Bosnian cinema punches far above its weight internationally, having claimed the Cannes Palme d’Or (When Father Was Away on Business), Berlin Golden Bear (Grbavica), and Academy Award (No Man’s Land).

Examples: When Father Was Away on Business, Grbavica, No Man's Land, Quo Vadis, Aida?

Cultural Terms

Sevdah in Cinema · Sevdalinka u filmu

The inclusion of traditional Bosnian melancholic music (Sevdalinka) to heighten emotional storytelling, longing, and cultural soul in Bosnian films.

Examples: Kuduz, Days and Hours, Sevdah za Karalema

Sources and verification

Fact-checking corrected three Oscar statuses, removed a non-existent 'Felix' win for Kuduz and a non-existent Bratislava award for Men Don't Cry, and replaced an 'Amnesty prize' for Grbavica with the Ecumenical Jury prize it actually won.