10/07/2017 - Austrian director Jessica Hausner will open the 11th edition of Talents Sarajevo, which will host 70 emerging film professionals

Director, screenwriter and producer Jessica Hausner

The Talents Sarajevo event celebrates its 11^th edition this year, welcoming 70 up-and-coming actors, directors, producers, screenwriters, film critics, cinematographers and editors hailing from Southeast Europe and the Southern Caucasus. The programme takes place from 12-17 August, during the 23^rd Sarajevo Film Festival, and this edition will be opened by celebrated Austrian director, screenwriter and producer Jessica Hausner.

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Talents Sarajevo, which was founded in 2007 in cooperation with the Berlin International Film Festival and the Berlinale Talents programme, has become the leading hub for emerging film professionals in the region. The platform offers the opportunity to educate, inform and connect future and current members of the film industry with the international filmmaking community.

As at its previous editions, Talents Sarajevo 2017 will offer a wide range of master classes, discussions, hands-on workshops and film screenings that will extend to all sections of the Sarajevo Film Festival. This year, for the first time, the platform is also opening up to film editors, and the three selected participants will take part in the renowned mentorship that all participants receive from established industry experts. Both project development labs – Pack&Pitch for producers and directors, and Script Station for scriptwriters – and the intensive multidisciplinary training workshop Film Stage Studio will, of course, be retained in the rich Talents Sarajevo schedule.

There were over 300 professionals that showed an interest in participating in this year’s edition – most of them from Greece and Turkey. The selected 70 Talents come from 14 out of the 19 eligible nations, which underlines the importance of the platform to local film communities. Once again, women have the lion’s share of representation in the programme, as 46 women and 24 men are participating. Finally, one trend from the past is evidently changing, as Romania and Turkey, which used to boast the majority of participants, are losing their lead to Serbia and Croatia, with 13 and 10 participants, respectively.