Faruk, a poor Bosnian orphan, earns his living through crime. Mona is the daughter of a wealthy politician. Yet they have much in common. Both feel the bitter disappointment of social decline, both are in the grip of post-war Sarajevo, a city of zero opportunities and strictly divided social classes. The depiction of an unlikely first love in the snares of corruption is not just another variation of Romeo and Juliet. It’s a personal portrait of a torn Sarajevo dedicated to the young Bosnian generation.

Igor Drljača

The Sarajevo-born Canadian filmmaker made his feature debut at the Toronto Film Festival with Krivina (2012). The White Fortress is his third feature film. It premiered in the Generation section of last year’s Berlinale and became Bosnia’s Oscar entry. As a Canadian-Bosnian co-production, it was also in the running for the Canadian Screen Awards.