Sarajevo’s CineLink Presents Latest Projects From Directors of ‘Godless,’ ‘Viktoria,’ ‘Scary Mother’

variety.com:

Leo Barraclough International Features Editor During the 30th Sarajevo Film Festival (Aug. 16 to 23), CineLink, the festival’s industry program, will present its work-in-progress showcase.

This includes eight feature-length fiction and one documentary film in the production or post-production stages from Southeast Europe, the Middle East and North Africa.

Among those competing are Alisa Kovalenko, who was in competition in Sarajevo last year for “We Will Not Fade Away,” which also screened at the Berlinale; Adrian Sitaru, named best director at Locarno with “Best Intentions“; Tarik Aktas, who took best emerging director at Locarno with “Dead Horse Nebula”; Ralitza Petrova, winner of the Golden Leopard for best film at Locarno with “Godless“; Maya Vitkova, who competed at Sundance with “Viktoria“; and Ana Urushadze, who took best first feature at Locarno for “Scary Mother.” The projects will be presented to funders, sales agents, distributors, broadcasters and festival programmers with the aim of driving forward their completion and boosting their distribution chances.

Here’s the lineup: “Frontline” (Poland, Ukraine, Denmark)DocumentaryDir: Alisa KovalenkoProd: Kasia KuczynskaIn the heart of the Ukrainian frontline, a mother, soldier, and filmmaker captures the fragile tranquillity shattered by war, revealing a deeply personal and unseen side of conflict through her dual lens. “Harakiri” (Romania)FictionDir: Adrian Sitaru, Vlad PopaProd: Iriana Adnana“Harakiri” follows two seemingly unrelated stories: one navigating the superficial and critical approach of a TV show about suicide, the other delving into love and mental health at home.