Sandra Wollner's 'Everytime' takes the Heart of Sarajevo
Sandra Wollner's "Everytime" won the Heart of Sarajevo for best narrative feature film at the 32nd Sarajevo Film Festival, which closed on Friday night at the city's National Theater. The Austrian director and producers Lixi Frank, Viktoria Stolpe and David Bohun received a 16,000-euro prize for the film, which follows a mother, her young daughter and a teenage boy traveling to Tenerife to cope with the death of their eldest daughter and sister. The jury, led by Emily Watson and including Igor Bezinović, Sara Klimoska, Matthijs Wouter Knol and Athina Rachel Tsangari, called the film a "mesmerically elastic and transcendental grief-soaked ghost story" in which "moments of cinematic grace float through" the narrative.
The decision was unanimous. Wollner told The Hollywood Reporter that the festival's founding during the 1995 siege gave her Sarajevo visit a particular resonance, saying she could "still feel something of that history here." "Everytime" previously won at Cannes' Un Certain Regard, and Variety chief film critic Guy Lodge praised its "poised, haunting" execution, calling it a confirmation of "the Austrian director's formidable formal control and imagination."
Ana Urushadze named best director for 'Supporting Role'
Georgian filmmaker Ana Urushadze won the Heart of Sarajevo for best director for "Supporting Role," earning 10,000 euros toward her next project. The film follows Niaz Ninua, played by Dato Bakhtadze, a fading Georgian film star who meets a young female director offering him the chance to play a deeply unsympathetic character in her debut feature. After leaving the audition unconvinced, Niaz embarks on a meandering journey through the city before surrendering to the role.
Urushadze described the film to The Hollywood Reporter as "ultimately … a film about realizing the elusive nature of reality, and taking control of your life." The jury said they were "enchanted by her irreverent blending of the banal and the oneiric, and her refreshing curiosity for meaning in life and cinema," according to Variety. "Supporting Role" previously won two prizes at Rotterdam earlier in 2026, and Variety's Beatrice Loayza praised its "mesmerizing effect," describing it as a "surreal and wryly melancholic soul-search" through the streets of Tbilisi.
Acting prizes and an honorary award close the festival
Eva Kostić won best actress for her lead role in "17," the debut feature from North Macedonian director Kosara Mitić, about a teenager on a class trip dealing with the aftermath of a sexual assault. The jury praised her as "a fearless emergence of a young talent. Raw, visceral and deeply instinctive." Best actor went to Adrian Văncică for "You Don't Belong Here," with both acting prizes carrying 2,500 euros.
A final Honorary Heart of Sarajevo was awarded to actor Emir Hadžihafizbegović in recognition of his contribution to Bosnian-Herzegovinian and regional cinema. He joined Watson, Diego Luna, Woody Harrelson and Asghar Farhadi among the festival's Honorary Heart recipients. The 32nd Sarajevo Film Festival officially closed with a screening of a restored print of Danis Tanović's "No Man's Land."
Next milestone
Sarajevo's industry-focused awards were already announced during the festival week, with "Wolf Days" and "The First Week of August" cited as winners in that strand. No further 2026 edition of the festival remains, and the next major international showcase in Wollner's and Urushadze's festival circuit path was not specified in the source set.
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