The Seventh AJB DOC Film Festival concludes with the Award Ceremony and the screening of the film about crimes at Al-Shifa hospital
During the five days of the Festival, the audience of the 7th AJB DOC saw carefully selected, high-quality documentary films connected by a common theme of "Justice?" which deals with issues of (in)justice in a specific manner and considering current events.
Movie theatres were full, there was a huge interest from a diverse audience which requested an extra ticket, and every screening sold out days in advance for the seventh edition of the Al Jazeera Balkans International Documentary Film Festival (AJB DOC).
With the enormous interest of the audience and the media, AJB DOC was host to hundreds of foreign and local guests and many renowned documentary filmmakers and industry professionals, who recognized the vast potential for promoting and distributing documentary films in this festival.
Following the seventh AJB DOC video retrospective, Festival director Edhem Fočo addressed the large audience at the Bosnian Cultural Center (BKC), emphasizing that this year's edition exceeded expectations.
"I was hoping we would repeat last year's success, but this edition surpassed all the previous ones. Almost all the screenings sold out days in advance, the audience requested an extra ticket for most of them, and we brought in extra chairs, not wanting to leave anyone without the opportunity to watch the film at our festival," Fočo said.
"From the beginning, our mission has been to bring high-quality, interesting and educational documentary films and give the audience impressive stories about ordinary people. And the audience recognized that," added Fočo.
Awards for the Best Films
The international five-member jury decided on the best film of the Seventh AJB DOC Film Festival: Deborah London-Harrington, a documentary filmmaker and Head of Production Management at Dogwoof; Namik Kabil, a film director and writer; Mila Turajlić, a documentary filmmaker; Francesco Montagner, a documentary filmmaker; and Myriam Francois, a journalist and documentary filmmaker.
The award for the best film (AJB DOC Main Award) went to "Smiling Georgia" by Luka Beradze. The film tells a story about the costs of the half-truth politicians tell and the false promises they make to retain power.
"This film deals with the subject of justice in an artistic, cinematic and poetic way. Through the beauty of a toothless smile, the author tells a universal story about ordinary people, abandoned and forgotten by politicians who do not care about their troubles. That is happening in a world which considers healthcare a privilege for most people," the jury added, explaining its decision.
The Al Jazeera Balkans Program Jury Award, deliberated by Lejla Dedić, Sead Kreševljaković and Đani Hasečić, went to José Carlos Soares, Tanju Şahin and Aslıhan Eker Çakmak for their film " Holy Redemption", which uncovers Israel's strategies to systematically steal or "seize" private Palestinian land and displace Palestinians.
"Without any pretension for artistic expression and made more in the form of a journalistic investigative TV documentary, this film directly confronts us with the truth from the perspective of radical Israelis. It is revealing terrifying hatred and exposing perhaps the most important element in understanding the treacherous colonial policy or apartheid, and showing the real reasons behind the unspeakable crimes against the people of Palestine, happening right in front of the whole world", the members of the jury explained.
The Audience Award will be announced in a few days once the counting of the votes for all the films screened at this year's AJB DOC is over.
An extensive accompanying program
Following the award ceremony, Tarik Đođić, the Managing Director of Al Jazeera Balkans Channel addressed the audience, expressing his gratitude to them for dedicating their time to watching the documentaries screened at the AJB DOC Film Festival.
The ceremony ended with a special screening of the film "Al-Shifa Hospital: The Crimes They Tried to Bury", which Al Jazeera 360 swiftly documented from the moment the Israeli occupation forces withdrew from Al-Shifa Hospital. The film brings exclusive testimonies from nurses and residents who endured a harrowing 14-day siege, revealing brutal killings, torture, and starvation.
During the five days of the Festival, the audience of the 7th AJB DOC saw carefully selected, high-quality documentary films connected by a common theme of "Justice?" which deals with issues of (in)justice in a specific manner and considering current events.
In addition to film screenings, a three-day "Smartphone Documentary Film Production" training session has been organized at Europe House, in cooperation with the Al Jazeera Media Institute and with the support of Samsung as a part of the "Women Lead the Way towards Peace and Security in Bosnia and Herzegovina" project. Faris Bajrić, a video journalist, and Jane Mota, the director of Beechtobeach Ltd. led the course.
Europe House also hosted a panel discussion on "Violence against women". The event was supported by the project "Women Lead the Way to Peace and Security in Bosnia and Herzegovina" and carried out with the support of the United Nations Secretary-General's Peacebuilding Fund (PBF) in partnership with the Ministry of Human Rights and Refugees of Bosnia and Herzegovina. It was organized under the leadership of the UN resident coordinator in Bosnia and Herzegovina and jointly implemented by UN Women, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA).
Furthermore, Emre Baştuğ, director of TRT Balkan, and Melida Mustafić, a producer at the digital channel TRT Balkan, led a masterclass titled "Life Between Checkpoints", presenting the audience with the challenges of living in the occupied West Bank.
The third edition of Al Jazeera Documentary Industry Days @ AJB DOC was held from September 14th to 16th to contribute to the development and promotion of global documentary film production.
A total of 29 projects were presented throughout three days. They were competing for co-production and cash awards of more than 120,000 EUR provided by Al Jazeera Documentary Channel, Al Jazeera Balkans, and other partners.
Partners of the seventh AJB DOC Film Festival were BH Telecom, the Ministry of Culture and Sports of Sarajevo Canton and the Tourism Association of Canton Sarajevo, and amongst other supporters were: UniCredit Bank, Courtyard by Marriott Sarajevo, Violeta Company, Meggle Company and AS Holding Company.