Five distinguished female filmmakers from Southeast Europe have been selected for the Uniqa See Future Foundation’s Female Filmmakers Support Programme, which is delivered in partnership with the Sarajevo Film Festival and Slano Film Days.
The initiative, now in its second year, was revealed during a special lunch event held as part of the recently concluded Slano Film Days, which took place from June 17 to June 21. The five-day gathering brought together a number of high-profile figures from the international film industry including Ruben Östlund, Daniel Brühl, Philippe Bober, casting director Nancy Bishop, and WME agent Elizabeth Wiederseim.
The five filmmakers selected for this year’s programme are Ena Sendijarevic, Aida Begic, Masa Sarovic, Biljana Tutorov, and Dolya Gavanski. Each has been awarded a share of the €180,000 fund to support their current feature film projects. Additionally, they will gain access to professional development through Sarajevo Film Festival’s CineLink Industry Days and its Industry Training and Skills Programme.
“From the very beginning, Slano Film Days was imagined as a place where new voices could be heard and supported,” said Mirsad Purivatra, founder and director of the event. “This programme is a natural extension of that vision: shining a spotlight on women filmmakers whose work challenges, inspires, and moves us. By backing their creative journeys, we’re helping shape a more inclusive and dynamic future for cinema in our region.”
Adel Bahtanovic, president of the Uniqa Southeast Europe region, added, “Together, in a short amount of time, we succeeded in supporting five exceptional, inspiring, and talented women filmmakers, thereby making a meaningful contribution to the visibility and affirmation of creative work in the region.”
Jovan Marjanovic, director of the Sarajevo Film Festival, also emphasized the programme’s significance: “Through this partnership with UNIQA, we are able to act strategically and address – and hopefully correct – some of the systemic imbalances in film funding. Sarajevo Film Festival has always stood for gender equality in cinema, and we are proud to contribute to that goal through such a concrete and meaningful project.”
The programme is open to women filmmakers from the six Southeast European countries in which insurer Uniqa operates: Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Serbia, Montenegro, Romania, and Bulgaria.
The second edition of Slano Film Days concluded on Saturday, June 21, with an outdoor screening of Spike Lee’s Do The Right Thing. The event also featured a series of talks from influential filmmakers and industry professionals such as Steve Buscemi, cinematographer Michael Seresin, and director Juho Kuosmanen.
Selected Projects for the 2025 Female Filmmakers Support Programme:
- The Possessed (Bosnia & Herzegovina – Netherlands)
Director: Ena Sendijarevic
Producers: SCCA/pro.ba, Studio Ruba - Air In A Bottle (Serbia)
Director: Aida Begic
Producer: This and That Productions - Embryo (Montenegro)
Director: Masa Sarovic
Producer: Kino d.o.o. - The Last Nomads (Serbia)
Director: Biljana Tutorov
Producer: Wake Up Films
Confessions of a Female Gamer (Bulgaria)
Director: Dolya Gavanski
Producers: Agitprop, Thea Films
