The documentary film “The Balkan Cowboy“ by director Dragana Jurišić won the MFF Grand Prix at the 27th Mediterranean Film Festival by the decision of the international jury, while the MFF Best Short award went to the film “Baisanos“ by directors Andrés Khamis Giacoman and Francisca Khamis Giacoman.

Best Camera award went to the director of photography Vladimir Motroi for his work on the film “Sunday”. 

Audience Award went to the film “To Hold a Mountain” directed by Biljana Tutorov and Petar Glomazić. 

Two international juries decided on the best documentaries of the 27th Mediterranean Film Festival. The winner of the Grand Prix, the award for best feature-length documentary, was decided by Alena Džebo, Johannes Pause, and Vinko Brešan, while the best short film was decided by Miro Barnjak, Siniša Gačić, and Almin Kaplan.

Best Camera Award was awarded by the Association of Cinematographers in Bosnia and Herzegovina (ASBH), and members of the jury were cinematographers Erol Zubčević, Eldar Emrić, and Antoni Ćorić. 

The jury for the Grand Prix decided to award the film “The Balkan Cowboy” directed by Dragana Jurišić, a production between Ireland and Croatia, for its intricate narrative structure and strong emotional impact. 

“Beginning with self-reflection, the film moves through biography, detective investigation, and a film within the film. These layers gradually come together in a cinematic essay and a powerful cry for justice – a justice whose absence we feel in real life and whose presence we find only in the fiction of the Western,” said the jury in their explanation. 

This jury also awarded a Special Mention to the film “To Hold a Mountain”, directed by Biljana Tutorov and Petar Glomazić, a production between Serbia, France, Montenegro, Slovenia, and Croatia. 

The Best Short award went to the film “Baisanos”, directed by Andrésa Khamisa Giacoman and Francisca Khamis Giacoman, a production between Chile, Spain, and Palestine.

“Through dialogue, this film essay erases boundaries and creates a new identity that stands against injustice. Its poetic cinematic expression, through reflection on history, opens a view toward a future in which, together with the Baisanos supporters’ group, we cheer for a better tomorrow. This is particularly valuable at the present moment, when aspirations to erase not only the national identity of a people, but its very existence, are once again emerging”, the jury stated. 

This jury also awarded two special mentions to the films “Lavander” by director Mateja Raičković, a co-production involving Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Hungary, and “Asparagus Bear” by director Ivan Grgur from Croatia. 

Best Camera award went to the director of photography Vladimir Motroi for his work on the film “Sunday”. 

In their explanation, the jury stated that the greatest value of photography in this documentary film is not only in beautiful compositions, carefully selected colours or expertly used natural light, but in the fact that the visual style grows organically from the character of its protagonist.

“The camera does not tell the audience how they should feel about her; instead, its dramaturgy gives her the space to simply be present before us. In a film about the life of a girl whom society often views through the lens of her difference, the cinematography does precisely the opposite: it allows us to see her first and foremost as a person. For this reason, the cinematography is not merely an aesthetic element of the film, but an integral part of its dramaturgy – quiet, humane, and visually precise, said the jury in their explanation. 

The Mediterranean Film Festival gathered authors and film professionals from different parts of the world, and the festival audience had the opportunity to see the selection of feature and short documentaries, as well as numerous other film programs. This year, the festival once again concluded with an awards ceremony honouring the best works and a screening of the film “Vjesnik – Last Edition”, directed by Dražen Klarić, bringing to a close another festival gathering of filmmakers, industry professionals, and the audience in Široki Brijeg.