Grbavica – The Land of My Dreams

Grbavica is the story of a mother and daughter in the post-war Sarajevo, and transition of post-Communist societies where violence and crime become parts of every day life. Esma (Mirjana Karanovic) is trying to raise her teenage daughter Sara (Luna Mijovic) while taking different jobs and keeping the secret of Sara’s conception. The girl believes that her father is a war hero and that he died as a soldier of Bosnian forces. When Sara’s school organizes the school trip (for which the children of killed soldiers get a discount), Esma is forced to confess to Sara that she was conceived during the war in a camp where Bosnian women were the victims of systematic and mass rapes.

FESTIVALS

Palm Springs International Film Festival, USA
Mar del Plata International Film Festival, Buenos Aires, Argentina
Malmö 07, Sweden
Iff Adelaide 07 Film Festival, Australija
Yerevan “Golden Apricot 3” International Film Fest, Armenia, (main competition)
Toronto International Film Festivai, Canada, (contemporary world cinema)
Sevilla Film Festival ’06, Spain, (Eurimages section)
Rio de Janeiro Film Festival 2006, Brazil
Riga International Film Festival, Latvia
Reykjavik International Film Festival, Island, (new visions)
Montreal Film Festival, Montreal, Canada,
Kosmorama – 2. Trondheim International Film Festival, Norway
Jerusalem Film Festival, Israel
Izola Cinema Film Festival, Slovenia
International Film Festival Melbourne, Australia
Galway Film Fleadh, Ireland
Cape Town World Cinema Festival, Republic of South Africa, (secretes and lies)
Brussels European Film Festival, Belgium
AFI Fest 2006, Los Angeles, USA, (International Feature Competition)
6. Goeast Film Festival, Wiesbaden, Germany,
56. Berlinale (Berlin International Film Festival), Berlin, Germany
46th International Thessaloniki Film Festival, Greece, (Balkan survey)
41. International Film Festival Karlovy Vary, Czech Republic
4. Morelia Film Festival, Mexico, (International Premieres)
35. International Film Festival Rotterdam, Holland
34. Fest, Belgrade International Film Festival, Serbia (Fest na bis program)
28. Moscow Film Festival, Russia
25. International Istanbul Film Festival, Turkey (Masters of the Future)
23. Viareggio festival of European film – EuropaCinema, Italy
22. Warsaw International Film Festival, Poland
17. Espoo Film Festival, Finland
13. Osaka European Film Festival, Japan, (Premiere Features)
12. Sarajevo Film Festival, Bosnia-Herzegovina, (Regional Off)
11. Pusan International Film Festival, South Korea, (World Cinema)
11. Ourense Film Festival, Spain
10. Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival, Estonia

AWARDS

Golden Bear, 56th Berlinale, Germany
10th Evropean John Templeton Movie Award 2007, Berlin, Germany
Woman and Equality Award, International Film Festival Thessaloniki 2006 , Greece
Grand Jury Prize, International Feature Competition AFI Fest 2006, Los Angeles, USA
TV Canvas Award for Best Movie/Actress for Mirjana Karanović, Europan Film Festival Brussels 2006, Belgium
Discovery of The Year, International Film Festival Reykjavik 2006, Island
Ecumenical Jury Award/Peace prize, 56th Berlinale, Germany
World Cinema Selection, International Film Festival Busan 2006
Contemporary World Cinema Selection, International Film Festival Toronto 2006, Canada
Grand Prix Odyssee – Council of Europe for the Human Rights, Strasbourg, France
The Wim Van Leer in the Spirit of Freedom Award, International Film Festival Jerusalem 2006, Israel
The Kosmorama Award, Kosmorama International Film Festival Trondheim 2006