Emily Watson’s Sarajevo jury adds Tsangari, Bezinović and more
The Sarajevo Film Festival has named the full main competition jury for its 32nd edition, running Aug. 14 to 21.
By Poppy Nakagawa · Culture Writer
2 min read
Emily Watson now has her full crew for Sarajevo. The Sarajevo Film Festival has announced the jurors for its main feature competition, with the previously named Watson serving as president.
The festival said Watson will be joined by Greek filmmaker Athina Rachel Tsangari, Croatian filmmaker Igor Bezinović, North Macedonian actress Sara Klimoska and Matthijs Wouter Knol, CEO of the European Film Academy.
The jury will decide the winners in the festival’s main feature race, with prizes due to be revealed on Aug. 21. The 32nd Sarajevo Film Festival is scheduled to run from Aug. 14 through Aug. 21.
The jury lineup
Tsangari arrives with one of the most closely watched résumés in European arthouse cinema. Variety describes her as one of the key figures of the Greek New Wave, the film movement that brought a sharp new international spotlight to Greek directors.
Her 2010 film “Attenberg” earned honors at the Venice Film Festival, where it won the Coppa Volpi award for best actor and the Lina Mangiacapre directing award, according to Variety. Her 2015 film “Chevalier” took best film at the London Film Festival and was nominated for best foreign film at the Independent Spirit Awards.
Tsangari’s more recent work includes “Harvest,” a neo-western starring Caleb Landry Jones and Harry Melling. Variety reported that the film premiered in competition at Venice in 2024.
Bezinović, from Croatia, joins the jury after a major documentary win. Variety reported that his 2025 film “Fiume o morte!” won the European Film Award for best documentary.
His other credits include the documentaries “The Blockade,” released in 2012, and “Veruda – A Film About Bojan,” released in 2015.
Klimoska and Wouter Knol join the panel
Klimoska, who is from North Macedonia, is set to lead “Sister Brother Manhole Cover,” directed by Milcho Manchevski. Variety reported that the film is due to premiere this year.
Her screen credits also include Goran Stolevski’s “You Won’t Be Alone,” which premiered at Sundance, and Stolevski’s “Housekeeping for Beginners,” which screened at Venice.
Wouter Knol brings festival and market experience to the Sarajevo panel. Before becoming CEO of the European Film Academy, he was head of programming at Berlinale Talents from 2008 to 2014, according to Variety.
He then served as director of the European Film Market from 2014 to 2020.
The Sarajevo Film Festival has become a key meeting point for regional and international cinema, and this year’s main competition jury brings together acting, directing, documentary, festival and academy experience for the closing-night decisions.
This story draws on original reporting from Variety.