Ilya Khrzhanovskiy, director of the controversial DAU immersive art project and films, will be a special guest at the 31st Sarajevo Film Festival.
The festival will screen a retrospective of his films as part of the ‘Tribute to’ programme.
Russia-born filmmaker Khrzhanovskiy is artistic director of the Babi Yar Holocaust Memorial Center in Kyiv, the largest Holocaust research and memorial centre in Eastern Europe.
His long-gestating DAU project was made from 700 hours of footage, from which came 14 feature films, three TV series, video performances and scientific films were created.
The films included DAU. Natasha and DAU. Degeneration, both of which played at the 2020 Berlinale with Natasha in competition, winning a Silver Bear for outstanding artistic contribution for Jurgen Jurges’ cinematography. The project also attracted criticism including accusations of harmful conditions for its participants.
Khrzhanovskiy was added to a list of foreign agents by the Russian ministry of justice in March 2024. He renounced his Russian citizenship in September last year.
The festival has also selected 63 participants for the 19th edition of its Talents Sarajevo training programme. The programme is divided into eight labs, including Acting Studio, Directors Summit and Producers Summit.
Mentors on the programme include Croatian actor Goran Bogdan for the Actors Studio; and former Israel Film Fund head Katriel Schory for the Producers Summit.
The festival will run from August 15-22.