The seventh AJB DOC Film Festival opened with an official ceremony and a screening of the film about life under Israeli occupation

The seventh edition of the Al Jazeera Balkans International Documentary Film Festival (AJB DOC) opened with an official ceremony and a regional premiere of the film titled "Where the Olive Trees Weep".

The seventh Al Jazeera Balkans International Documentary Film Festival (AJB DOC), which will last until September 17th, was officially opened at the Bosnian Cultural Center (BKC) in Sarajevo.

 

Following the AJB DOC video retrospective on previous festival editions, Festival director Edhem Fočo addressed the audience, pointing out that this year's theme "Justice?" is present in all films and additional Festival programs.

 

"The disturbing fact was that the world remained silent, watching everything that happened in Gaza or openly sided with the oppressor or those doing the injustice. The under-representation of this topic naturally led us to focus on films portraying the injustices faced by Palestinians for decades," said Fočo.

 

After a video presentation of this year's AJB DOC selection, Ahmed Mahfouz, Director of the Al Jazeera Documentary Channel, addressed the audience, officially opening the Festival.

 

"I would like to congratulate and thank Tarik Đođić, the Managing Director of Al Jazeera Balkans Channel, Edhem Fočo, the Director of the AJB DOC Festival, as well as all involved in the organisation, our partners, and of course, the audience, as the most important supporter of the Festival," said Mahfouz.

 

"The AJB DOC Film Festival, as well as the AJD Industry Days, organized during the Festival for the third year in a row, are already recognised and well-known in the world of documentary film," he added.

 

Finally, the audience saw a regional premiere of the film Where the Olive Trees Weep, directed by Zaya and Maurizio Benazzo, a touching and poignant documentary about the struggles and resilience of Palestinians living under Israeli occupation in the West Bank. After the screening, the audience discussed the film with a journalist, therapist, and protagonist, Ashira Darwish.

 

"The world has become more aware of Israel's cruelty and outright evil. No one can deny that Israel is an apartheid state that has been striving towards ethnic cleansing in Palestine since its establishment in 1948. The world has witnessed the true phase of Zionism, which we had to endure for the past 76 years," Darwish concluded.

 

Current social issues

 

During the upcoming festival days, the audience will have a chance to watch 23 high-quality documentaries presented in five programme selections: Competition, AJB Screening, Last Minute Cinema, SmartDoc, and Special Screening. The films share stories about the injustices experienced by Palestinians in Gaza and the occupied West Bank, as well as other pressing social issues from all over the world.

 

Screenings will take place at the Bosnian Cultural Center (BKC) and Cineplexx Sarajevo. Detailed information, with the screening schedule and film synopses, is available on the Festival's official website.

 

The international five-member jury will choose the best film from the Competition Programme. The jury members are Deborah London-Harrington,

a documentary filmmaker and Head of Production Management at Dogwoof; Namik Kabil, a film director and writer; Mila Turajlić, a documentary filmmaker; Francesco Montagner, a documentary filmmaker; and Myriam Francois, a journalist and documentary filmmaker.

 

All films from the Competition Programme will also compete for the AJB Programme Award, presented by the Al Jazeera Balkans Programme Department Jury.

 

Furthermore, all films screened at the AJB DOC Film Festival will have a chance to win the Audience Award.

 

AJD Industry Days and additional Festival programs

 

From September 14th to 16th, the 3rd AJD Industry Days will be held under the auspices of the AJB DOC Film Festival. It's a series of meetings for professionals in the documentary industry that connects documentary projects, which require funding, with decision-makers and directors from major TV Channels and festivals.

 

With over 270 projects from nearly 50 countries submitted, 29 will be eligible for presentation in four categories: Main Pitch, Rough Cut, Balkan Stars, and Special Selection. The evaluation of the projects is based on their topic, relevance, originality, storytelling quality, production skills, and potential for international impact.

 

The winning projects will share a total prize fund of around 120,000 euros.

 

Furthermore, a three-day "Smartphone Documentary Film Production" training session will start on September 10th and continue through to the 12th. The activity is organized in cooperation with the Al Jazeera Media Institute and supported by Samsung as a part of the "Women Lead the Way towards Peace and Security in Bosnia and Herzegovina" project. Faris Bajrić, a video journalist, and Jane Mota, the director of Beechtobeach Ltd. will lead the course.

 

In addition to that, a panel discussion on "Violence against women" is scheduled for September 16th at 11 a.m. at Europe House, with support of the "Women Lead the Way towards Peace and Security in Bosnia and Herzegovina" project and implemented with the support of the United Nations Secretary General’s Peacebuilding Fund (PBF) in partnership with the Ministry of Human Rights and Refugees of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The project is led by the UN Resident Coordinator in BiH and implemented jointly by UN Women, the International Organization for Migration (IOM), and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA).

 

Another event planned for this year's edition of AJB Festival is the masterclass "Life between checkpoints", scheduled for September 14th at Cineplexx Sarajevo at 1 p.m., led by Emre Baştuğ, director of TRT Balkan, and Melida Mustafić, a producer at the digital channel TRT Balkan.

 

Partners of the seventh AJB DOC Film Festival, which will be held from September 13th to 17th, are BH Telecom, the Ministry of Culture and Sports of Sarajevo Canton, and the Tourism Association of Canton Sarajevo, and amongst other supporters are UniCredit Bank, Courtyard by Marriott Sarajevo, Violeta Company, Meggle Company and AS Holding Company.