10 Feature Docs at Sarajevo Film Festival

The Boy Who Was a King , Bulgaria, Germany, 2011, 90 min, HD, Creative, History, Politics, Portrait

A story of one of the most fascinating monarch figures in contemporary history - Simeon II of Bulgaria, cousin to the House of Windsor and a descendant of William the Conqueror. From his adventurous life as an exiled boy king who became a symbol of hope for a small European country, to his glorious return as a Prime Minister of Bulgaria after half a century of Communist dictatorship. This "happy-end" Balkan version of Princess Anastasia’s story will tell the real life fairy-tale of one of the greatest experiments of democracy today. The film tells its story through the people - by discussing a single contemporary historical figure, they tell us about themselves, their dreams and hopes, the dreams of a whole generation. It is a film about hope, faith, myths, reality, history, social anthropology and the long journey of democracy back home in Eastern Europe.

Nije ti život pjesma Havaja , Croatia, 2012, 49 min, Digi Beta, HD, Creative, Personal View, Society

Do you remember when was the last time you talked to your parents? What did you talk about? Did you go a step beyond weather forecast and daily politics? Can a conversation about buried family secrets help you eat without cramps in your stomach? Can a failed birthday cake help you embrace the past? A birthday celebration brings together an ordinary four member family five years after their last gathering. They start questioning what made them turn away from each other. Through the ritual of family meals, the film unveils how important it is to feel accepted by our loved ones.

Német Egység @ Balatonnál , Hungary, 2011, 79 min, Archive , Creative, History, Politics, Society

A reconstruction composed from amateur films, interviews, photographs, music, and documents from German Stasi and Hungarian Internal Ministry files, incorporating fictional elements.

Mama Illegal , Austria, 2011, 95 min, HD, Drama doc, Human Rights, Reportage, Social Issues

They gave the smugglers all their money and risk their life on their journey across borders: Three women from a small town in Moldavia, living now in Austria as cleaning women. On top of their hard job they live a life in illegality without documents, far away from their children and family for years.

Poslednata lineika na Sofia , Bulgaria, Croatia, Germany, 75 min, Beta SP, Digi Beta, DVD, Personal View, Portrait, Social Issues, Society

In a city where 13 ambulances struggle to serve a burgeoning population of several million, 47-year old Krassi Yordanov is our unlikely hero: chain-smoking and saving lives in a non-stop 48-hour shift. Krassi is the emergency doctor on one of Sofia’s last ambulances and today is the worst day of his life. This is a film about the regular working day of Dr. Krassi, nurse Mila and driver Plamen, a team working on an ambulance in Sofia, the capital of Bulgaria. Struggling against an avalanche of absurdities in a crumbling medical system and scarcely earning enough to make a living, these three are simply trying to do what they do best – save lives.

Trains of Thoughts , Austria, 89 min, 35 mm, Anthropology, Arts and Culture, Creative, Experimental, Music, Social Issues, Society, Travel

Trains of Thoughts is an audiovisual essay, which reflects upon and compares metro systems around the world. It is an exploration of a world inside the world as well as feelings, fascination, obsession, fear and themes – of survival, control and silence – that revolve it.

Lumea în pătrăţele , Romania, 2012, 71 min, DCP, Creative, Portrait, Social Issues

After years behind bars, three young men are released from prison. Among them is Alex, a captivating figure who charismatically addresses his past with a disturbingly blasé attitude toward violence, women, and guilt. Offering a rare peek into contemporary Roma culture, the three ex-cons try to reconcile the outside world with the gray-shaded areas of morality with which they struggle.