Jasmila Žbanić

Jasmila Žbanić (b. 1974, Sarajevo), screenwriter and director, studied stage and film direction at the Academy of Dramatic Arts in Sarajevo. She began as a puppet actress in the Bread and Puppet theatre in Vermont, and as a clown in Lee De Long's theatre workshop. She established the art association Deblokada in 1997, where she was a producer, author and director of many documentaries, short films and videos which were screened at a series of prestigious festivals and exhibitions. Her film Red Rubber Boots (2000) was screened in the documentary competition at the 35th KV IFF, about a Bosnian mother searching for her children. The senseless war is also the subject of Images from the Corner (2003). The short documentary Birthday (2005) from the film Lost and Found traces the different paths chosen by two girls, a Croat and a Bosnian, born in Mostar on the same day. Grbavica is her feature debut.

MFF Karlovy Vary