Focus on the Balkans

ZagrebDox’s extensive retrospective offers a glimpse into the work of renowned Swiss documentary filmmaker Christian Frei – from the Oscar-nominated WAR PHOTOGRAPHER to his latest film BLAME, which had its world premiere at the Visions du Réel in 2025. Frei will hold a masterclass on April 21st titled “Magnification That Will Endure” and is a member of the three-person International Jury.

Festival Director Nenad Puhovski will present Christian Frei with the Honorary Big Stamp award following the screening of WAR PHOTOGRAPHER on April 21st. This award recognizes filmmakers who have produced outstanding work and have been of crucial importance to documentary film for years. In 2025, the award went to Swiss-Canadian filmmaker Peter Mettler; in previous years, it has been presented to renowned international directors such as Gianfranco Rosi and Werner Herzog.

Swiss director Elena Avdija is participating in the ZagrebDox Pro industry programme (April 20–25, 2026). As part of the “Slow Pitch” session, she will present her latest documentary project WARRIORS’ WHISPER, which is being produced by Close Up Films in coproduction with Kosovo.

Industry Exchange in Sarajevo

Switzerland is the guest country at the CineLink Industry Days, which take place alongside the Sarajevo Film Festival (August 14–21). This industry event serves as a key hub for filmmakers in Southeast Europe and plays a vital role in fostering coproductions in the region.

Director, screenwriter, and producer Andrea Štaka will travel to Sarajevo with a delegation of Swiss producers. Štaka has previously presented several of her films at the Sarajevo Film Festival where she received awards for FRAULEIN (2006) and MARE (2020).

Head of Industry Maša Marković emphasises the close ties between Switzerland and the Balkans: “Many Swiss filmmakers, producers, and writers with roots in Southeast Europe have helped forge a strong connection to this region. The Swiss delegation’s participation will further strengthen this connection through dialogue, exchange, and new collaborations.”

Three Programmes in Kosovo

From July 12 to 18, the Anibar Animation Festival will spotlight Swiss animated films and their creators. Festival director Arba Hatashi aims to foster a creative partnership between animators from Switzerland and Kosovo and to facilitate collaboration and future coproductions.

In August, the international documentary and short film festival Dokufest in Prizren will take place, followed in September by the Pristina Film Festival PriFest, which will feature a Swiss programme.

Also in August, Switzerland has been invited as the guest country at the International Documentary Film Festival Beyond Borders in Kastellorizo, Greece.

To conclude SWISS FILMS’ Balkan focus, the Animateka Animation Film Festival in Ljubljana will spotlight Swiss filmmaker Claude Barras at the end of November. The Oscar-nominated director of MY LIFE AS A ZUCCHINI is a regular guest at the festival and will speak about his work and serve on the jury.

Promoting Swiss Film Culture

To foster dialogue on film culture and target new film markets, SWISS FILMS organises international film programmes in cooperation with international film institutions and festivals. Most of these programmes are supported by the Swiss diplomatic missions abroad.

The Balkan Focus programmes were made possible thanks to partnerships with the Swiss embassies in Croatia, Kosovo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Slovenia.