Grbavica: The Land of My Dreams

Jasmila Žbanić (born December 19, 1974 in Sarajevo) is a film director from Bosnia and Herzegovina, and a graduate of Academy of Fine Arts in Sarajevo, department for theater and film directing. She also worked as a puppeteer in the Vermont-based “Bread and Puppet” Theater and as a clown in a Lee De Long workshop. She is noted for the 2006 Golden Bear winning film Grbavica. In 1997 she has founded an artist’s association “DEBLOKADA”. Žbanić has a young daughter named Zoe. Her 2010 film Na putu was nominated for the Golden Bear at the 60th Berlin International Film Festival.

According to Žbanić, her first name is a deliberate corruption of the name Jasmina.

Filmography:

• Na putu, feature film, 2010.
• Grbavica, feature film, 2006.
• Birthday, short feature film, 2004.
• Images from the Corner, short documentary, 2003.
• Sjećaš li se Sarajeva, 2003.
• Red Rubber Boots, short documentary, 2000.
• Ljubav je…, 1998.
• Noć je, mi svijetlimo, documentary, 1998.
• Poslije, poslije, short documentary, 1997.
• Autobiografija, 1995.

Awards:

• Golden Bear – Best Film – Berlin Film Festival 2006, for Grbavica * Prize of the Ecumenical Jury – Berlin Film Festival 2006, for Grbavica * Peace Film Award – Berlin Film Festival 2006, for Grbavica * Big Stamp – ZagrebDox, for Images from the Corner * Award of the Soros Center for Contemporary Art, for Autobiografija * Award of the Soros Center for Contemporary Art, for Poslije, poslije * Special prize at Sarajevo Film Festival, for Noć je, mi svijetlimo * Jury award at New York Expo Film Festival, for Noć je, mi svijetlimo * Special mention at Alpe Adria Film Festival, for Red Rubber Boots * Plaque of Sarajevo Canton, and Key of Sarajevo

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