Two very different European films have emerged as winners at CineLink Industry Days, part of the 32nd Sarajevo Film Festival. Emilija Gasic’s folk-horror project Wolf Days received the €20,000 Eurimages Co-Production Development Award, while Filip Mojzes’s family drama The First Week of August won the HBO Award in the Work in Progress section. The recognition gives both films additional industry visibility at important stages in their development and completion.
CineLink Industry Days brings together filmmakers, producers, financiers, sales agents, distributors and other film industry professionals. Its programmes support projects at different stages, from development to post-production. Wolf Days is still in development, while The First Week of August is further along and was presented as a work in progress. Across its programmes this year, CineLink distributed €131,000 in awards, along with €60,000 in services.
Wolf Days is the second feature project from Serbian filmmaker Emilija Gasic, whose debut feature 78 Days premiered at the International Film Festival Rotterdam. Gasic has written and directed the new film, which is a Serbia-USA-Croatia co-production produced by Dragana Jovovic with Non Aligned Films.
The film follows Jelena, a middle-aged administrative clerk from a small Serbian town who is struggling with menopause. After medical help fails to address her problems, she turns to an elderly folk healer who convinces her that she is cursed. Jelena is subsequently drawn into a series of rituals during the traditional Wolf Days, leading her into a frightening search for freedom.
The project combines Balkan folklore with elements of mystery, thriller, horror and dark humour. At its centre is a story about a woman confronting bodily change, social expectations and her marriage. Rather than treating menopause as a secondary element, Wolf Days places it at the heart of the story, using folk beliefs and ritual to explore Jelena’s determination to regain control over her life.
The First Week of August offers a very different story. Directed by Croatian filmmaker Filip Mojzes, the film marks his feature directorial debut and is a Croatia-Poland co-production. The project has entered post-production and was selected for CineLink’s Work in Progress programme, connecting the film with industry professionals who can help it reach wider markets.
The film centres on Zoran and Ivana, a middle-class married couple spending their summer holiday with their 10-year-old son, David. After suffering psychological trauma, Ivana unexpectedly attacks David and begins losing control over her behaviour. The incident exposes deeper tensions within the marriage and affects the family’s relationship with their neighbours.
The two winning projects approach personal conflict from sharply different directions. Wolf Days uses folklore and horror to examine womanhood, ageing and freedom, while The First Week of August follows a family as a violent incident brings hidden problems to the surface. Their recognition also highlights the range of stories emerging from Southeast European cinema.
Other winners at CineLink included Mamayi, The Taste of the Peach and Forbidden Fruit. The two main winners stand out because their awards come at different points in the filmmaking process: Wolf Days is seeking development and financing support, while The First Week of August is moving through post-production.
With the Eurimages award, Wolf Days gains additional backing as it continues its development, while The First Week of August receives an industry boost as it moves closer to completion. Together, the two projects demonstrate how CineLink provides a platform for filmmakers at different stages of production and helps bring emerging European films into the international industry conversation.
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