Death in Sarajevo

Directed by Danis Tanović, this 2016 Bosnian-French co-production is a drama adapted from French philosopher Bernard-Henri Lévy's stage play "Hotel Europe". The story unfolds on 28 June 2014, the centenary of the assassination in Sarajevo that triggered the First World War, inside the city's famous Hotel Europe as it prepares for a major commemorative event. Over the course of a single day, tensions collide on every floor: a television broadcast from the hotel's rooftop reopens century-old political disputes, the hotel manager resorts to unorthodox tactics to stop employees who, unpaid for months, have chosen this crucial day to strike, strike leaders begin to vanish one by one, and the policeman assigned to protect a distinguished guest is distracted by worries about the price of a sofa his wife wants. The film competed for the Golden Bear at the 66th Berlin International Film Festival, where it won the Jury Grand Prix and the FIPRESCI prize, and was Bosnia and Herzegovina's submission for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film, though it was not nominated.