Award-winning Bosnian director Danis Tanović has been honoured at the Cannes Film Festival with the European Commission’s MEDIA award.
It was handed out by Education and Culture Commissioner Androulla Vassiliou: “It is given to projects which have a good European-wide prospect to be seen by people all over Europe, and which have, of course, a good artistic content,” she said.
An Oscar, Golden Globe and Berlinale laureate, Tanović shares this award with his team for their film project ‘What are you looking at?’, a drama spanning 20 years, set in his home-town Sarajevo.
“I’ve made quite a few movies in my life but I had never made a movie about my own city, which I love, and where I spent most of my life. And we started talking, and one day, my friend Predrag and myself, sat down and started writing, and we came up with a good scenario which has won several awards,” said Tanović.
“It’s just great that this organisation exists and recognises this kind of project, because for me personally I always wanted to believe that the European Union is more about a cultural union rather than a financial union. And projects like these – and awards – prove that maybe they’re still working on it,” said screenwriter Predrag Kojović .
No less than 21 films competing at this year’s Cannes festival were co-funded by the European Union’s Media programme, including seven contenders for the coveted Palme d’or.
