I Know Your Soul, a six-part drama series from Oscar-nominated Bosnian filmmaker Jasmila Žbanić (Quo Vadis, Aida?) took the top TV honors at this year’s Sarajevo Film Festival, winning best drama series and nearly sweeping the drama categories, taking best directing, best script, and most of the acting categories. Žbanić, in addition to co-writing the series, also produced and served as showrunner. In addition to Quo Vadis, Aida?, Žbanić directed the Golden Bear-winning Grbavica (2006) and an episode of HBO’s Emmy-winning The Last of Us.
The series, which premiered at the Venice Film Festival last year, follows Nervena, a prosecutor in the process of a divorce raising her teenage son as a single mother. Her investigation into a teen suicide sets off a series of events that transform her personal and professional life. Jasna Duričić, who plays Nervena, won the best actress honor for her performance. Co-star Jelena Kordić Kuret took the best supporting actress in a drama honor, Mirvad Kurić won best supporting actor, and Lazar Dragojević won the rising star – drama award for the series. HBO Max picked up I Know Your Soul for Central and Eastern Europe last year.
Serbian actor Žarko Laušević, who died last November, won a posthumous best actor in a drama series award for his performance in the World War I drama Time of Death.
In the comedy categories, Bosnian series Smashing It and the Serbian series Radio Mileva split the Heart of Sarjaevo awards, each taking three trophies. Smashing It won the Best comedy prize, best actor honors for Alen Muratović and best script for writers Elma Tataragić, Dušan Vranić, and Enes Zlatar. Radio Mileva’s Olga Odanović won best actress in the category, Elmir Jukić took best directing in a comedy and Kris Gavrić took the rising star – comedy honor.
The Sarajevo festival considered series from across Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Serbia, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Kosovo and Slovenia that premiered between April 1, 2023 and April 30, 2024. The winners were picked by a professional jury made up of film and TV professionals.
Full list of winners below:
Best Drama Series
I Know Your Soul
Best Actress in a Drama Series
Jasna Đuričić for I Know Your Soul
Best Actor in a Drama Series
Žarko Laušević for Time of Death
Best Supporting Role – Actress in a Drama Series
Jelena Kordić Kuret for I Know Your Soul
Best Supporting role – Actor in a Drama Series
Mirvad Kurić for I Know Your Soul
Rising star – Drama Series
Lazar Dragojević for I Know Your Soul
Best Script – Drama Series
Jasmila Žbanić and Elma Tataragić for I Know Your Soul
Best Directing – Drama Series
Nermin Hamzagić for I Know Your Soul
Best Comedy
Smashing It
Best Actress in a Comedy Series
Olga Odanović for Radio Mileva
Best Actor in a Comedy Series
Alen Muratović for Smashing It
Rising Star – Comedy
Kris Gavrić for Radio Mileva
Best Script – Comedy
Elma Tataragić, Dušan Vranić, Enes Zlatar for Smashing It
Best directing – Comedy
Elmir Jukić for Radio Mileva