BHFF 2026
ILLUMINATION
Synopsis
Mahir (28), a tired online journalist stuck translating sensationalist news, moves through his days numbed by routine and moral compromise. Driving home late one night, he witnesses a hit-and-run on a deserted road outside the city. The driver flees, leaving Mahir alone with the injured body of a young woman. As he calls emergency services, his professional reflex kicks in: he photographs the scene and contacts his editor. What begins as an attempt to report the truth quickly turns into an ethical confrontation, as Mahir is pressured to cross every journalistic boundary in pursuit of a "strong story." Alone in the darkness, caught between human dignity and media exploitation, Mahir must decide what kind of witness, and what kind of journalist, he is willing to be.
Director's Biography
Mina Vavan studies Theatre and film directing at the Academy of Performing Arts in Sarajevo. She has directed plays On the deep sea, Waiting for 40 000 and Family stories, as well as the films House of the Hungry, Bus No. 13 and Unbraiding. Her film Unbraiding (2021) was screened in the official student selections at the festivals: BiH Looks around film festival and Sarajevo film festival and Cyclops film festival. She is one of the participants in the workshop of the French School of Documentary Film Atelier Varan, where she shot the short documentary Anatomy of Hypomania in 2022, which won the award for best documentary in the category up to 50 minutes at the March Documentary and Short Film Festival 2022 in Belgrade.
Presentation 6 (shorts) is followed by a Q&A with Aleksandar Hemon and Bojan Stojčić.
Cast & Credits
Director: Mina Vavan Screenplay: Mina Vavan and Lea Petrov Cinematography: Alen Alilović Editing: Vladimir Šojat Sound Design and Music: Luka Lukić and Miloš Aćimović Costume Design and Set Design: Lena Samardžić Producer(s): Ishak Jalimam and Lara Grozdanić Production: Realstage Cast: Kerim Čutuna, Ejla Bavčić, Mirvad Kurić, Damir Čobo
Stills
