Picentia Short Film Festival and Silver Frame Film Festival sign a three-year Memorandum of Cooperation at the Sarajevo Film Festival, creating new opportunities for young filmmakers, education and international exchange
A Memorandum of Cooperation was signed on 21 August 2026, during the Sarajevo Film Festival, between Italy’s Picentia Short Film Festival, organized by the Cultural Association ACT Production, and Bosnia and Herzegovina’s Silver Frame Film Festival.
The signing took place in the presence of the Ambassador of Italy to Bosnia and Herzegovina, underlining the importance of the partnership in strengthening cultural ties between the two countries.
The cooperation places young at its core. It will support the exchange of knowledge and experience, educational activities, the international circulation of films, and connections between emerging talents through workshops, masterclasses, festival programs and cultural exchanges.
A special focus will be given to young filmmakers involved in this year’s Silver Frame Film Festival. Through exchange programs, they will have the opportunity to travel to Italy, meet and work alongside other young filmmakers, participate in educational and festival activities, and present their films to new audiences.
The partnership will also promote cinema from Bosnia and Herzegovina in Italy and Italian cinema in Bosnia and Herzegovina through screenings, special programs and other cultural events.
Building Bridges Through Cinema
Silver Frame Film Festival Artistic Director Ado Hasanović emphasized the importance of creating this kind of international exchange:
“This is wonderful news for us. We have already developed partnerships with other festivals, but this is the first time we are creating an exchange of this kind, bringing young people from different countries and cultural backgrounds together through the same program. They will have the opportunity to share experiences, learn from one another and present the work they create.”
Hasanović added that the partnership has the potential to create connections that go beyond individual festival editions:
“We share many values and a common cultural space. I believe this cooperation can become an important bridge between different regions, communities and cultures.”
Artistic Director of the Picentia Short Film Festival, Luca Capacchione, highlighted the importance of the support provided by the Italian Embassy:
“This kind of cooperation is very important, as is the role of the Italian Embassy. Its role is not only political, but also social and cultural. As we often say, where politics ends, culture can continue to build connections between people.”
Capacchione described the signing of the Memorandum as the beginning of a long-term partnership:
“For me, this is the beginning of a long journey that we will take together. The agreement has been signed for three years, but I believe this cooperation will continue from year to year and, hopefully, for many years to come.”
The Memorandum has been concluded for a period of three years, with the possibility of renewal or extension.
More than a formal agreement, the partnership creates a framework for the long-term exchange of young filmmakers, knowledge, experiences and films between Bosnia and Herzegovina and Italy. Its aim is to create concrete opportunities for a new generation of filmmakers to meet, learn, collaborate and bring their stories to audiences beyond their own borders.
Through cinema, education and cultural exchange, Picentia Short Film Festival and Silver Frame Film Festival aim to build a lasting bridge between the two countries and their emerging film communities.
