WARM Festival 2025

PROGRAM

WELCOME & ACCREDITATIONS DESK
Kino Meeting Point

Please note: All exhibitions will be open throughout the duration of the WARM Festival (July 7–12), unless specified otherwise.

Monday, July 7

WARM Academy
A week-long multidisciplinary educational program exploring innovative approaches to contemporary conflict and post-conflict transitions. Attended by over 50 selected participants from around the world. In partnership with Pro Peace and Friedrich Ebert Stiftung Dialogue Southeast Europe.
Venue: The European House of Culture and National Minorities

note(book)s
Launch and exhibition of a collection showcasing the intimate notebooks of journalists, artists, and writers who helped shape the story of our times. In partnership with ZANAT, The Frontline Club and Memorial de Caen.
Designed by Lejla Hodžić
Venue: ZANAT, National Gallery, Sarajevo – 6PM

WARM Festival Opening
Venue:  Kino Meeting Point – 8PM

WARM Movie Nights
2000 Meters to Avdiivka, by Mstyslav Chernov (Ukraine)
A Ukrainian platoon attempts to cross a heavily fortified forest to liberate a strategic village from Russian forces. Embedded with them is a journalist, documenting destruction on the front lines—and the uncertainty of how, or when, the war might end.
Venue: Kino Meeting Point – 8:30PM

WARM in Focus
Presentation of the project WARM in Focus – an emerging series of short cinematic works created by filmmakers, photojournalists, and reporters working in conflict zones.
Featured artists: David Verberckt, Oleksandr Rupeta, Vedad Divovic.
Curated and programmed by: Sofi Langis

Tuesday, July 8

WARM Academy continues
Venue: The European House of Culture and National Minorities

The War in Ukraine, as Told by Soldiers
Special screening of My Dear Theo, a film by Ukrainian soldier and director Alisa Kovalenko, followed by a discussion with the author and other soldier-artists. Part of a broader collection of testimonies of soldiers curated by Rémy Ourdan
Venue: Kino Meeting Point – 2:30 PM

Wednesday, July 9

WARM Academy continues
Venue: The European House of Culture and National Minorities

Syria, Shadow Warriors
Screening of a videom profile and panel on the Commission for International Justice and Accountability’s efforts to document war crimes in Syria.
With: Nerma Jelačić, Hasan al Hariri, Husemattin Sarif and William H. Wiley (CIJA).
Moderated by Sophie Nivelle-Cardinale.
Venue: Kino Meeting Point – 3PM

Occupied Territories
Photo exhibition by Fabio Bucciarelli featuring work from Palestine and Lebanon. Artist talk and walk-through. In partnership with Gallery 11/07/95.
Designed by: Lejla Hodžić
Venue: Sarajevo City Hall – 6PM
*The exhibition is open to the public from June 30 to July 14, 2025.

No Woman’s Land
Multimedia exhibition by Kiana Hayeri and Mélissa Cornet capturing the gendered experiences of women and girls in Afghanistan under Taliban rule. Artist talk and walk-through.
Curated and designed by Lejla Hodžić
Venue: Sarajevo City Hall – 6:30PM

WARM Movie Nights
VIKTOR, by Olivier Sarbil
An intimate, sensory-driven film about a deaf young man searching for purpose amidst the chaos of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Followed by a discussion with the director.
Venue: Kino Meeting Point – 8:30PM

Thursday, July 10

WARM Academy continues
Venue: The European House of Culture and National Minorities

Our Paths to Damascus
A collective multimedia exhibition featuring the work of Syrian photographers and artists who returned home following the fall of the Assad regime in 2024. Artist talk and walk-through. In partnership with the Bayeux Normandy Calvados Awards.
Featured artists: Ammar Albiek, Albaraa Haddad, Anas Alkharboutli (homage), Fouad Hallak, Hussien Haddad, Guevara Namer, Alaa Hassan, Sameer Al-Doumy, Mosab Al-Nomire, Anas Ali.
Curated by: Ghaith Abdul Ahad and Abdulmonam Eassa
Designed by: Lamija Idrizbegović
Venue: The European House of Culture and National Minorities – 6:30PM

The Flowers of Srebrenica
A staged adaptation of Aidan Hehir’s illustrated novel. A road trip to the Srebrenica Genocide Memorial shatters the illusions of the “Western male spectator.”
Produced by: Sarajevski ratni teatar SARTR and LegalAliens Theatre
Venue: SARTR – 8PM

Fragments of War
A film by Solène Chalvon-Fioriti pieces together the untold stories of Palestinian women caught in the crossfire. In Gaza, in the West Bank, their bodies become battlegrounds, their lives splintered by a conflict that infiltrates even the most private moments — childbirth under airstrikes, checkpoints that strip them of dignity, and the desperate wish to “send their children back into the womb” for safety. The screening will be followed by a discussion with the author, moderated by Jordan Bryon.
Venue: Kino Meeting Point – 8:30PM

Friday, July 11

WARM Academy continues
Venue: The European House of Culture and National Minorities

Rendez-vous avec Pol Pot
Screening of acclaimed Cambodian director Rithy Panh’s latest film, followed by a panel on genocide reporting and memorialisation.
Moderated by: Carol Isoux
Venue: Kino Meeting Point – 2PM

Srebrenica, 30 Years, Witness
Photo exhibition by Damir Šagolj marking the 30th anniversary of the genocide in Srebrenica. Featuring the author’s work spanning three decades. In partnership with the University of Sarajevo,Kultura na ulice 2025! and Gallery 11/07/95. Artist talk and walk-through.
Curated and designed by Lejla Hodžić
Venues: Sarajevo Train Station and Academy of Fine Arts – 5PM

Gaza, Unframed
Gaza, Unframed is an evening of art, performance, and conversation. Faruk Šabanović presents a multimedia installation introducing the work of Palestinian photojournalist Ali Jadallah, with a live performance during Laura Boushnak’s introduction. Gabriela Seith will present the Gaza Biennale, followed by a panel with Francesca Albanese, Gabriela Seith, and Palestinian artists. The audience will be invited to interact with the installation at the end.
Venue: Kino Meeting Point – 6PM

WARM Movie Nights
Gaza: Doctors Under Attack, by Karim Shah, Ramita Navai, and Ben de Pear.
Premiering at WARM, this documentary investigates the systematic targeting of Palestinian healthcare workers and hospitals in Gaza. Followed by a discussion with the filmmakers.
Moderated by: Raul Gallego Abellan
Venue: Kino Meeting Point – 8:30PM

Saturday, July 12

WARM Academy Open Stage
An all-day showcase of WARM Academy participants’ creative projects and collaborations.
Venue: The European House of Culture and National Minorities – All day

An Arab World: The Vision of Laura Boushnak
City-wide exhibition of work by Palestinian photographer Laura Boushnak, capturing stories from across the Arab world. In partnership with Kultura na ulice 2025!
Curated and designed by Lejla Hodžić
Displayed at 15 locations across Sarajevo
Talk and walk with the author: National Theatre – 7PM

WARM Festival Closing Ceremony
The official closing of WARM Festival 2025 brings together participants, partners, and the public for a collective wrap-up of this year’s events, encounters, and experiences. As part of the ceremony, Francesca Albanese, UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian territories occupied since 1967, will deliver a keynote speech titled “When the World Sleeps.”
Venue: The National Theatre – 8PM
Please note: Pre-registration is required for attendance.

When Words Fail
A spoken word open-air concert by Ahmed Burić and Damir Imamović, with special guests from the WARM network. The evening will also include large-scale projections of Yemen: Contraflow, a powerful photographic series by Alixandra Fazzina, shedding light on stories of displacement and resilience in Yemen. In partnership with Kultura na ulice 2025!
Venue: Outside The National Theatre – 9PM

DJ/Music Workshop & Closing Party
Led by Nour Alsholi (Future Female Sounds), this week-long DJ/music workshop empowers girls, women, and gender minorities. The festival concludes with a party at so.ba, where workshop participants take over the decks – celebrating the week with music, drinks, and friends.
Venue: so.ba – Starts at 11PM