Lejla

A film by

Bosnia and Herzegovina / the Netherlands | 22' | 05/2017 | fiction

Lejla is a young woman from Sarajevo who feels stuck in her life, working in a fast food restaurant and taking care of her elderly father. One day she meets Vedad and they fall in love. Vedad offers her the possibility of leaving together with him, but she is unsure about what's best for her future.

Crew Festivals

Stijn Bouma

Biography

Stijn Bouma (26) is a Dutch filmmaker who grew up in Hoorn, before doing Film Studies at the University of Amsterdam. Besides his studies he made several short films, worked at a cinema and did an internship at production company Circe Films. After graduating with his MA he got accepted for the film.factory programme at the Sarajevo Film Academy. His 2nd year film ‘Lejla’ got selected for the Cinéfondation competition in Cannes.

Filmography

  • Somewhere Else (Docu, 21 mins, 2016)
  • Lejla (Fiction, 22 mins, 2017)
  • Regained Memory (2018)
  • Visite (2018)
Square Eyes -

Crew

Director: Stijn Bouma
Screenplay: Stijn Bouma
Producer: Emina Ganić, Stijn Bouma, Ibrahim Karatay, Paul Oscar Kanter
Cinematographer: Lorenzo Fabbro
Sound: Jesse Maasdam
Editor: Fatih Tura
Production design: Chrystyan Romero
Cast: Lejla Hadžić, Vedad Terzić, Slobodan Čabaković

Festivals

  • Festival de Cannes, France (17 – 28 May, 2017)
    Cinéfondation Competition
  • Sarajevo Film Festival, Bosnia and Herzegovina (11 – 18 August, 2017)
    BH Film Student Competition
  • Helsinki International Film Festival – Love & Anarchy, Finland (14 – 24 September, 2017)
    Short Film Competition
  • Nederlands Film Festival, the Netherlands (20 – 29 September, 2017)
    Forum van de Regissurs & Special: Dutch Students Abroad
  • Festival of Mediterranean Short Film Tangier, Morocco (2 – 7 October, 2017)
    Competition
  • Alexandria Mediterranean Film Festival, Egypt (7 – 12 October, 2017)
    Short Film Competition
  • IndieCork Festival, Ireland (8 – 15 October, 2017)
    International Competition
  • Princeton Independent Film Festival, United States (9 – 11 November, 2017)
    Official Selection
  • Zagreb Film Festival, Croatia (11 – 19 November, 2017)
    Out of competition: Bosnian Short Films
  • Shift Film Festival, the Netherlands (16 – 18 November, 2017)
    Opening program
  • EKADESHMA International Short Film Festival, Nepal (16 – 19 November, 2017)
  • Official Selection: Future of Cinema Won: Best Short Film
  • Eindhovens Film Festival, the Netherlands (6 – 10 December, 2017)
    Official Selection
  • Sharm El Sheikh Film Festival, Egypt (3 – 9 March, 2017)
    Short Film Competition Won: Jury Special Prize
  • Ammehoela Film Festival, the Netherlands (31 March, 2018)
    Official Selection
  • Go Short – International Short Film Festival Nijmegen, the Netherlands (11 – 15 April, 2018)
    Dutch Competition
  • Minneapolis St. Paul International Film Festival, United States (12 – 18 April, 2018)
    Official Selection
  • Outdoor Short Film Festival of Grenoble, France (3 – 7 July, 2018)
    Regards Competition
  • Nancy International Film Festival, France (24 August – 2 September, 2018)
    Official Competition
  • Portobello Film Festival, United Kingdom (30 August – 6 September, 2018)
    Dutch Focus
  • Bueu International Short Film Festival, Spain (7 – 15 September, 2018)
    Panorama
  • Festival Internationale Signes de Nuit, France (4 – 14 October, 2018)
    Official Selection
  • Balkans Beyond Borders Short Film Festival, Serbia (8 – 11 November, 2018)
    Official Selection Won: First Entry Award
  • International Festival Bosnia-Herzegovina Looks Around, Germany (9 – 11 November, 2018)
    International Competition
  • Nachalo – International Debut and Student Film Festival, Russia (20 – 23 November, 2018)
    Official Competition
  • Ankara Film Festival, Turkey (18 – 28 April, 2019)
    BBB Focus
  • Balkan Beyond Borders, Greece (17 – 20 October, 2019)
    Special: Women and Labor
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