Jasmila Žbanić

Jasmila Žbanić is a Bosnian film director, screenwriter, and film producer living in Germany. She graduated from the Academy of Performing Arts in Sarajevo, specializing in theater and film directing. Before filmmaking, she worked as a puppeteer at the Bread and Puppet Theater in Glover, Vermont, (USA). In 1997, she, together with friends, founded the artists' association Deblokada, through which she produced, wrote, and directed. Her feature film Grbavica won the Golden Bear at the Berlinale in 2006 and received the American Film Institute (AFI) Award for Best Film. Quo Vadis, Aida? premiered at the Venice Film Festival and, besides multiple other awards, received the Independent Spirit Award for Best International Film, the European Film Awards for Best Film, Best Director, and Best Actress, as well as Oscar nominations for Best International Feature Film.

During her stay at Villa Aurora, Jasmila Žbanić will be working on a screenplay and conducting research for her project. She wants to tell the story of how the discovery of a talisman and a scientific treasure leads a woman to confront her family’s history and find a way to change the fate that has been imposed on generations of women.

Selected Filmography
2024 | Blum: Masters of Their Own Destiny, documentary (screenwriter, director and producer)
2023 | I Know Your Soul, TV series (screenwriter and producer)
2023 | The Last of Us, TV series, one episode (director)
2020 | Quo vadis, Aida?, feature film (screenwriter, director, and producer)
2014 | Love Island, feature film (screenwriter and director)
2013 | For Those Who Can Tell No Tales, feature film (screenwriter, director, and producer)
2010 | Zwischen uns das Paradies / Na putu, feature film (screenwriter and director)
2006 | Esmas Geheimnis – Grbavica, feature film (screenwriter and director)

Selected Awards
2021 | European Film Awards – Best Film and Best Director for Quo Vadis, Aida?
2021 | Academy Awards – Nomination for Best International Feature Film for Quo Vadis, Aida?
2021 | BAFTA Film Award – Nomination for Best Director and Best Film Not in the English Language for Quo Vadis, Aida?
2021 | Film Independent Spirit Awards – Best International Film for Quo Vadis, Aida?
2006 | Berlin International Film Festival – Golden Bear Award for Grbavica