The Grand Prix of the Sheffield DocFest International competition program was awarded to the film Who Will Knock on the Door of My Home, directed by Maja Novaković (Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, 2024).
This award recognizes films that best exemplify strong artistic vision and bold storytelling.
The members of the jury were: Heather Haines (director of festival programming at Hot Docs), Mohamed Saïd Ouma (executive director of DocA-Documentary Africa) and award-winning director Havana Marking.
The jury’s explanation of the: “With cinematographic excellence, the director gradually reveals the story of loneliness and trauma in landscapes of beauty, but also of deep historical scars. A young author to watch out for.”
The film had its world premiere at Sheffield DocFest and will now continue its festival life.
The film crew consists of: director, screenwriter, director of photography and editor, Maja Novaković, co-screenwriter Jonathan Hourigan, protagonists: Emin Bektic and Andrej Božilović, editor (also responsible for graphic design and illustration) Nebojša Petrović, music composer and sound designer Luka Barajević, mixer sound by Aleksandar Rančić, and Forgrade studio is in charge of color correction.
PHOTO: Who Will Knock on the Door of My Home
The film is produced by Maja Novaković, co-produced by Sara D’Hanens and Nikica Novaković, executive produced by Skye Fitzgerald, organizers of the filming are Bojana Božilović and Viktor Božilović. The film is produced by Kinorasad, and the co-production company is Seafarer Films.
Sheffield DocFest selectors previously said of the film: “Maja Novaković’s impressive feature debut blurs the lines between perception, memory and imagination, paving the way for an existential contemplation of alienation and connection with poetic grace.”
The project of this film was officially presented and competed at the training festival segments of IDFAcademy 2022 and Beldocs Pitching Forum 2023 (where it won the Al Jazeera Balkans Award and the Forgrade Post-production Award). The conclusion of the awarding jury: “Expect a captivating cinematic journey that explores the depths of intimate psychological spheres and the rugged beauty of natural landscapes.”