Excursion, by Bosnian director Una Gunjak, will have its world premiere on August 4th this year at the Locarno International Film Festival, as the opening film of the “Cineasti Del Presente” competition program, which features the best debut films from around the world.

As her class prepares for a field trip, Iman catches the attention of an older boy. After a game of truth or dare, a rumor that Iman is pregnant spreads around the school, and it starts to threaten the excursion. Iman then finds herself in a storm of expectations and restrictions, and the events she has caused spiral out of control.

The main roles in the film are played by Asja Zara Lagumdžija and Nađa Spaho, Maja Izetbegović, Mediha Musliović, Izudin Bajrović, Muhamed Hadžović. The film was written and directed by Una Gunjak, and the rest of the team consists of director of photography Matthias Pilz, editor Clémence Diard, stage designer Emina Kujundžić, costume designer Katarina Pilić, casting director Timka Grin, sound designer Igor Čamo, composer Draško Adžić and makeup artist Lamija Hadžihasanović-Homarac. The producers of the film are Amra Bakšić Čamo, Adis Đapo (SCCA/pro.ba), and the co-producers are Nukleus film (Siniša Juričić), Filmska kuća Baš Čelik (Jelena Mitrović), Salaud Morisset (François Morisset), Mer Film (Gary Cranner).

The film was shot in Sarajevo, and was realized as a co-production of six countries (Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Serbia, France, Norway and Qatar). It was supported by the Sarajevo Cinematography Foundation, the Ministry of Culture and Sports of the KS, HAVC, Film Center Serbia, Sorfond, Doha Film Institute, Hubert Bals Fund and Eurimages.

Una Gunjak was born and raised in Sarajevo. She studied in Italy and Great Britain, where she obtained a master’s degree in editing at the National Film and TV School in London. She works as an editor, screenwriter and director. Her short film Chicken (2014) premiered at the “Critic’s Week” in Cannes, and won the European Film Award for Best Short Film that year. Chicken was screened at Sundance as well as 270 other festivals around the world, winning more than 70 awards.

Her short film Salamat from Germany, shot as part of the “Lebanon Factory” initiative, premiered in the “Quinzaine des Cinéastes” program of the Cannes Film Festival.

Una Gunjak is currently developing her second feature-length project while working as an editing consultant for the “First Cut Lab” program.