Sarajevo festival to go virtual due to coronavirus

The organizers of the Sarajevo Film Festival (SFF) have said this year's edition of the event will be held online amid a surge in coronavirus infections in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The festival will run on August 14-21 as planned, but it can’t be held as a physical event due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The organizers said in a statement on Wednesday that the decision “confirms the Sarajevo Film Festival’s responsibility and commitment to its community”.

Bosnia and Herzegovina has registered more than 13,000 coronavirus cases and some 380 deaths so far.

The SFF is a major cultural event in Bosnia and Herzegovina and southeast Europe.

The 26th edition of SFF will be available at ondemand.sff.ba, the event’s online platform.

The coronavirus pandemic has forced the closure of movie theaters in several countries and led to the cancellation or postponement of many film festivals.

SQ/MG