Paul Schrader to Lead Sarajevo Festival Jury, Serving Alongside Noomi Rapace, Juho Kuosmanen, Una Gunjak, Sebastian Cavazza

U.S. director-screenwriter Paul Schrader will serve as president of the features jury of the 30th Sarajevo Film Festival, which runs from Aug. 16 to 23.

Schrader will be joined on the jury by Swedish actor and producer Noomi Rapace, Finnish director-writer Juho Kuosmanen, Sarajevo-born, Paris-based director, writer and editor Una Gunjak, and Slovenian actor Sebastian Cavazza.

The jury will announce the winners of the Heart of Sarajevo awards on Aug. 23.

Schrader first made his mark as a screenwriter with “Taxi Driver” (1976), directed by Martin Scorsese, and his collaboration with Scorsese continued with films like “Raging Bull” (1980).

He made his directorial debut with “Blue Collar” (1978) and went on to direct critically acclaimed films such as “American Gigolo” (1980) and “Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters” (1985).

In 2017, he wrote and directed “First Reformed,” which earned him an Academy Award nomination for best original screenplay.

Recent projects include “The Card Counter” (2021), “Master Gardener” (2022) and “Oh Canada” (2024).

Rapace captured the attention of the international entertainment community in 2009 with her portrayal of Lisbeth Salander in “The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo,” for which she was nominated for a British Academy Film Award and the European Film Award.

She became one of the world’s most sought-after international actors, balancing high-profile Hollywood roles in “Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows” (2011) and “Child 44” (2015) with edgy international productions like “Lamb” (2021) and “You Won’t Be Alone” (2022). She also appeared in high profile TV shows such as “Jack Ryan” (2019), “Django” (2023) and this year’s “Constellation.”

Through her production company Boom Films, Rapace is developing several projects, including “Hamlet” with filmmaker Ali Abbasi, in which she will play the title role.

Kuosmanen made his feature debut with “The Happiest Day in the Life of Olli Mäki,” which premiered at Cannes Film Festival in 2016, where it won the top prize in the Un Certain Regard section.

His second feature film, “Compartment No. 6” (2021), also premiered at Cannes, this time in the main competition program, where it won the Grand Prix, an award it shared with Asghar Farhadi’s “A Hero.”

Recently, he directed three episodes of the TV series “Alice & Jack,” starring Andrea Riseborough and Domhnall Gleeson.

In 2014, Gunjak won the Heart of Sarajevo Award at the Sarajevo Film Festival for short film “The Chicken,” which had its premiere in Cannes’ Critics’ Week, and went on to win the European Film Award for best short film.

“Excursion,” Gunjak’s first feature, premiered at Locarno Film Festival in 2023, earning a Special Mention. It went on to screen at more than 50 festivals, winning awards for best script at FAF Belgrade and best actress at Marrakech Film Festival. “Excursion” has secured theatrical release in 20 countries across Europe.

Cavazza has delivered more than 80 performances on stage and taken on over 80 roles in front of the camera, including notable films such as “Men Don’t Cry” (2017) and “A.I. Rising” (2018), and the series “Besa” (2018).