Aki Kaurismaki’s The Other Side of Hope will open the 23rdSarajevo Film Festival on August 11.
Finnish director Aki Kaurismaki’s film “Le Havre,” which won a critics’ award at Cannes, opened the 17th Sarajevo Film Festival.
“The Other Side of Hope”, for which Kaurismäki won the Silver Bear for the best director at this year’s Berlinale, is a thematic follow-up of sorts to the 2011 film “Le Havre”.
The film premiere will start at 20:30 h at the National Theatre and a half-hour later also at the Open Air Cinema Raiffeisen.
After the screening, the audience will be greeted by actors Sherwan Haji and Simon Al-Bazoon.
Located in the south of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the beautiful city of Mostar boosts with its rich history and architecture.
Tour Guide Mostar brings you must visit objects in Mostar…
Catholic Church and the Franciscan Monastery in Mostar
Today the Catholic Church and the Franciscan Monastery in Mostar stand together as one the most beautiful architecture examples. Originally this complex was built in 1866. during the Ottoman rule.
Today the bell tower of the church is the highest construction in the city, boosting 107m of height. The view from the top of the tower is truly magnificent, showing the whole panorama of the Mostar.
This complex boasts a library with 50,000 ancient western and eastern scriptures and books. It is the largest library of such characteristics in Herzegovina and this region. In the monastery there is also an important collection of paintings by Italian masters of the XVI and XVII century, and also works from modern artists.
Koski Mehmed Pasha Mosque
Today the iconic Koski Mehmed Pasha Mosque is probably among the most famous symbols of Mostar. It`s the second largest mosque in Mostar, situated on the left bank of the Neretva river, just about 150 meters north of the Old Bridge.
The entrance leads to the beautiful courtyard where you can enjoy the colorful garden, shops, restaurant and Šadrvan fountain. The concept of building Šadrvan comes from the Persian culture and it was brought to Bosnia and Herzegovina during the Ottoman rule. Read more about the history behind the picturesque Šadrvan in our previous post.
Visitors can enter the mosque and enjoy the unique architectural features of the Ottoman style. The most important element in the mosque is the mihrab, the niche that indicates the direction of Mecca.
The mosque was constructed in 1618. Visitors are allowed to climb the minaret, which offers a panoramic view of the city.
Kriva Cuprija bridge
Besides the famous Stari Most (Old Bridge), a genuine symbol of the town destroyed in 1993, there is another ancient bridge in Mostar: the Kriva Cuprija (or the Crooked Bridge).
It crosses the Radobolja creek, a right-bank affluent of the Neretva River. The exact date of its construction and the name of its founder are not known.
Kriva cuprija is a stone one-arch bridge of small dimension and closely resembles the Stari Most. The arch is a perfect semi-circle 8.56m in width and 4.15m in height. The bridge footpath and the approaching roads are paved with cobblestones, as is the case with the main roads in the town. Stone steps enable people to ascend to the bridge either side. The floods of December 2000 destroyed this bridge.
A reconstruction project has been initiated by UNESCO, financed by the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg. The project was completed in the year 2001.
This story originally appeared on: propercroatia.com
Passionate and persuasive, Ana Filipović loves sharing her cross-cultural insights and personal flare. Born in Croatia, grew up in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Ana is currently adventuring away from her European homeland to study at Hood College, Maryland, U.S. More specifically, as she crosses the world on a ship with a study abroad program for spring 2015, Semester at Sea, her missives reflecting on her home country come from her deep knowledge and passion to develop the area.
Mostar is an unbelievable city with a long history and a very rich present. You can spend days in the city, but even a day stop will enrich your travels! Here are some things you shouldn’t miss seeing:
The Bridge. Of course. When you first see the Old Bridge forget about your camera or your new Facebook profile picture. Take a seat on the coast of river Neretva and look up. The Old Bridge is not just a bridge made for crossing from East to the West coast and vice-versa. For the post-war generations, it presents peace and unity. It signifies reconciliation. Cheer to this with a local beer. Admire the scenery and the people. And yes, now you may take your cameras out.
While at the Old Bridge, grab a bite of pita, local hearty snack made out of dough with different fillings (potatoes, cheese, spinach, minced meat, and many more). If you are a huge meat eater, you should go for ćevapi in lepinja bread with garlic and sour cream. You’re welcome.
That “Big Tall Orange Building” at the Spanish Square – is actually from the Austro-Hungarian period and has endured a lot of suffering from bullets and grenades throughout the Civil War in 90s. Today, it hosts two public and one private high school for three programs. One is Bosnian, one Croatian, and the third one is United World College (UWC) – an international IB school, with more than 33 nationalities from all around the world attending it. The square was the front fighting line between Bosniaks and Croats during the war. UWC serves as an example of unity across Bosnia-Herzegovina.
From the Spanish Square, stop by a local café Coco Loco for an enjoyable café latte. Take a break and have a snack from one of the local bakeries. The U.S. has Panera, but we have small mom & pop’s shops that will make your lips tremble from richness of the food offerings.
The Glass Bank is right across Coco Loco. It’s an abandoned building still wounded from the war. BUT, you can go in and walk up the stairs to see an amazing panorama of Mostar. Take plenty of pictures and enjoy. Because traveling is all about taking it all in. Dobrodošli!
