Bosnia and Herzegovina, abbreviated BiH or B&H, sometimes called Bosnia–Herzegovina and often known informally as Bosnia, is a country in Southeastern Europe, located in the Balkans. Bosnia and Herzegovina borders Serbia to the east, Montenegro to the southeast, and Croatia to the north and southwest. In the south it has a narrow coast on the Adriatic Sea within the Mediterranean, which is about 20 kilometres long and surrounds the town of Neum. Bosnia, which is the inland region of the country, has a moderate continental climate with hot summers and cold, snowy winters. In the central and eastern regions of the country, the geography is mountainous, in the northwest it is moderately hilly, and in the northeast it is predominantly flat. Herzegovina, which is the smaller, southern region of the country, has a Mediterranean climate and is mostly mountainous. Sarajevo is the capital and the largest city of the country followed by Banja Luka, Tuzla and Zenica.
Sarajevo is the capital and largest city of Bosnia and Herzegovina, with a population of 275,524 in its administrative limits. The Sarajevo metropolitan area including Sarajevo Canton, East Sarajevo and nearby municipalities is home to 555,210 inhabitants. Located within the greater Sarajevo valley of Bosnia, it is surrounded by the Dinaric Alps and situated along the Miljacka River in the heart of the Balkans, a region of Southern Europe.
The Bosnian War was an international armed conflict that took place in Bosnia and Herzegovina between 1992 and 1995. The war is commonly seen as having started on 6 April 1992, following a number of earlier violent incidents. The war ended on 14 December 1995 when the Dayton accords were signed. The main belligerents were the forces of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina, those of Republic of Herzeg-Bosnia and Republika Srpska, proto-states led and supplied by Croatia and Serbia, respectively.
The Sarajevo Film Festival is the premier and largest film festival in Southeast Europe, and is one of the largest film festivals in Europe. It was founded in Sarajevo in 1995 during the siege of Sarajevo in the Bosnian War, and brings international and local celebrities to Sarajevo every year. It is held in August and showcases an extensive variety of feature and short films from around the world. The current director of the festival is Jovan Marjanović.
The Sarajevo Canton, officially the Canton of Sarajevo, is one of 10 cantons of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Its cantonal seat is the city of Sarajevo, also the capital city of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Danis Tanović is a Bosnian film director and screenwriter. He is regarded as one of the best Bosnian directors and screenwriters of all time, and also one of the best from Southeast Europe.
Mostar International Airport is an airport near Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina, in the village of Ortiješ, 4 NM southeast of Mostar's railway station.
The Sarajevo War Theatre is a theatre in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina. It was founded on 17 May 1992 on the initiative of Dubravko Bibanović, Gradimir Gojer, Đorđe Mačkić and Safet Plakalo during the Siege of Sarajevo. It was a gathering place for theatre professionals and Academy of Performing Arts students for the duration of the war. Today, it is a commercial theatre and the premium experimental showcase in Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is one of the venues for the MESS International Theatre Festival and the sole venue for the Open University of Sarajevo.
Jasmila Žbanić is a Bosnian film director, screenwriter and producer, best known for having written and directed Quo Vadis, Aida? (2020), which earned her nominations for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film, the BAFTA Award for Best Film Not in the English Language, and the BAFTA Award for Best Direction.
Ante Jelavić is a Bosnian Croat politician who served as the 2nd Croat member of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina from 1998 to 2001. He was the youngest person to hold the office of Presidency member and also the youngest Presidency member at the end of his tenure.
Sven Alkalaj is a Bosnian diplomat who has served as Bosnia and Herzegovina ambassador to the United States since June 2023. He previously served as the Permanent Representative of Bosnia and Herzegovina to the United Nations from 2019 to 2023. Alkalaj also served as the country's Minister of Foreign Affairs from 2007 until 2012. He held the post of executive secretary of UNECE between 2012 and 2014 as well.
Kaća Čelan is a writer, director, theatre and acting expert, professor and actress. She is internationally known for being awarded the first prize for the best German-language play from the Bund der Theatergemeinden for her play Heimatbuch among other awards.
Haris Pašović is a Bosnian theatre director. Over the course of his career, he has also worked as a playwright, producer, choreographer, performer, and designer. He is best known for his productions of Wedekind's “Spring Awakening”. He is the artistic leader of the East West Theatre Company in Sarajevo and tenured Professor of Directing at the Academy of Performing Arts in Sarajevo.
Ljubica Ostojić was a Bosnian poet, writer and playwright from Bosnia and Herzegovina. She wrote in Croatian and taught dramaturgy at the Academy of Performing Arts in Sarajevo.
The Perfect Circle is a 1997 Bosnian film by Ademir Kenović set in Sarajevo during the siege of 1992-1996. It was written by Kenović with Pjer Žalica and Abdulah Sidran. The title derives from the ability of "Hamza" to draw perfect circles on paper.
East West Theatre Company was established in 2005 in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is a nonprofit cultural institution which produces performing arts programs, publications, films, and music events. It also organizes touring shows, discussions, forums, master-classes and workshops. Important components of its work include a creation of new work and a commitment to international cooperation.
Zdravko Grebo was a Bosnian law professor at the University of Sarajevo's Law School. He was born in 1947 in Mostar. Zdravko is the founder of Open Society Foundation of Bosnia and Herzegovina as well as the director of the Center for Interdisciplinary Postgraduate Studies of the University of Sarajevo. He also serves as the chief of the Department of the State and International Public Law.
The Sarajevo Youth Theatre is a children's and youth theatre in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina. It was founded in 1950 under the name Pioneer Theatre. It is the largest theatre of its kind in the country.
Museum of Literature and Theater Arts of Bosnia and Herzegovina is a literary art museum in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina. It was established under the name Museum of Literature of Bosnia and Herzegovina in 1961 on the idea of then curator of literary collections in the Museum of Sarajevo, writer Razija Handžić, the future director. In 1970, the Theater Department was founded and added to the Museum of Literature.
Amir Bukvić,, is a Bosnian actor, documentarist, playwright, screenwriter and novelist. His works have been awarded the most prestigious literary awards in Bosnia and Herzegovina and Croatia, namely the “Alija Isaković Award” and the Marin Držić Award, and included in anthologies.
