The White Fortress

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The White Fortress
The White Fortress.jpg
Theatrical release poster
Bosnian Tabija
Directed by Igor Drljaca
Written byIgor Drljaca
Produced byIgor Drljaca
Albert Shin
Amra Bakšić Čamo
Jordan Barker
Adis Đapo
Borga Dorter
Starring Pavle Čemerikić
Sumeja Dardagan
CinematographyErol Zubčević
Edited byAjla Odobašić
Music by Casey Manierka-Quaile
Production
companies
TimeLapse Pictures
SCCA/pro.ba
Release date
  • March 1, 2021 (2021-03-01)(Berlin)
Running time
88 minutes
CountriesCanada
Bosnia and Herzegovina
LanguagesBosnian
English

The White Fortress (Bosnian : Tabija) is a 2021 Bosnian-Canadian coming-of-age drama film written and directed by Igor Drljaca. [1]

Contents

The film premiered on March 1, 2021 at the 71st Berlin International Film Festival. [2] Produced by Canada's Timelapse Pictures and Bosnia-Herzegovina's SCCA/pro.ba, it had its Canadian premiere at the 2021 Vancouver International Film Festival. [3] It was selected as the Bosnian entry for the Best International Feature Film at the 94th Academy Awards. [4]

Plot

Faruk (Pavle Čemerikić), a teenage orphan living with his grandmother in the suburbs of Sarajevo, is drawn into a romance with Mona (Sumeja Dardagan), a member of a wealthy, politically powerful family. [5]

The film's cast also includes Izudin Bajrović, Ermin Bravo, Hasija Borić, Kerim Čutuna and Jasmin Geljo.

Reception

The film received generally positive reviews, with critics frequently highlighting its blend of social realism and romance and its Sarajevo setting. On Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds a 100% approval rating based on 16 critic reviews. [6] On Metacritic, it has a weighted average score of 79 out of 100, based on seven critic reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews". [7] In Variety, Jessica Kiang described the film as a "moving" and "impressively controlled" social-realist romance, praising its restraint and naturalistic performances and noting how the love story is shaped by economic and social boundaries in contemporary Sarajevo. [8] Writing for The Hollywood Reporter, Sheri Linden emphasized the film’s character-driven approach, stating that Drljača’s dialogue is "sharp and alive throughout" and highlighting the emotional credibility of the central relationship. [9] Barry Hertz of The Globe and Mail offered a particularly enthusiastic assessment, calling the film "beautifully haunting," "hypnotizing," and "destined to linger," and praising Drljača’s "deft poetic touch" and the way the film "luxuriates in character and place" while expressing the lingering psychological weight of war and the stark class divisions of post-war Sarajevo. [10]

European critics were similarly positive. In Cineuropa, Vladan Petković described the film as Drljača’s most accomplished feature to date and noted how the narrative gradually shifts from crime drama into romance. [11] A more mixed response came from Film Threat, where Alex Saveliev wrote that the film’s multiple thematic strands sometimes compete with one another, causing it to lose focus at times, even while praising its attention to small character moments. [12]

Awards

The film was named to the Toronto International Film Festival's annual year-end Canada's Top Ten list for 2021. [13]


Festival / OrganizationDateCategoryRecipient(s)Result
Canadian Screen AwardsApril 10, 2022Best ActorPavle ČemerikićNominated
Canadian Screen AwardsApril 10, 2022Best Original ScreenplayIgor DrljačaNominated
Vancouver Film Critics CircleMarch 8, 2022Best Actor in a Canadian FilmPavle ČemerikićNominated
Vancouver Film Critics CircleMarch 8, 2022Best Screenplay for a Canadian FilmIgor DrljačaNominated
Vancouver Film Critics CircleMarch 8, 2022One to WatchPavle ČemerikićNominated
Festival du nouveau cinémaOctober 2021National Competition – Prix de la diffusion Québecor (Honourable Mention)The White FortressHonourable Mention
Sarajevo Film FestivalAugust 2022Ivica Matić Award for Best Film (presented by the Association of Film Workers of Bosnia and Herzegovina)The White FortressWon
Alexandria Mediterranean Countries Film FestivalOctober 2022Naguib Mahfouz Award for Best ScreenplayIgor DrljačaWon
Alexandria Mediterranean Countries Film FestivalOctober 2022Omar Sharif Award for Best ActorPavle ČemerikićWon
Alexandria Mediterranean Countries Film FestivalOctober 2022Faten Hamama Award for Best ActressSumeja DardaganWon

See also

References

  1. ↑ Davide Abbatescianni, "TVCO Acquires Worldwide Sales to Berlinale Teen Drama ‘The White Fortress’ – EFM". Variety , March 4, 2021.
  2. ↑ Jared Mobarak, "Berlin Review: The White Fortress Blends Horror and Fairy Tale with a Bittersweet Touch". The Film Stage, March 2, 2021.
  3. ↑ Charlie Smith, "VIFF 2021: Bosnia and Herzegovina's contradictions resonate in Igor Drljača's The White Fortress". The Georgia Straight , October 6, 2021.
  4. ↑ "Film "Tabija" reditelja Igora Drljače bh. kandidat za Oskara". Nezavisne. 25 October 2021. Retrieved 25 October 2021.
  5. ↑ Saveliev, Alex (3 March 2021). ""The White Fortress"]". Film Threat .
  6. ↑ "The White Fortress". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 11 January 2026.
  7. ↑ "The White Fortress Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved 11 January 2026.
  8. ↑ Kiang, Jessica (6 December 2021). "'The White Fortress' Review: Moving Tale of Doomed Love in Divided Sarajevo". Variety. Retrieved 11 January 2026.
  9. ↑ Linden, Sheri (19 April 2022). "'The White Fortress': Film Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 11 January 2026.
  10. ↑ Hertz, Barry. "Canadian-Bosnian romance The White Fortress is beautifully haunting". The Globe and Mail.{{cite news}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help)
  11. ↑ Petković, Vladan (1 March 2021). "Review: The White Fortress". Cineuropa. Retrieved 11 January 2026.
  12. ↑ Saveliev, Alex (2022). "The White Fortress Review". Film Threat. Retrieved 11 January 2026.
  13. ↑ Norman Wilner, "TIFF announces Canada’s Top Ten films of 2021" Archived 6 December 2021 at the Wayback Machine . Now , December 6, 2021.
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