Sabina K.
A Bosnian Love Story
Genre:
Drama
Sabina, a divorced mother of two small children, falls in love with an old friend from the Bosnian war. The two plan to marry, but things go terribly wrong.
Inspired by True Events
Sabina K.
A Romeo and Juliet love story set in post-war Bosnia and Herzegovina. Sabina faces the loss of all she holds dear before discovering what matters most.
Sabina K. is an internationally awarded drama inspired by a true story, set in Sarajevo between 2004 and 2005. Winner of Best Feature Film at the Jaipur International Film Festival and the Sabaoth International Film Festival, and nominated as a finalist to represent Bosnia and Herzegovina at the Oscars.
A story about love, faith, resilience — and what happens when the weight of the world falls on one woman's shoulders.
Awards
Sabina K. has been recognized by international film festivals
About the Film
Sabina is a divorced mother of two living in Sarajevo. She and Saša — both veterans of the Bosnian War — have fallen in love and plan to marry on the island of Korčula, with the blessing of their wartime friend's mother, Ankica.
But there is one obstacle their respective families cannot seem to overcome: Sabina is Muslim, Saša is Catholic.
When Saša mysteriously disappears on the day of their planned wedding, Sabina's world begins to unravel. Alone, pregnant, jobless, and abandoned by those closest to her, she faces a winter with no shelter and no way out.
Cristobal Krusen
Cristobal Krusen & Fedja Stukan
2015
Drama
WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING
Testimonials
“Not only is Sabina K. an excellent portrayal of a slice of very difficult life, it is extraordinarily beautifully filmed.”
Past the Popcorn / iLoveKent
“Bosnian actress Alena Džebo portrays the central character with such heart-tugging skill that I hope we will be seeing her in other films.”
Visual Parables — Read the Spirit
“Sabina K is an impacting, must-see film which journeys through a road of emptiness to reveal the treasures of what matters most.”
Australian Christian Channel
About the Director
Cristóbal Krusen is an American filmmaker known for character-driven stories set in real geopolitical contexts. Sabina K. was his first Bosnian production, filmed entirely in Bosnia and Herzegovina with a local cast.
Krusen spent years researching the post-war social fabric of Sarajevo before writing the screenplay, based on the true account of a woman who survived one of Bosnia's most fraught social realities: the attempt to build a life — and a family — across religious lines in a country still raw from ethnic conflict.
Sabina K. premiered at the Sarajevo Film Festival in 2015 — the most prestigious film event in the Balkans — to critical and public acclaim.
About Messenger Films
Messenger Films is an international feature film production company founded in 1988 by award-winning screenwriter and director Cristóbal Krusen.
The company uses the universal language of cinema to create films of beauty and hope. Messenger Films is known for achieving high production values at modest budgets, working hand in hand with local crews and acting talent wherever its stories take it.
After a series of Spanish-language productions filmed in Mexico, the company released its first major motion picture, Final Solution, in 2002 — a true story set in the final years of apartheid, shot in and around Cape Town, South Africa, and starring Tony Award winner John Kani. In the years since, Krusen has written and directed award-winning films across Asia, Europe, and the United States, including More Than Dreams, First Landing, The Bill Collector, and Undaunted.
In 2014, Messenger Films produced Sabina K., shot on location in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Drawing in part on the writings of the renowned Bosnian poet Mak Dizdar, the film weaves together two spiritual traditions into a heartwarming story of redeeming love — set in a world too often defined by division.
Its films have been seen by millions worldwide.
About Relative Pictures
Relative Pictures was founded in 2010 in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, by four established voices in Bosnian cinema: Refik Hodžić, documentary film director and Communications Director for the International Center for Transitional Justice; Cazim Derviševic, documentary film director; Amra Mehić, film and theatre director; and Fedja Stukan, actor and film producer.
The company takes its name from a skydiving term — a relative work jump, in which two or more skydivers free-fall while holding each other's hands. It is a fitting image for the company's spirit: unity, courage, and trust.
Run Time
2h 6m
Release Year
2015
Filming Locations
Bosnia
Original Audio
Bosnian
Studio
Messenger Films
Audio Languages
Bosnian
Subtitles
English, Spanish, French, Italian
Accessibility
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