Ena Sendijarević (born 1987) is a Bosnian-

Dutch Dutch or Nederlands commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands ** Dutch people as an ethnic group () ** Dutch nationality law, history and regulations of Dutch citizenship () ** Dutch language () * In specific terms, i ...

filmmaker and screenwriter known for her distinctive blend of

surrealism Surrealism is an art movement, art and cultural movement that developed in Europe in the aftermath of World War I in which artists aimed to allow the unconscious mind to express itself, often resulting in the depiction of illogical or dreamlike s ...

, satire, and sharp social commentary and exploration of themes such as power, identity, sexuality and migration. Her notable works include ''Import'' (2016), which premiered at the Cannes

Directors' Fortnight The Directors' Fortnight (, formerly ) is an independent section held in parallel to the Cannes Film Festival. It was started in 1969 by the French Directors Guild after the events of May 1968 resulted in cancellation of the Cannes festival as a ...

; '' Take Me Somewhere Nice'' (2019), winner of the Heart of Sarajevo Award for Best Feature Film; and '' Sweet Dreams'' (2023), a satirical exploration of Dutch colonialism that premiered to critical acclaim. She is sometimes also credited as Ena Sendijarevic (without the diacritic) in international contexts.

Early life and education

Sendijarević was born in 1987 in

Odžak Odžak ( sr-cyrl, Оџак) is a town and municipality located in Posavina Canton of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, an entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is situated in the northern part of Bosnia and Herzegovina, near the river Sa ...

Bosnia and Herzegovina Bosnia and Herzegovina, sometimes known as Bosnia-Herzegovina and informally as Bosnia, is a country in Southeast Europe. Situated on the Balkans, Balkan Peninsula, it borders Serbia to the east, Montenegro to the southeast, and Croatia to th ...

. Later she moved with her family to

Modriča Modriča ( sr-cyrl, Модрича) is a town and municipality in Republika Srpska, Bosnia and Herzegovina. As of 2013 census, the town has a population of 10,137 inhabitants, while the municipality has a population of 25,720 inhabitants. Hist ...

, where she remained until the beginning of the

Bosnian War The Bosnian War ( / Рат у Босни и Херцеговини) was an international armed conflict that took place in Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bosnia and Herzegovina between 1992 and 1995. Following several earlier violent incid ...

. After moving 20 times, including to

Berlin Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...

, she moved to

Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , ; ; ) is the capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, largest city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. It has a population of 933,680 in June 2024 within the city proper, 1,457,018 in the City Re ...

in 2002. She studied media and culture at the

University of Amsterdam The University of Amsterdam (abbreviated as UvA, ) is a public university, public research university located in Amsterdam, Netherlands. Established in 1632 by municipal authorities, it is the fourth-oldest academic institution in the Netherlan ...

and the

Freie Universität Berlin The Free University of Berlin (, often abbreviated as FU Berlin or simply FU) is a public university, public research university in Berlin, Germany. It was founded in West Berlin in 1948 with American support during the early Cold War period a ...

. In 2014, she graduated with a degree in screenwriting and directing from the Netherlands Film Academy.

Career

In 2013, Sendijarević wrote and directed her first short film, ''Reizigers in de Nacht'' (''Travellers in the Night''). The film was selected for the VERS Award and won the VEVAM Go Short Award for Best Dutch Short at the Go Short International Short Film Festival 2014. She directed the short film ''Fernweh'' (2014), which premiered at the

Palm Springs International Film Festival Palm Springs International Film Festival (sometimes stylized shortly as PSIFF) is a film festival held in Palm Springs, California. Originally promoted by Mayor Sonny Bono and then sponsored by Nortel,here for Table of Contents it started in 19 ...

. Sendijarević's 2016 short film, ''Import'', premiered at the Cannes

. The film tells the story of a Bosnian refugee family in the Netherlands and its experience of integrating. In September 2016, it was selected at the

2016 Toronto International Film Festival The 41st annual Toronto International Film Festival was held from 8 to 18 September 2016. The first announcement of films to be screened at the festival took place on 26 July. Almost 400 films were shown. Awards The festival's final awards were ...

in Short Cuts section. Sendijarević's debut feature film, '' Take Me Somewhere Nice'' (2019), premiered in the Tiger Competition of the 48th

International Film Festival Rotterdam International Film Festival Rotterdam (IFFR) is an annual film festival held at the end of January in various locations in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, focused on independent and experimental films. The inaugural festival took place in June 1972, ...

, where it won a Special Jury Award for an extraordinary artistic achievement (a prize worth €10,000). The film is a

coming-of-age story In genre studies, a coming-of-age story is a genre of literature, theatre, film, and video game that focuses on the growth of a protagonist from childhood to adulthood, or "coming of age". Coming-of-age stories tend to emphasize dialogue or interna ...

about a teenaged girl who travels to Bosnia to visit her ailing father in hospital. It won the prize for Best Feature Film at the

Sarajevo Film Festival 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 internatio ...

(the Heart of Sarajevo award) and at the Seoul International Women's Film Festival. It was reviewed in ''

Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

'' as "a stylishly quirky debut feature". In 2023, her film '' Sweet Dreams'' was selected as opening film of

Netherlands Film Festival The Netherlands Film Festival () is an annual film festival, held in September and October of each year in the city of Utrecht. During the ten-day festival, Dutch film productions and co-productions are exhibited. Besides feature films, the prog ...

where it won six Golden Calf Awards. Individually she won Golden Calf for Best Director and was nominated for Golden Calf for Best Script. The film was also selected as Dutch entry in the Best International Feature Film category for the

96th Academy Awards The 96th Academy Awards ceremony, presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), took place on March 10, 2024, at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles. During the gala, the AMPAS presented Academy Awards (commonl ...

. On December 20, 2024, it was announced that Sendijarevic's English-language debut ''The Possessed'' has been greenlit for a 2026 shoot. The film is described as a "dark, surrealist exploration of a love triangle between two women fleeing the European witch hunts and the man who becomes their captive."

Filmography

Accolades

References

External links

pupkin.com

imdb.com

Take Me Somewhere Nice
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sendijarevic, Ena 1987 births People from Odžak Mass media people from Amsterdam Dutch women film directors Dutch satirists Dutch women satirists Dutch satirical film directors Living people Golden Calf winners