Austrian filmmaker Sandra Wollner brought her third feature film, Everytime, to the 32nd Sarajevo Film Festival in competition following its premiere in Un Certain Regard at Cannes earlier this year. The film stars Birgit Minichmayr and centers on a family—a mother, her young daughter, and a teenage boy—traveling to Tenerife to process the death of their eldest daughter and sister. Wollner’s work blends surrealism with emotional depth, bending temporal boundaries so past and present become indistinct. Critics have noted her ability to create a sense of unease within ordinary situations.
Wollner attended the Sarajevo premiere with her one-year-old daughter and partner, marking her first visit to the festival. She reflected on the distinctive character of the event, noting that it was founded during the siege in 1995—a historical weight she said remains palpable throughout the city. She observed that local audiences approached the film differently than audiences in her native Austria or Germany, with interview questions reflecting a particular understanding of how communities process trauma and loss.
The filmmaker emphasized the value of festival circuits in developing her career. Her first feature premiered at the Hof Film Festival in Germany, which she credited with opening doors among programmers and critics. She discussed the importance of mid-tier festivals like Sarajevo, Karlovy Vary, Locarno, and San Sebastian in supporting filmmakers, particularly those working outside commercial frameworks. Wollner expressed hope that European cinema would preserve the space for films that prioritize artistic vision over demonstrable commercial potential before production begins.
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