Dealing With The Past –In Youth Eyes Programme Mentors:

LEJLA GAČANICA is a PhD candidate in law, currently working as a legal expert and independent researcher in the field of transitional justice with a focus on the politics and culture of remembrance. She is the author of published articles, analytical, scientific and research papers in these fields.

NICOLAS MOLL was born in 1965 in Brussels, holds a PhD in Contemporary History from the University of Freiburg (Germany), and has been living in Sarajevo since 2007. He is working as an independent researcher and as free-lance trainer in the fields of dealing with the past, international cooperation and civil society development.

AMBASSADOR JOHANN SATTLER, EU’s Head of Delegation to Bosnia and Herzegovina and Special Representative, assumed office in Sep 2019. He holds a Political Science and Slavic Languages Master’s from Innsbruck University, an Advanced International Studies Postgraduate Diploma from Vienna’s Diplomatic Academy, and a Political Science PhD from the University of Vienna. With extensive focus on the Western Balkans, Sattler’s career includes roles like Austrian ambassador to Albania, and postings in Sarajevo and Tirana. Born in 1969, he is fluent in German, English, and Russian, proficient in Bosnian/Croatian/Serbian and Albanian.

AMER KAPETANOVIĆ has been working as a diplomat for two decades. Before moving to the Regional Cooperation Council (RCC), where he is currently serving as Head of the Political Department, Kapetanovic was Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs of BiH, MFA BiH spokesman, Head of MFA BiH EU Department, Minister-Counsellor in BH Embassy in FR Germany, reporter, and columnist. He was the President of Trustees of BH Film Fund, helping the BH Film industry get closer to EU funds, thus paving the way for membership in specially designed EU programs. He graduated in political science at the University of Sarajevo and attended a fellowship program at the Queen Mary University of London. He is author and co-author of dozens of publications, books, and research. Married to Tatjana Kapetanović and has two daughters, Lana and Juli.

ARMINA PILAV was Born in Bosnia and Herzegovina, currently resides between Sarajevo, Delft, and Venice. As a Marie Curie postdoctoral fellow at TU Delft, she explores contemporary war/post-war urban dynamics through visual and architectural lenses. She’s part of the ‘Methods and Analysis’ group at the Faculty of Architecture. Armina engages with feminist city perspectives, employing a syncretic x-media urban analysis. Her involvement spans various disciplines, including architecture, urban planning, art, media, and cultural studies. She contributed to the Venice Biennial of Architecture and led workshops internationally. Armina’s current research project ‘unwar space’ studies Sarajevo’s war-induced transformations through multimedia, aiming to connect physical and digital urban environments.

CLARISSA THIEME is a versatile artist and filmmaker known for her interdisciplinary approach. Her works, spanning film, photography, performance, installations, and writing, blend documentary and fictional elements. Focused on memory, identity, and translation, she engages in research-based, collaborative practices. Thieme studied media art at Berlin University of the Arts and cultural studies at University of Hildesheim. Her art has been showcased globally, with recent exhibits at Haus der Kulturen der Welt,

Kunsthalle Mannheim, and others. Her films have premiered at Berlinale, including “Today is 11th June 1993” and “Can’t You See Them? - Repeat.” Thieme’s diverse portfolio also includes installations and performances, exploring themes like the Sarajevo conflict.

UNA GUNJAK was born and raised in Sarajevo. She completed her film studies in Turin and then pursued a master’s degree in film editing at NFTS. She has edited numerous short, feature, documentary, and TV projects. Since 2013, she has been dedicated to screenwriting and directing. Her short film “KOKOŠKA” premiered at Cannes in the Critics’ Week section and won the European Film Academy Award for Best Short Film in 2014. The film has been screened at over 270 film festivals and won 70 awards. Her short film “POZDRAVI IZ NJEMAČKE” had its premiere again at Cannes, this time in the Directors’ Fortnight section. Her feature film script “ALFA” was selected for the Cinefondation residency program and received support for development from the Media program and the Film Foundation.

DAMIR ŠAGOLJ was born in 1971 in Sarajevo and is a Bosnian photographer and journalist. He initially studied power engineering in Moscow and Sarajevo but shifted careers due to the Bosnian war. Joining Reuters in 1996, he reported on conflicts, disturbances, and catastrophes globally for 22 years, earning accolades like the Pulitzer and World Press Photo. He holds a master’s degree from the University of Arts, London. Currently residing in Sarajevo, he teaches photography at the Sarajevo Academy of Performing Arts.

FIRUZEH KHOSROVANI was born in Tehran and studied art at Accademia di Belle Arti di Brera in Italy. After earning her degree in 2002, she returned to Iran, obtaining a Master’s in Journalism. A versatile artist, she contributed to Italian media and debuted as a filmmaker in 2004 with “Life Train,” a documentary on children’s therapy post-earthquake. Her impactful works include “Rough Cut” (2007) and “Cutting Off” (2008). “1001 Irans” (2010) explored Iran’s image beyond borders. She collaborated on “Espelho Meu” (2011) and directed “Iran, Unveiled and Veiled Again” (2012) and “Fest of Duty” (2014). Her latest project is the documentary film “Radiograph of a Family.”

TEA VIDOVIĆ DALIPI has graduated sociology from the Zagreb Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences. She has contributed to the local newspaper, organized exhibitions and collaborated on research for the documentary films. She is currently employed at the Centre for Peace Studies, working on migrant issues and their integration. In 2013, she finished the School of Documentary Film, where she started developing ideas for her first documentary film.

DANA BUDISAVLJEVIĆ, born in Zagreb in 1975, is a director and producer. She is a co-founder of Hulahop Production Company and has directed it since 2006. Graduating in film and TV editing, she initiated the first student film festival, F.R.K.A., during her studies. Engaged with Motovun Film Festival and ZagrebDox’s launch in 2005, she also advised the World Festival of Animated Film after 2007. She garnered her initial award for best editing in Andrej Korovljev’s “The Years of Rust.” Her directorial debut “Straight A’s!” earned the Grand Prix. “Family Meals” secured the audience award at ZagrebDox. Her first feature, “The Diary of Diana B,” a historic documentary drama on WWII child rescue, gained regional acclaim and numerous awards, becoming a significant film of the past decade in Croatia.

H.H. LEONARDS, an author and mother of three, defied odds by acquiring properties like the O Museum in the Mansion using unconventional means. She’s a savvy executive with digital marketing expertise and has orchestrated philanthropic endeavors for corporations. Her endeavors span multiple organizations and industries, from a global computer foundation to cause-related marketing.

ZIYAH GAFIĆ (Regional Director, VII Academy Sarajevo) is an award-winning photojournalist and educator based in Sarajevo focusing on societies locked in a perpetual cycle of violence, and on Muslim communities around the world. He covered major stories in over 50 countries including conflicts in Chechnya, Palestine, Iraq, Lebanon and Afghanistan. Ziyah’s work received many prestigious awards such as multiple awards from World Press Photo, Grand Prix Discovery of the Year at Les Rencontres d’Arles, Hasselblad Masters Award, Visa pour l’Image, Photo District News, Getty Images grant for editorial photography, TED fellowship, Prince Claus grant, National Geographic Society, Pulitzer Center and Magnum Emergency fund grant. His work is regularly published in leading international publications. Ziyah authored several monographs including Troubled Islam – Short Stories From Troubled Societies, Quest for Identity, and most recently, Heartland. Ziyah is a contributing photographer to National Geographic, member of VII photo agecny, TED speaker and Logan fellow.

PAUL LOWE is a Reader in Documentary Photography at the London College of Communication, University of the Arts, London, UK. Paul is an award-winning photographer, educator and researcher, whose work is represented by VII Photos, and who has been published in Time, Newsweek, Life, The Sunday Times Magazine, The Observer and The Independent amongst others. He has covered breaking news the world over, including the fall of the Berlin Wall, Nelson Mandela’s release, famine in Africa, the conflict in the former Yugoslavia and the destruction of Grozny. His book, Bosnians, documenting 10 years of the war and post war situation in Bosnia, was published in April 2005 by Saqi books. His research interest focuses on the photography of conflict, and he has contributed chapters to the books Picturing Atrocity: Photography in Crisis (Reaktion, 2012) and Photography and Conflict. His most recent books include Photography Masterclass published by Thames and Hudson, and Understanding Photojournalism, coauthored with Dr. Jenny Good, published by Bloomsbury Academic Press, and Reporting the Siege of Sarajevo co-authored with Kenneth Morrisson also with Bloomsbury.