Jasmila Žbanić's 'I Know Your Soul' Wins Big at Heart of Sarajevo TV Awards

Bosnian drama I Know Your Soul emerged as the biggest winner at this year’s Heart of Sarajevo awards for TV Series. The Sarajevo Film Festival’s awards strand for TV shows saw the show nearly sweep the drama categories. Written by Oscar-nominated Bosnian filmmaker Jasmila Žbanić (Quo Vadis, Aida?), the six-part series took home seven awards including Best Drama, Best Script – Drama, Best Directing – Drama, and many of the drama acting categories.

Premiering at the Venice Film Festival last year, Žbanić won Best Script – Drama Series, while Nermin Hamzagić secured the award for Best Directing – Drama. The show’s lead actress, Jasna Duričić, won Best Actress – Drama. Moreover, Jelena Kordić Kuret received the Best Supporting Actress – Drama award and Mirvad Kurić was honored with Best Supporting Actor – Drama. Additionally, Lazar Dragojević earned the Rising Star – Drama award.

I Know Your Soul is a six-part series featuring Duričić as Nervena, a prosecutor undergoing a divorce and a single mother to a teenage son. Her investigation into a teenager’s suicide unleashes a series of dramatic events in her personal and professional life. HBO Max acquired the show for Central and Eastern Europe last year. Žbanić served as both producer and showrunner and last year directed an episode of HBO’s hit series The Last of Us.

Posthumously, Serbian actor Žarko Laušević, who passed away in November 2023, won the Best Actor – Drama award for his role in the World War I drama Time of Death.

In the comedy categories, Bosnian series Smashing It and Serbian series Radio Mileva each claimed three awards. Smashing It won Best Comedy, Best Actor – Comedy for Alen Muratović, and Best Script – Comedy for writers Elma Tataragić, Dušan Vranić, and Enes Zlatar. Radio Mileva’s Olga Odanović won Best Actress – Comedy while Elmir Jukić won Best Directing – Comedy. Kris Gavrić received the Rising Star – Comedy award.

This year, drama series and comedies from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Serbia, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Kosovo, and Slovenia, which premiered between April 1, 2023, and April 30, 2024, were eligible for the awards. A professional jury composed of film and TV professionals cast electronic votes to determine the nominated series and winners for the Heart of Sarajevo Awards.

Here’s the complete list of winners:

Best Drama Series