Over the next nine days some 100,000 moviegoers are expected to see some of the festival's 210 films from 57 countries.
The festival - which opens Friday - started in 1995 in besieged Sarajevo, as its founders tried to offer those braving mortar shells to gather in a downtown basement some sense of normal life. It has since grown into one of the biggest annual moviemaker gatherings in southeast Europe.
Although it is meant to be a regional event, in recent years Morgan Freeman, Angelina Jolie, Brad Pitt, and Kevin Spacey have attended the event..
