The solar panels, financed by the European Union, were inaugurated by the director of the Sarajevo Film Festival, Jovan Marjanović, and Ambassador Johann Sattler, Head of the EU Delegation and EU Special Representative in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
“Sarajevo Film Festival is a pioneer in many ways, and I am glad it is leading the transition of Sarajevo towards a more sustainable future. Sarajevo is one of the cities selected for the EU Mission ‘100 Climate-Neutral Cities,’ which aims to pave the way for climate-neutral cities. It is inspiring that the most significant film festival in the region plays a key role in Sarajevo’s green transition. The sixty solar panels provided to the Sarajevo Film Festival with EU support will reduce the energy costs of the outdoor summer cinema by up to 50 percent and prevent around 55 tons of harmful greenhouse gas emissions annually. Solar panels are currently the most cost-effective and cleanest form of energy on the market and are crucial for our future security,” said Ambassador Sattler.
The EU Delegation in BiH and the Sarajevo Film Festival are working together to help prevent air pollution in Sarajevo, especially considering the EU Net Zero Mission for Sarajevo’s functional urban area.
“The Sarajevo Film Festival is already taking significant steps to reduce its carbon footprint. The solar-powered summer cinema is one way to reduce emissions during the Festival and to show that, by introducing positive changes, large cultural events like the Sarajevo Film Festival can be organized in a more environmentally sustainable way. We are pleased that, for the first time, our largest summer cinema will use solar energy and that, with EU support, we are moving towards the long-term goal of becoming a zero-pollution festival,” said Director Marjanović.
Solar energy is a vital part of the EU’s strategy to combat climate change and improve air quality. As part of the EU4ALL project, the EU Delegation in BiH financed the purchase of 60 solar panels for the Sarajevo Film Festival, worth 150,000 KM. The project for the purchase and installation of solar panels was implemented by the Center for the Promotion of Civil Society and Help Hilfe zur Selbsthilfe BiH.