Films for all generations!

Kvartovsko kino Grbavica was launched by the Obala Art Center in cooperation with the Municipality of Novo Sarajevo and the Internacionalni centar igre, kulture, umjetnosti i mladih Novo Sarajevo (ICIKUM mali), with the aim of bringing cinema culture back to the heart of the local community and making it accessible to everyone. The project emerged from the idea of restoring the cinema as a place for gathering, conversation and shared experiences.

The cinema is managed by the Obala Art Center, an association which, since 1994, has operated as an independent cultural institution dedicated to the development of film and audiovisual arts, contemporary culture, education and international cooperation. The organisation is also the recipient of the Sixth of April Award of the City of Sarajevo. Since its establishment, Obala has developed numerous cultural programmes and is, among other things, the founder and organiser of the Sarajevo Film Festival, whose first edition was held in 1995 and which, over the course of three decades, has grown into one of the most significant cultural events in South-East Europe and a key international cultural brand of Sarajevo.

The Obala Art Center was also the initiator and lead organisation behind the project for the City of Sarajevo to join the UNESCO Creative Cities Network as a City of Film. As a result, Sarajevo became a UNESCO City of Film in 2019, and in 2023 received the inaugural Global Production Award for the world’s best film city, presented by the jury of Screen International, one of the three most widely distributed professional film publications worldwide.

Support for the implementation of the “Kvartovsko kino Grbavica” project was provided by the Municipality of Novo Sarajevo, which recognised the importance of cultural content for the local community and made it possible for Grbavica to gain a modern cinema venue. The cinema is located within the premises of the Internacionalni centar igre, kulture, umjetnosti i mladih Novo Sarajevo (ICIKUM mali), further emphasising its role as a space intended for young people, families and all film enthusiasts.

Since its opening, the cinema has been building a relationship with its audience based on closeness, accessibility and the sense that this is a space that belongs to everyone.