A total of 214 films from 59 countries will be presented during the 19th Sarajevo Film Festival, which opened Friday night here in the capital of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Large crowds gathered in front of the National Theater to welcome film stars and professionals.
Danis Tanovic, director of the 2002 Oscar winner "No Man's Land", will preside over the jury for this year's festival, Xinhua reported.
The fil festival will end Aug 24.
Hundreds of artists are expected to visit Sarajevo, including Hollywood star Danny Glover.
The opening ceremony was followed by a screening of "An episode in the life of an iron picker", a story featuring a Gypsy collecting scrap metal.
The festival, launched in 1995, is one of largest cultural events in the Balkan region.