| Sevap / Mitzvah | |
| Director: | Sabina Vajraća |
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| Starring: |
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| Editing: | Saša Peševski |
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| Runtime: | 20 minutes |
Sevap / Mitzvah (A Good Deed) is a 2023 period drama film written and directed by Sabina Vajraća, and executive produced by Sanela Diana Jenkins and D Empire Entertainment.[1] It is inspired by a true story of Bosnian Muslim and Jewish families that save each other's lives.[2]
The film stars Helena Vuković, Adnan Hasković, Sanela Krsmanović-Bistrivoda, Magdalena Živaljić Tadić, Muhamed Hadžović, Reshad Strik and Rijad Gvozden.
Sevap / Mitzvah had its world premiere on March 30, 2023.[3]
The film is based on a true event, and it is about the Muslim Hardaga family who saved the Jewish Kabiljo family in 1941 Nazi-occupied Bosnia during the Second World War. 50 years later, during the Serbian aggression on Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Kabiljo family rescues the Hardaga family from a besieged Sarajevo.[4]
Sonia McCloud of Film-Business gave the film 4 stars, saying “Writer and director Sabina Vajraća has created a masterpiece that captures the true essence of those most harrowing events.”[5] FilmThreat’s Alan Ng said “the performances stand out” and “Vukovic carries the film.”[6] Valerie Milano of The Hollywood Times stated Sevap / Mitzvah “is a must-watch film showcasing humanity’s true essence.”[7]
Sevap / Mitzvah won the Humanitas Prize for Short Film in 2023 by Humanitas,[8] the organization that annually honors film and television writers whose work best explores the human condition.[9]
The film has won multiple awards at film festivals including the Audience Award at Italy's 2023 Sedicicorto International Film Festival,[10] the International Vision Award at the 2023 Flickers' Rhode Island International Film Festival,[11] and Best Female Focus Jury Award at the 2023 Cordillera International Film Festival.[12] Also in 2023, Sevap / Mitzvah won the Short film Human Rights Fiction award at Ecocine International Environmental and Human Rights Film Festival in Brazil,[13] and Gratitude Award Fiction Short at the Centre Film Festival in State College, Pennsylvania.[14]
Sevap / Mitzvah has qualified to be considered for a 2024 Academy Award.[15]