Haris Pašović

Haris Pašović directed in some of the most important theatres in ex-Yugoslavia and participated in a number of festivals across the region. His productions of Wedekind’s “Spring’s Awakening” and “Calling the Birds” based on Aristophanes’ play “The Birds” (both at the Yugoslav Drama Theater, Belgrade 1987/90) have been considered as the landmarks in the theatre of the former Yugoslavia. 

Haris Pašović has been one of the leading theatre directors in South Eastern Europe for more than two decades. His education includes Academy of Arts in Novi Sad; Fulbright Scholarship in the USA (University of Hawaii, Honolulu, New York University and University of Wisconsin, Madison); UNESCO High Levels for Directors, Festival d’Avignon, France and other professional trainings. He is the artistic leader of the East West Theatre Company in Sarajevo.

He directed in some of the most important theatres in ex-Yugoslavia and participated in a number of festivals across the region. His productions of Wedekind’s “Spring’s Awakening” and “Calling the Birds” based on Aristophanes’ play “The Birds” (both at the Yugoslav Drama Theater, Belgrade 1987/90) have been considered as the landmarks in the theatre of the former Yugoslavia. 
During the siege of Sarajevo (1992-95) Pašović spent most of the time in Sarajevo directing the International Theatre Festival MES. He directed the plays and produced several shows among others “Waiting for Godot” directed by Susan Sontag. This work with Sontag has been reported across the globe. He also organized the first Sarajevo Film Festival “Beyond the End of the World” in 1993 while Sarajevo was still under the siege. Pašović managed even to tour in 1994 in several European countries (under UNESCO auspices) with the Sarajevo Festival Ensemble invited by Peter Brook and Theatre Bouffe du Nord.

After the war Pašović directed several documentaries including “Greta” about Prof. Greta Ferusic who survived both the Auschwitz and the siege of Sarajevo; documentary trilogy “Home,” “Love Thy Neighbor” and “Balkans – Blood and Honey” about the American journalists David Rieff, Peter Maass and Ron Haviv who reported from Bosnian war and the art documentary “A propos de Sarajevo” about the Sarajevo International Jazz Festival. 

Pašović has received many awards including Best Director at the International Theatre Festival MES Festival, Sarajevo; Best Director at the BITEF, Belgrade; Best Yugoslav Director, UCHIMURA Prize, Best Director at the Festival of Bosnian Theatres, etc. His shows, the actors and other artists working with Pašović have received numerous awards as well. 














Pašović is a co-founder of the Directing Department at the Performing Arts Academy. Several of his students are today the internationally acclaimed film directors. Pašović lives in Sarajevo. He is a professor at the Performing Arts Academy in Sarajevo and Bled School of Management, Slovenia. 

Haris will present a keynote on ‘Art and Leadership in an Uncertain World’ on Friday 2nd September at 6.30pm