Džana Pinjo, Snežana Bogićević, Maja Izetbegović to Star in ‘Hedgehogs in the Haze,’ From Oscar Winner Danis Tanović (EXCLUSIVE)
Džana Pinjo, who starred in Angelina Jolie's 2011 "In the Land of Blood and Honey," Snežana Bogićević (Bosnian hit sitcom "Crazy, Confused, Normal") and Maja Izetbegović ("Regained Memory," 2026 Karlovy Vary World Premiere) are toplining the series "Hedgehogs in the Haze" ("Ježevi u magli"), a project from Danis Tanović whose "No Man's Land" won an Oscar in the 2002 in the then Foreign Language Film category.
Participating in the Berlinale's Co-Pro Series pitching and networking event, it revolves around three best friends as they deal with myriad issues, including dodgy finances, overbearing partners and an unexpected tryst with the criminal underworld.
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Dunja, an unemployed teacher and single mom, is trying to reconstruct her life while coping with her abusive ex-husband Kemo, who's in prison. Ira is broke, debt-ridden and also dealing with an ex-husband while Belma is stuck in an oppressive marriage and secretly wishes to have an affair.
When a fortune in drugs falls into their hands, the trio decide to use it to take down Kemo's operation. Their failed attempts to sell it drag them into deeper trouble, testing their loyalty. Despite betrayal and loss, they forgive one another and choose a fresh start.
"I gathered a group of actors from Sarajevo — people I know, people I trust — and we started working together, exploring stories, searching for something real. 'Hedgehogs in the Haze' was born out of that process: their experiences, their humor, their lives," said Danis Tanović who co-directs the series alongside Nermin Hamzagić.
"It's a thriller about three women who find a box that could destroy or liberate them, but at its core, it's a darkly funny, unpredictable story about friendship — the kind only Sarajevo could produce.," he added.
The rest of the cast includes Ermin Bravo, Alban Ukaj and Boris Ler.
Created by Pinjo and Bravo, who also starred in "In the Land of Blood and Honey," it is produced by RealStage (Bosnia & Herzegovina), Agitprop (Bulgaria), Para Film & Theatre (Norway), Brand Vision (Serbia) and BH Telecom (Bosnia & Herzegovina).
Said RealStage's Lara Grozdanić who produces the series with Ishak Jalimam: "The overall state of financing for drama series remains challenging and has not significantly improved in recent years. While certain European frameworks such as Creative Europe MEDIA and Eurimages have expanded their focus to include series, this largely represents soft financing, rather than an increase in market-driven investment."
"From a broader international perspective, the situation is even more complex. The global drama series market is currently marked by a noticeable contraction of market money: commercial investment, broadcaster commitments, and platform financing are substantially lower than they were five years ago. Risk-taking has decreased, commissioning has slowed and financiers are far more cautious, prioritizing proven formats and territories with strong incentive systems," she noted, adding: "In this context, co-production opportunities increasingly rely on layered financing structures and public support mechanisms, while international markets and co-production forums such as Berlinale Co-Pro Series, Cinelink, and Seriesly function less as deal-closing spaces and more as strategic platforms for long-term partnerships and financing alignment."
The series received support from Creative Europe MEDIA funding – EU CoDevelopment. "For countries with very limited domestic support systems, such as Bosnia and Herzegovina, access to these international mechanisms remains essential, but the overall landscape reflects a tighter, more competitive and risk-averse market than in previous years," she observed.
A civil society organization and multidisciplinary production house founded in 2015, RealStage operates as an independent non-profit association engaged in theatre, film, and interdisciplinary arts. Among its standout productions are: "The Sky Above Zenica" by Nanna Frank Møller and Zlatko Pranjic; "The Pavillion" by Dino Mustafić and "The Otter" by Srđan Vuletić.
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