Coffee With ...

Amra Bakšić Čamo

Amra Bakšić Čamo, Project Manager of Sarajevo Film Festival's  CineLink Program, and the founder of one of our most versatile production companies Pro.ba.

2010/07/01

Born in Sarajevo, the first part of her childhood Amra spent playing in the neighborhood of Marijin Dvor, but by the time she was eight the courtyards of this Austro-Hungarian part of the city were replaced by the winding streets of Koševsko Brdo. Her first outings were associated with the beginning of High School, and she remembers a curiosity dating back to those times:

- Our outings usually took place in front of cafés. It was a mid 80s phenomenon of Sarajevo. We went out in front of the hotel Belgrade, in front of the CDA, but never entered in, or rarely. Then we got older and began to go into pubs. My friends and I usually went to Kuk, and occasionally to the Academy of Performing Arts, which then had a various movie weeks and concerts.

Today Amra rarely goes out, and when she does, her company is more important to her than location. She isn't a type of person who enjoys daily coffee, but still, she discovers an interesting point:

- When I find myself in the city with my husband or friends, I like to go to places that are empty. There is one such coffee house at Baščaršija, next to the pharmacy ”Stari Grad”, and it sits under a large tree. I would like to have my Sunday coffees there.

When it comes to food and restaurants, Amra immediately stated that she is a sushi fan.

- Right now I'm a sushi fan and I went to Darko's place (Restaurant Sushi San) just yesterday. I like to go to the restaurant next to the Delikatesna Radnja café, also I used to go to Vinoteka, and I like Pod Lipom restaurant as well. Actually, I love restaurants that offer the same food for years and where the quality does not changed with time.

When asked what is her favorite building in Sarajevo, Amra responds:

- There is a white building with round, red windows between Vrbanja and Skenderija. I do not know what is inside of it, maybe a power station, but every time I pass it, I wish that my office is located there. I cannot say that it is the most beautiful building in Sarajevo... I like the building of Museum of the Revolution (Historical Museum of Bosnia and Herzegovina), and it is one of the most beautiful buildings in the city. I am saddened to see that its beauty is lost in the grandeur of the buildings nearby. That building is a true example of architecture of the second half of the 20th century. Apart from that one, I really love the Ali Pasha's mosque.

Amra revealed that the most beautiful view of Sarajevo can be seen from her balcony at Soukbunar. However, as the city of Sarajevo has many great views, she singled out the one that can be seen from Sarajevo's eastern detour route between Soukbunar and Baščaršija.

- Below the road you can enjoy a spectacular view of the city, but when you look up you see many rooftops continuing on upwards.

Finally, we wanted to know which places should someone, in town for only one day, visit to get to know and feel our city?

- First it would be nice to take a tram number 3 on any Sunday, when it is not crowded, and ride a full circle from Baščaršija to Ilidža and back. After that a classic tour of the center, with a visit to ćevabdžinica and everything associated with it.