Oscar-Winning Film-Maker Forms Political Party

Tanovic hopes the new party will appeal to younger votes, those who see their future in Europe.

Bosnia's Oscar-winning film director Danis Tanovic launched a new political party on Saturday in a bid to rise above the ethnic divisions that beset the nation.

The 38-year-old filmmaker, whose "No Man's Land" movie about the absurdity of war won the Oscar for best foreign language film in 2001, said he hoped the new "Our Party" would appeal to those disillusioned people who have not bothered to vote in recent elections.

"This is an attempt to move the things forward from the present deadlock and we can offer a new choice to Bosnians who have been complaining for years there is nobody adequate they could vote for," Tanovic said at the party convention.

Some political commentators believe Tanovic's stature could translate into success at the ballot box.

Bosnia is split in two autonomous regions, the Muslim-Croat federation and the Serb Republic. Since the end of the 1992-95 war, the country has been run by nationalist Serb, Muslim and Croat parties whose quarrels have brought reforms to a standstill.

The Muslim Party of Democratic Action (SDA) and the Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) party rule in the federation and the Alliance of Independent Social Democrats (SNSD) of Prime Minister Milorad Dodik is dominant in the Serb Republic.

The opposition is weak and disunited and Bosnian voters have come out to previous polls in small numbers.

Tanovic hopes the new party will appeal to younger votes, those who see their future in Europe.

"Our policy will be to stop ethnic squabbling, simplify the complex state structure and focus on real problems," he said. "We are aware of the challenge...What we are facing is not a hundred-metre race, it is a marathon," Tanovic said.

Tanovic, a Bosnian Muslim, will co-chair the party alongside a Bosnian Croat and a Serb.

Some analysts say Tanovic could make a difference in local elections in October, which will be the first test for Our Party.

"For the first time, Bosnia is getting a leader who is not entering politics to become rich, famous and influential. He is all of that already," said commentator Senad Pecanin.