Bosnia and Herzegovina: The war in books and films
Twenty-five years ago, the Dayton Agreement ended the war in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The scars of war gave rise to diverse creative works.
Grbavica: The Land of My Dreams
In 2006, director Jasmila Zbanic received the Golden Bear for Grbavica (Esma's Story) — a film that focused on systematic rape that was used as a weapon of war in the Balkans. It tells the story of Esma, who was raped and became pregnant during the war. She keeps it a secret for a long time, until her teenage daughter demands the truth one day.
No Man’s Land
This tragi-comic view of the war tells the story of three soldiers — two Bosniaks and a Serb — who are caught between the fronts in "no man's land" and are forced to wait for help in a trench. Underscoring the absurdity of the civil war, director Danis Tanovic won the Golden Globe for "No Man's Land" in 2002 and the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film.
In the Land of Blood and Honey
The film marked actress Angelina Jolie's debut as director and screenwriter. In this love story, Bosnian Muslim artist Ajla and Serbian police officer Danjiel are lovers torn apart along ethnic lines when the war breaks out. They eventually meet again — at a camp where Bosnian Muslim women are raped.
The Siege
At just 23 years of age, Frenchman Rémy Ourdan experienced first-hand the horrors of war — as a war reporter in besieged Sarajevo. But his affinity for the city continued after the war ended. His 2016 documentary film is based exclusively on material he collected during the four years of war.
Sarajevo Film Festival
The Sarajevo Film Festival was conceived from the ruins of war 25 years ago when the Dayton Peace Agreement was signed. Created as a symbol of resistance against war and for peace, it is today the most important and largest film festival in southeastern Europe.
Origin
A poetic book about the loss of home and starting life anew elsewhere. Sasa Stanisic writes about Oskorusa, a mountain village where his grandfather grew up. There he meets old relatives, who confront him with questions about "here" and "there" — and about his own roots.
As If I'm Not There
As in Jasmila Zbanic's film "Grbavica," the main theme of Slavenka Drakulic's novel is the use of systematic rape as a weapon of war. Dedicated to the survivors who had to endure unspeakable suffering, it is focuses on what many of them were forced to keep secret for a long time.
Logavina Street: Life and Death in a Sarajevo Neighborhood
Journalist Barbara Demick spent two years in Sarajevo when the city was under siege. Her book is a personal account of what happened during those years. She portrays life in a single street, the Logavina, one of the oldest streets in the city. Muslims, Serbs, Croats, and Jews live peacefully there together until the war comes and destroys hope. (Adapted by Brenda Haas.)