At the academy of performing arts in Sarajevo on 17th August from 11 p.m. to 2:00 after midnight, will be screened a short documentary film “Apollo: First war movie”.
The film is directed by Šejla Kamerić, for the scenario she has worked together with Almir Palata and Marc Casans. Cinematography is by Milomir Kovačević Strašni and the producer Almir Palata.
“Almir Palata Prle, the Technical Director of Art Center, who initiated the first war Cinema Apollo, has found the archival footage done by Srđan Vuletić. This was completely forgotten footage, found on a VHS tape. Prle after that invited me to do something to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the theater, and that is how the entire process started. This is a documentary film that the second part is filmed in Edinburgh by Marc Casans, film critic, director and great friend of Sarajevo. He came in Sarajevo during the war and assisted war cinema Apollo. Now we got together and made a 15-minute short film about cinema”, said the Director Kamerić for Klix.ba.
She adds that even during the war she went to the movies and it was awful for her and for all those who were in the besieged city wanted to have something more than mere survival.
“In February 1993 we launched the first war cinema. At that point we had a generator and an old video projector, which was enough for us. We had the idea to do something that would help people to forget a little the war, in order to escape a bit from the every day war. The Cinema was a hit and we had always full hall. People were eager to escape from everyday life. The cinema somehow developed itself and we received movies from all the sides. I remember that once we get a box of 20 films, which were sent by Phil Alden Robinson, a director who won an Oscar for ‘Field of Dreams’. We also received films from foreign journalists and from other people who were coming to Sarajevo. We tried to translate and screen them for people”, said the producer Palata.
(Source: klix.ba)
