After numerous messages of hatred, threats, and censorship of ruling politicians, pro-government media, and part of the public in Republika Srpska (RS) and Serbia towards the actors and director of the film “Quo Vadis, Aida?”, Jasmila Zbanic does not give up trying to show a film about the Srebrenica genocide in cinemas in that area.
In the new monthly program of the Balkan Investigative Reporting Network of Bosnia and Herzegovina (BIRN BiH), Zbanic said new negotiations were under way to show the first film about the Srebrenica genocide, based on court-established facts and testimonies of survivors, be shown on public Radio-television service of Serbia (RTS) or on cinema screens. Despite numerous awards, including the award for the best European film, the film has not been shown in cinemas in RS and Serbia for more than a year.
“I am currently talking to some people to try to show the film again on July 11th, either on RTS or in a larger cinema, to be presented in a dignified screening. I think that the film and this topic deserve it, and I think it’s time for people to see what really happened and to move on, “ said Zbanic.
Zbanic explains that it was clear to her that the film, which follows the experiences of the United Nations (UN) translator during the fall of the Srebrenica protected zone at the beginning of the genocide, would meet resistance in RS and Serbia, but she hoped it would at least have a premiere in cinemas like her ”Grbavica” movie about war rape 15 years ago.
“‘Grbavica’ was shown at least once at FEST, with strict security measures,“ mentioned Zbanic and describes that the film crew had to be guarded by the police, that they were not allowed to leave the hotel and that they were followed, and that 200 young men with T-shirts of Ratko Mladic and Radovan Karadzic, who were convicted of the crime of genocide in Srebrenica, appeared.
“But, at least film was played. Today, it is impossible to show the film in Serbia, Belgrade. What I’m uncomfortable with the fact that nothing has changed, but it’s worse than in 2006 when we showed ‘Grbavica’,” she noted.
Also, Zbanic says that today in Serbia, where genocide convicts are glorified in public, there is no interest in showing the film to distributors. In response to inquiries from BIRN BiH, some distribution companies mentioned the release of the film on the online platform as the reason for not showing the film in cinemas, which Zbanic considers an excuse.
She recalled that before being released on the online platform, no one wanted to answer a call or respond to emails.
“We talked to people from RS, they are afraid to show it. They said that there was no interest, which is not true, a lot of people in RS watched the film,” told Zbanic.
Zbanic noticed the first negative reactions in Serbia immediately after the premiere of the film in Venice, where she did not see journalists from Serbia, which is why she believes that the criticism was published without anyone watching the film.
Zbanic also wants to start a healthy discussion about crimes by showing the film.
“I think that it would be healthy if such films were released in cinemas, if they were discussions about them, if there were negative and positive reviews. It’s important to talk, not to hide, not to tell people what to think before they see the film, “ she explained, Detektor writes.
E.Dz.
