The documentary film “Samir Mehić Bowie – Letters from Srebrenica”, about the life of the Srebrenica guitarist, will be screened in Sarajevo on 2 July 2025 at 21:00 hrs in the open-air amphitheatre of the Sarajevo Memorial Center (Kovači), and in Brussels on 1 July 2025 at 18:00 hrs at the Bozar Centre for Fine Arts. The screenings of this moving story about music, love and friendship will be free and followed by discussions with the authors of the film.
Screening in Sarajevo is organised by the European Union in BiH in cooperation with the Balkan Investigative Network of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Srebrenica Memorial Center as part of the “I imagine a world in which…” series of events by the EU and its partners to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the Srebrenica genocide.
The Head of the EU Delegation and EU Special Representative in BiH Luigi Soreca underlines the importance of individual stories for remembrance, “Personal stories about people like Samir Mehić help preserve the memory of the victims of the Srebrenica genocide, ensuring they are never forgotten. Each individual murdered in Srebrenica was a person with dreams, passions, family and friends. The EU remains committed to remembering the victims of the Srebrenica genocide, and by supporting the sharing of Samir’s story, we stand against denial and indifference, and reaffirm our commitment to truth, memory, and justice”.
BIRN BiH journalist and author of the film Lamija Grebo says she hopes that this screening will be as well attended as the previous ones. “The film premiered at the 30th Sarajevo Film Festival and there was great interest from the very beginning, which is why many people were unable to get a ticket and see it then. I hope that now all of them will come to see it,” she said, adding that in addition to Sarajevo, the film has also been screened in Srebrenica, Mostar, Tuzla and Visoko, and will also be screened across Europe this summer.
Grebo added that individual stories like Mehić’s should be told throughout the year, not just when marking anniversaries. “BIRN BiH/Detector have dedicated all its work to being a place where the voices of those who survived the horrors of war will be heard, but unfortunately also those who did not. At a time when genocide and other crimes are persistently denied, personal stories are one way to oppose this. When their voices are heard, no one can deny that Samir and thousands like him did not exist, had their own lives, families and were killed,” she emphasised.
The documentary film “Samir Mehić Bowie – Letters from Srebrenica” tells the story of the friendship between two members of the Srebrenica band INAT – guitarist Samir Mehić, who grew up in Srebrenica, and Faruk Smajlović, told through their wartime correspondence and was directed in cooperation with the Srebrenica Memorial Centre.
“This film is not just a reminder of one life, but of thousands that were interrupted. Telling Samir’s story means telling the truth about Srebrenica, but also giving a voice to those who have been silenced forever. Today, we are not only preserving memory, but also fighting against oblivion, denial and indifference. Indifference perhaps the most. That is why it is important that we told this story – not as a number, but as a young man who had dreams, friends, music. Because of such a story, he is much closer to the generations that are watching this film today. I think we are still learning how to retell the story of the genocide in Srebrenica to children born 10-15 years after the genocide. This film is one step on that path,” says Emir Suljagić, director of the Srebrenica Memorial Center.
In the spring of 1992, war separates friends and members of a Srebrenica rock band. Drummer Faruk leaves Srebrenica, while guitarist Samir stays in the city. Through letters, they dream of a reunion, until July 1995.
Along with author Grebo, the film was edited by Elvedin Zorlak, with Semir Mujkić as editor-in-chief, produced by Denis Džidić, and shot by Mirza Mršo. The deputy editor is Džana Brkanić. In the live action scenes of the film, Mehić is played by actor Igor Skvarica. The director of photography for the live action part of the film is Alen Alilović, with camera operator Mirza Mršo and first assistant camera Faris Dobrača. The sound was recorded by Samir Hrković, and the music composer for the film is Dino Šukalo, EU Delegation writes.
