It is "Grbavica", a work directed by filmmaker Jasmila Zbanic, which tells a harsh story set in Sarajevo, after the Balkan War. The film will be screened on February 28 and March 1, at 9:00 p.m., at the "El Almacén" Island Culture Center. Tickets, as usual, are priced at 2.5 euros and will go on sale 30 minutes before the start of the session.
The story takes place in the former Yugoslavia, specifically in the city of Sarajevo, in the Grbavica neighborhood. Esma (Mirjana Karanovi?) wants her twelve-year-old daughter Sara (Luna Mijovi?) to have the opportunity to participate in a school-organized trip. A certificate proving that her father died as a martyr during the war would be enough for her to go at half price, but Esma always puts Sara off when she asks. Apparently, she prefers to move heaven and earth to find the money and pay for the trip. She is convinced that she is protecting herself and her daughter by not telling her the truth.
For its director, Jasmila Zbanic, "Grbavica" is her first feature film. Zbanic started filming in 1997, after founding Deblokada, an association of artists through which she produced, wrote, and directed numerous documentaries, videos, and short films that have been seen at festivals and exhibitions around the world. Among others, we will mention the short film "Birthday", a part of the compilation film "Lost and Found", which studies the trajectory of two young people, one Bosnian and one Croatian.
Born in Sarajevo in 1974, Jamisla Zbanic graduated in theater and film directing from the Academy of Dramatic Arts. Before making films, she worked as a puppeteer at the Bread and Puppet Theater in Vermont. Her debut in the world of fiction feature films could not be more promising.
Programming
For the month of March, the film series will include the screening of "Family Law" by Daniel Burman, on the 7th and 8th; "Palindromes" by Todd Solonz on the 21st and 22nd of next month, and on the 28th and 29th, "Lights in the Dusk" directed by Aki Kaurismäki will be shown.