Almost a quarter century ago, the dissolution of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia began. The bloody conflicts it caused have been continuing in the region for ten years. What does life in these areas look like nowadays? Our festival program Ex-Yugoslavia: Reconciliation diversely illustrates these complex processes of returning to peaceful life.
Second Meeting by the Serbian filmmaker Zhelko Mirkovich is full of optimism and light humor. The director organizes the meeting of two men who some time ago had been fighting with each other. One of the characters found glory due to the fact that, during his service in the Yugoslavian army in the time of the NATO campaign against Yugoslavia, an American F-117 aircraft was shot down under his command. The second character is actually the pilot of that aircraft. During their meeting, more than ten years after these events, the men find out with amazement that they have much more similarities than differences. Family, peaceful jobs and apple pies appear to be more important than their past, in which they were potentially lethal to each other.
What plays the most substantial role in the process of reaching an international agreement? A controversial word in the text of the agreement, or maybe the tie which a politician puts on that day? The Danish film The Agreement is a unique opportunity to take a look into the world of diplomacy and see what is going on behind the closed doors of peace negotiations. The film documents the complex process of approving a document on a joint borderline checkpoint which was going on between Serbia and Kosovo with EU mediation. At first glance, this may seem a purely technical issue. However, the conflict between Serbia and Kosovo is so complex (Serbia still has not recognized Kosovo's independence) that neither side wants to give up an inch. The tension in the negotiation room sometimes surpasses all limits, and the skillful cameraman cunningly notices it in the tightly closed jaws or nervous finger movements of the process' participants. Even in this film, the authors manage to demonstrate the complexity of its characters. The cool diplomats sometimes take off their masks and become ordinary people with their own hobbies, weaknesses, and senses of humor.
Finally, Remnants is a melancholic depiction of life in the Bosnian town of Mostar. The town's symbol, the ancient bridge dating from Ottoman times, was destroyed by the Croatian army during the war, so that no traces of ‘Muslim culture’ could be found in the landscape. When the conflict was over, the bridge was reconstructed by the international community as a demonstration of symbolic reconciliation. This film is a kaleidoscope of human destinies and stories, which shows that a return to normal life is much harder than the reconstruction of a bridge. The remnants of the past are still present in the memories and everyday lives of the citizens.
