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USA, 2005, 67 Min, Color
MIDWEST PREMIERE
Film by: Ali Hanson and Sabina Vajraca
Director: Sabina Vajraca
Producers: Alison Hanson, Sabina Vajraca
Cinematographer: Damir Okanovic
Editor: Alison Hanson
Music: Jon Crider
Sound: Mark Huang
Website: http://www.backtobosnia.com
OFFICIAL SELECTION - AFI LOS ANGELES INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
FILMMAKERS IN ATTENDANCE |
In 1992, the multi-ethnic city of Banja Luka, Bosnia was invaded by militant Serb forces. Under the constant threat of ethnic cleansing, imprisonment in concentration camps and even death, Emir and Aida Vajraca sent their 15 year-old daughter and 6 year-old son to safety in nearby Croatia. Eleven months later, Aida followed, leaving behind her husband and home. In 1996, Emir left and joined his family, living in America. In 2003, inspired by the promise of reconciliation, the Vajracas return to Bosnia to reclaim their family home, still occupied by the Serb family who claimed it as their own, ten years before.
What begins as an innocent journey into their history quickly changes to a nightmare. The country has changed, the landscape is ravaged, many inhabitants have fled. People living there now are surviving through a mixture of cunning, force, and luck. The reconciliation the Vajracas hoped for quickly deteriorates into a heartbreaking confrontation with the Serb family still living in their apartment.
Shot in the style of cinema veritÈ and interlaced with personal accounts, Back To Bosnia follows the Vajraca family, as they discover what kind of life begins when a war is over.
ABOUT THE DIRECTOR
Sabina Vajraca was born and raised in Banja Luka, Bosnia and Herzegovina, where she lived until the war broke out in 1992. She moved to the US in 1994 with her mother and younger brother, as a part of the political refugee resettlement program.
Sabina first ventured into the world of theatre in 1993 when, with the help of four friends, she founded and edited the first official theatre magazine in Croatia, Teatralije. She has worked professionally in theater for 12 years, as a director, writer, producer and stage manager. Back to Bosnia is her first film.
Alison Hanson began her career as the production manager for The Culture Project, working with directors and performers such as Edgar Landsbury (1995In Circles), Andrea Marcovicci (1996 I am Anne Frank), Anne Cattaneo and the Juilliard Directing Fellows. She is an inaugural member of The Holderness Theater Company, an acclaimed downtown troupe.Back to Bosnia is Alison's first documentary film.
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USA, 12 Min, Color
Director: Erin Hudson
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This documentary explores the residents of Faerie Ring Campground and RV Park, tucked away in the Redwoods, which serves as one of the only options for low income housing in its Northern California region.
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