QUO VADIS, AIDA?
This Bosnian film from last year, directed by Jasmila Žbanić, who herself is a survivor of this war, deals with the events closely before the Srebrenica genocide of July, 1995.
The story follows Aida, a bosnian woman who is also a translator for the Dutch peacekeepers of UN forces that have come to the town of Srebrenica - then proclaimed a UN safe zone - to aid its defense from the occupation and massacre by the Serb army.
If you're unfamiliar with the Srebrenica genocide events, the brief of it was that after being proclaimed a UN safe zone, thousands of Bosniak muslim civillians from surrounding territories flocked to the city for safety, believing they'd be protected by the UN forces from the Serbs. What ensued was a horrific scar on the world's history: a genocide that was, due to indifference, allowed to happen by the UN forces who basically surrendered the town of Srebrenica and all the civilians in it to the Serb army, which then killed over 8 thousand Bosniak muslim males ranging from babies to 80-year-olds, and raped thousands of Bosniak muslim women, all at the knowledge and aforementioned indifference of the UN and by extension, the "international community".
The movie is set before these events, 'a prelude to the massacre', and it hauntingly captures the beginnings of hopelessness and the swirl of disbelief and anger of the victims at what was allowed to take place, through the eyes of a woman who just wants to save her family from the so-called safe zone. Knowing what takes place in the end inevitably coats every interaction and scenes of the film prior to the genocide in an eerie, sombre mood that can't get better, because it never did.
In the wake of renewed public emergences and sheltering of fascist ideologies, beliefs and tendencies all across the world, and especially in the US and Europe, to be reminded of this largely overlooked and unknown of genocide - which is still being denied by notable Serb politicians - over Bosniak muslims, solely because they were Bosniak muslims, is a good step away from allowing genocide deniers and fascists and their rhetoric that prevails in Serbia, RS and Europe to come away from it largely scat-free and unjustly exonerated without adequate consequences in the Haag court, and the public opinion. The victims and the survivors deserve that, nearly 26 years after it took place, at the least.
The movie scored 100% on RottenTomatoes (as of 15th March) and was nominated for and won many awards, along with a notable nomination for the best international movie at the BAFTAs and, from today, that same nomination for the 2021 Academy Awards.
So if you have the time (102 minutes to be exact) for a non-Hollywood movie that is important beyond comprehension to most in this three-million people country, and if you hate fascism & its rhetoric as much as I do, do watch it for yourself. If only to me, it will mean more than you know.
