The war in Bosnia and Herzegovina began in April 1992. By the end of that spring and during the summer, several thousand Muslims (Bosniaks) and Croats were killed by Serbs around the city of Prijedor, in Northwest Bosnia.
They were massacred in the villages or taken to concentration camps, in and around Prijedor. These particular events led to the creation of the ICTY in The Hague...
Starting in May 2012, we have filmed a documentary that shows what means to live today in Prijedor, in the light of what happened in the past and the perspective of a future rapprochement between the different communities.
We focused on the life of survivors of the 1992 concentration camps. Despite their horrible experiences, some former prisoners came back to their home city. We relate their thoughts, their feelings and their demands to the majority of the society and the ruling powers.
As well, we show the reactions of the Serbian society.
As bodies are still being pulled out of mass graves (Tomašica), identified and buried, the Serb citizens of Prijedor still appear to refuse the evidence, comforted by the denial of their leaders.
But a group of young activists and artists, Serbs and Muslims, are doing their best to break this "wall of silence".
Marko Pavić, the mayor, does not want to speak about the past, but he is willing to build a common future for all the citizens.
Is it possible to build a common future without a confrontation with the past?
This is a leading question for the authors.
The land is hard, the sky is high
A film by Kontrapunkt Sarajevo
"The Land is Hard, the Sky is High...
We have to live together"
"The land is hard, the sky is high" shows what means to live today in Prijedor, in the light of what happened in the past and the perspective of a future rapprochement between the different communities.
Registered users can watch the full version here.
Marko Pavić, Mayor of Prijedor
"I told you I would not comment on that period of war, let others comments on that."
Fikret Alić at Trnopolje camp
Emaciated prisoner Fikret Alić greets foreign jounalists in the summer of 1992.
Back at the place of suffering
20 years later, the same Fikret Alić shows how he greeted journalists at the time.
Screenings and media coverage
Sarajevo Film Festival
Interview FTV
Slobodna Bosna
SEe Documentaries
One World Documentaries
About the authors
Amela Maldošević
Bosnian art historian, painter
Amela is an art historian and painter born in Tuzla. She is the founder and director of the cultural NGO Kontrapunkt. She worked for foreign journalists, organizes exhibitions and study-trips into Bosnia and Herzegovina and is well connected to the film and art scene in Sarajevo.
Erich Rathfelder
German journalist and writer
Erich was a reporter during the wars in Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Kosovo, he lives now in Sarajevo. He published several books about the Balkans, the latest: "Kosovo-die Geschichte eines Konflikts" (Berlin, 2010), "Schnittpunkt Sarajevo", Berlin 2006 (Raskirsnica Sarajevo, Tuzla 2007)
Philippe Deprez
Belgian reporter
Philippe has been living in Sarajevo for more than 20 years. He covered the wars in Croatia, Bosnia, Kosovo, Iraq and Libya. He wrote "Le long serpent - Avec les Americains jusqu'a Bagdad" (Luce Wilquin, Avin, 2004). The movie "The Hunting Party" (2007) is based on his story hunting Radovan Karadzić.