Danish Film Festival in Bosnia-Herzegovina

Sarajevo, Zenica, Banja Luka

16 - 24 July 2004

Next Stop is a group under the Danish Association for International Co-operation (Mellemfolkeligt Samvirke) and is driven by young volunteers. Next Stop was established in 2000 to break the isolation of Serbia after app. 10 years of conflict and NATO bombings in 1999. Since then Next Stop has developed its field of activities to all of former Yugoslavia. We arrange a broad range of projects and carry through exchange of knowledge and culture between Denmark and the Balkans in co-operation with South East Europe Youth Network (SEEYN).

Our purpose with the film festival is to strengthen cultural exchange between Denmark and Bosnia-Herzegovina. On the one hand to contribute to the cultural life in Bosnia-Herzegovina. On the other hand to disseminate awareness of Danish movies in the region.

Furthermore we see the project as the beginning of co-operation with partners in Bosnia-Herzegovina. In a long-term perspective it might be possible to carry out a Bosnian film festival in Denmark.

Lastly we see the festival as the beginning of a larger project, where next year we might be able to show movies in other countries in the area of the former Yugoslavia.

Films:

“OKAY”
Nete is a woman in control of her life. She makes her own decisions, regarding herself, her work, and her husband and child. Her father, a widower, receives the worst conceivable news from his doctor: you have three weeks to live! Nete orders her father to quit his flat and move in with her. But her father doesn't intend to die at once ...

“FACING THE THRUTH”
In Mamros’ new film, an intriguing and delicately crafted drama, he portrays the poignant story of a man, who grew up in very modest circumstances in the early years of the 20th century, but whose diligence, intelligence and willingness to endure hardship helped him to become a leading brain surgeon. A success story on the face of it, but a story about a man — who is none other than the director’s father — a man of powerful emotions. The film explores the nature and origin of the guilt that repeatedly deprived him of happiness.

“MINOR MISHAPS”
Minor Mishaps is the story of a family in which family relations are put to the test after the matriarch dies. It is a collective tale in which we follow the lives of the four leads — John, the father, who has a serious heart condition but risks his life by sticking to his job as a hospital porter; Tom, his son, who is in the process of losing his wife and children because his career as a building contractor overshadows everything else; Eva, the elder daughter, trying to make her way as an artist but is scared stiff whenever she faces a blank canvas; and Marianne, the younger daughter, who gets a new job running a staff canteen and who initiates an affair with a colleague. All four try to find themselves and one another, and all four learn that a family isn't something you choose, but something you're born into.

More information on www.nextstop.org