Ado Hasanović - © Massimo Calabro
Ado Hasanović, a director of Bosnian origin living in Italy, interviewed on his way back from Cannes, talks about his next projects, which also directly involve his Srebrenica. An interview
In Sarajevo, the line of continuity between France and Bosnia-Herzegovina is easily perceptible, particularly evident in the Sarajevo Film Festival (SFF), which will celebrate its thirtieth edition this year.
Last year, “Searching for Justice” (Tražeći Pravdu; Bosnia-Herzegovina/Netherlands/Italy, 2023) was presented, one of Ado Hasanović’s latest works, developed through a collaborative process involving young people studying law at the Universities of Leiden and Sarajevo.
The constant search for justice, especially stemming from the experience of the Srebrenica genocide, which Ado himself survived, is a recurring theme in the history and narrative of cinematography over the past thirty years. This pursuit is intertwined with the challenge of creating a comprehensive story capable of touching collective consciences, even amidst ongoing denial processes.
Ado, in your opinion, what can participation in a wide-ranging festival like Cannes offer in this regard?
At this year’s Cannes Film Festival, I participated not with a film, but to enrich my experience as a director and artist. I believe that being there, immersing oneself with full artistic consciousness, is an extraordinary experience that everyone working in the cinema industry should gain at least once.
The Cannes Film Festival is particularly unique in terms of participation, as an accreditation is needed to obtain a ticket, which is a privilege primarily reserved for those that can demonstrate an affiliation with the cinema industry. It is, therefore, a highly exclusive environment, in contrast to the Sarajevo Film Festival, which welcomes ordinary people from any country and is also of great significance within Bosnia-Herzegovina. Despite these substantial differences, what I felt in both Cannes and Sarajevo is that the entire city celebrates international cinema. In Cannes, despite the professional exclusivity, citizens remain actively engaged during the ten days of the festival, similarly to what happens in Sarajevo. This contrasts with many other cities where I have attended film festivals, where such dynamics are often missing.
To the extent that both cities have been awarded the UNESCO City of Film title: Sarajevo since 2019 and Cannes since 2021…
…this recognition is very important, and I am pleased that Sarajevo has also obtained it. The section I oversee for its Festival is called ‘Passaggi d’Autore: Mediterranean Plots’. It already has completed three editions behind it and is dedicated to Italian short films.
Why is this connection with ‘Passaggi d’Autore’ so important?
This is important because Italian filmmakers otherwise cannot easily submit a film to the Sarajevo Film Festival. Without a Balkan-affiliated co-production, participation is not possible because the Sarajevo Film Festival has adopted a strategy to avoid competition with festivals such as Berlin, Cannes, Locarno, or Venice. From this perspective, an out-of-competition section like ‘Passaggi d’Autore: Mediterranean Plots’, which presents Italian short films, is very significant. In the last three years, our screenings have consistently ‘sold out’. As the artistic director, I am proud of this success because it helps to create a bridge with Italy that did not previously exist at such levels.
At the moment, you are about to enter the immersive phase of another festival, which will involve a very different city, mainly associated with the genocide and about which much has been told but little is still known. We are talking about Srebrenica, a place to which you are connected in many aspects, and which could also be better known as a place of cultural exploration…
For me, it all started from Srebrenica. At this moment, that place represents the metaphor of the mythical Phoenix, one who must die in a show of flames and combustion in order to live, above all, or better to have a different, second life. Srebrenica is where I began my cinematographic journey and where I met many unique people. In Srebrenica, I have never encountered mean people, but it is a place where many horrible things have happened, where I have lost many family members, and where the bodies of some of them have not yet been found. Talking about Srebrenica is very difficult for me, and I have always asked myself: “I, as a Bosnian man, when I talk about these things... what will my Serbian peers who live there say?”
This is because when I talk about it, I sometimes think that by evoking those events, I will be judged by them or by others. Many people do not know what my family and I went through: many people from Srebrenica, Bratunac, Zvornik, and Višegrad, who left before the massacres and the genocide, did not experience what I personally lived with my parents. We stayed there because we believed in humanity and thought that something like what actually happened could never occur.
I think indeed that what happened there, precisely in those areas, at the beginning of the war is worse than what happened at the end. Why am I saying this? Because at the beginning of the war, it was not possible to know that our neighbours could come and kill us. We did not believe that a neighbour could burn down our house or even take all our windows, doors, television, refrigerator… steal everything, and then set our houses on fire. These things happened to me and my family. Only later did the reasons and the details become clear: many of the executioners were victims of ferocious propaganda, but not all were lost within that scheme. There were also people ready to help and escape those orders. In our village, for example, at Serbian neighbour suddenly came and she said: «the males have to run away». She wanted to protect us. She knew something terrible was about to happen.
This episode was only recently reconstructed. There are many things we are still processing because the war in Bosnia is a great trauma. It must be remembered that in just seven days, more than 8,000 people were killed in Srebrenica.
Talking about today’s Srebrenica...
It is impossible to talk about Srebrenica today without delving into the past, but I am a person who works hard for the present and always fights even harder for the future of Srebrenica. I also worked for an association called “Prijatelji Srebrenice” (Friends of Srebrenica) for many years, and also in that context, we organised a film festival. Now, starting this year, together with the “Admon Film” Association and in collaboration with the International Solidarity Forum - Emmaus and the “House of Good Tones” Association, we are launching a new festival called the “Silver Frame Film Festival”. The first edition is scheduled for 15 to 17 July 2024 and will take place in parallel with the Potočari volunteer camp.
How did the idea for this festival in Srebrenica originate?
The idea came about spontaneously as, in the last five years, I have been contributing to the International Working Camp organised by the International Solidarity Forum - Emmaus in Potočari, where many international students and volunteers come, continuing the example started by Franco Bettoli, former chair of Emmaus International, who passed away in 2008. In that context, I organised several workshops and screenings with hundreds of young people coming from all over the world. At the end of last year, we decided to raise the cultural and organisational level under the name “Silver Frame Film Festival” to pay homage to the past heritage of the city. In the ancient Roman period, Srebrenica was indeed called Argentaria, then renowned for its thermal waters and silver veins, elements that inspired the name of this new festival. The mission of this initiative is to enhance the people and the place where we aim at working and to do so through a festival that brings life and offers training opportunities by involving local citizens and especially the new generations from Srebrenica who currently do not have the possibility of making cinema and do not have access to innovative learning processes. Over the years, many of these young people have often lost the desire and confidence to participate in such events, and part of our mission will be to engage directly with them.
In recent days, the United Nations General Assembly approved the resolution on the Srebrenica genocide, and you anticipated a feeling of distrust that you generally face even in the present...
The most important aspect for the local population remains the loss of trust associated with the protection that failed. Furthermore, today the process of denying the 1995 genocide is very palpable, and it is important that the resolution mentions it and sanctions it, but this is not enough.
From my side, I still cannot believe that after all this time, the UN countries finally voted in favour of this resolution. When they had to be there to save the people, the young people, the Bosnian men and women, the United Nations did not act, and honestly, I would not have expected this decision now, but the feeling of guilt is perceived, together with the failure of international institutions.
Can there be a future that incorporates culture as a constituent element of a possibility for young people to stay in the places where they live, knowing that youth emigration is one of the main problems nowadays in the Balkan countries and south-eastern Europe as a whole?
The role of culture can serve as a bridge to the future, and I believe that significant new connections can be forged through the new Srebrenica’s “Silver Frame Film Festival”. It is important to acknowledge that art possesses an immense and unique power, namely the ability to express complex concepts without uttering a single word.
I believe that this festival, which we are launching this year for the very first time and for which we are seeking collaborators and support in various forms, including independent funding due to the absence of political or institutional backing, holds promise for the new generations. From this perspective, building bridges is crucial, and our aim is to establish new ones with diverse countries and bring committed individuals to Srebrenica by also fostering a sense of belonging and providing platforms for creative expression and professional development. Artists will have thus the opportunity to reflect, create, and engage, but most importantly, to connect with the local residents, especially the youngest ones. Our main objective remains to celebrate the people who bring life to this place year-round and foster strong, authentic bonds with the local community.
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