Djeca
Children of Sarajevo
Aida Begić
»Basically, using ordinary peoples’ wartime video archives to illustrate Rahima’s memories, I wanted to share and explore the intimate recollections of one of the hardest situations a person can live through. The film plot justifies this, but I came to this decision also because I personally felt the need to talk about my own experience and memory of war. Can someone whose past is as traumatic as Rahima’s find humanity and how? In solving her problem, will she opt for construction or destruction?«
– Aida Begić
Rahima is 23 years old and works in the kitchen of a trendy restaurant in Sarajevo. She lives with her 14-year-old brother Nedim for whom she is the sole carer and provider. They lost their parents in the recent Balkan wars and the scars of conflict can still be sensed everywhere you go. Raised in an orphanage herself and never at a loss for words, Rahima tries to keep Nedim on the straight and narrow. Yet when he get into a fistfight with the son of a future minister, Rahima realises that her brother has been leading a double life for some time.
The heart-wrenching tale of an orphaned brother and sister struggling to survive in the aftermath of war is bracing in its courage and clarity. It is a vital and necessary film at a time when the Balkan wars have essentially slipped out of Western consciousness.
Awards for ›Djeca‹:
Un Certain Regard, Cannes Film Festival 2012
Aida Begić
Aida Begić was born in Sarajevo in 1976. She graduated in film direction from the Sarajevo Academy of Performing Arts in 2000, where she currently teaches the subject. Her graduation film First Death Experience was presented at the 2001 Cannes Film Festival and has won numerous awards at festivals worldwide. Her debut feature film Snow was shown at Cannes 2008 – Semaine de la critique and won the Grand Prix and numerous following awards all around the world. Ms Begić has directed numerous documentaries, commercials and videos. In 2009, she founded Film House, an independent production company.
Films by Aida Begić
Do not Forget about Me Istanbul 2010 | Snijeg (Snow) 2008 | Sjever Je Poludio (North Went Mad) 2003 | Prvo Smrtno Iskustvo (First Death Experience) 2001 | Trijumf Volje (Triumph of the Will) 1997 | Autobiografija 1995