Kerala film fest to open with drama based on 1995 genocide

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: QUO Vadis, Aida?, a Bosnian drama set around the 1995 Srebrenica genocide, will be the opening film of the 25th edition of the International Film Festival of Kerala. The film, written and directed by Jasmila Žbanic, was selected as the Bosnian and Herzegovina entry for the Best International Feature Film at the 93rd Academy Awards. 

Žbanic, herself a victim of long years of war, turns her lens on the pathos of one of the most violent war crimes in history. The massacre witnessed the execution of more than 8,000 innocent civilians (Muslims) by the Bosnian Serb army, under the command of General Ratko Mladi.

The Bosnian filmmaker, who is known for her attempts to tell the war stories of her homeland through cinematic tales, had won the Berlin Golden Bear for her 2006 debut feature Grbavica, which showcased the rape of Bosnian women by Serb soldiers.

The film Quo Vadis, Aida? revolves around the life of the titular character Aida, a translator for the UN in a small town in Srebrenica. The film had its world premiere at the 77th Venice International Film Festival last September.