by Alex Billington
February 12, 2024
Source: YouTube
"Having a disco in the middle of a war is the only thing that kept us going." AMC Theatres has revealed an official trailer for an outstanding documentary film titled Kiss the Future, from filmmaker Nenad Cicin-Sain. This premiered at the Berlinale 2023 but didn't make much of an impact there (I was one of the only ones to see it). Thankfully AMC has stepped up and is giving it a proper nationwide release in AMC cinemas later in February. Kiss the Future celebrates the underground art & music scene that thrived during the siege of Sarajevo. The biggest band in the world, U2, lead by Bono, paid attention and shined a light on the crisis in an effort to support the besieged Sarajevans. The film culminates in a post-war unification concert. A cautionary tale about the rise of nationalism, and an uplifting celebration of the power of the human spirit and art as a tool of survival & inspiration. I am a BIG fan of this doc - I still think about it all the time a year later. It's remarkably relevant regarding what is happening in Palestine, a similar tragic story, but without the support of U2 this time. The doc features Bono, The Edge, Christiane Amanpour, and more. A must see.
Here's the official trailer (+ poster) for Nenad Cicin-Sain's doc Kiss the Future, direct from YouTube:
"Even in the darkest times, the people of Sarajevo were able to find purpose through playing music, making art and helping others. They did not just survive, they thrived." –Director Nenad Cicin-Sain.
Nenad Cicin-Sain's documentary feature Kiss the Future is the story of defiance amid the 1990s siege of Sarajevo during the Bosnian War (from 1992-1995). The documentary focuses on a vibrant underground community who used music and art to effect change and garner global attention by ultimately inspiring an American aid worker to reach out to the world’s biggest band – U2 – to help raise awareness of the devastating conflict. Kiss the Future follows the band’s promise to perform a post-war concert that saw U2 play to over 45,000 local fans in a liberated city, a show that lives on as a joyous collective memory for the people of Sarajevo. Kiss the Future is directed by Slovenian filmmaker Nenad Cicin-Sain, director of the film The Time Being previously, and other projects. Based on Bill Carter's memoir titled "Fools Rush In". Produced by Sarah Anthony, Ben Affleck and Matt Damon. This initially premiered at the 2023 Berlin Film Festival last year. AMC debuts the Kiss the Future doc showing at select AMC Theatres starting February 23rd, 2024 coming soon. For more info, visit their official site. Streaming on Paramount+ later this year.