Quo Vadis, Aida? is a 2020 internationally co-produced war drama film written and directed by Jasmila Žbanić. It was shown in the main competition section of the 77th Venice International Film Festival. It was selected as the Bosnian entry for the Best International Feature Film at this year’s 93rd Academy Awards.
HFR founder Samir Becic was deeply moved by the movie, whose story he’s all too familiar with. He took to Twitter to voice his support for the film’s talented writer and director. “Jasmila Zbanic: You’ve touched the hearts of Bosnians and millions of people around the world with your epic literary depiction in a motion picture. Only two movies have ever made me cry- “Schindler’s List” and “Quo Vadis Aida?”. Even though your success is already globally recognized, I know this is just the beginning of your avant-garde career which will undoubtedly cement you as a Bosnian heroine and role model to thousands of young women.”
Even though your success is already globally recognized, I know this is just the beginning of your avant-garde career which will undoubtedly cement you as a Bosnian heroine and role model to thousands of young women!
— Samir Becic (@SamirBecic) April 26, 2021
Earlier this year, upon first watching “Quo vadis, Aida?” Samir mentioned how it affected him at the time “I cried watching this film in the same way I cried as a young student watching Schindler’s List. This film is about the 1995 genocide in Srebrenica. Why did Europeans turn a blind eye to the atrocities happening at the heart of their continent at the end of the 20th century? Why is Bosnia still not an integrated part of the European Union after surviving the only genocide on European soil since World War II?”
The scene of the movie is set in Bosnia, July 1995. Aida is a translator for the UN in the small town of Srebrenica. When the Serbian army takes over the town, her family is among the thousands of citizens looking for shelter in the UN camp. As an insider to the negotiations, Aida has access to crucial information that she needs to interpret. What is on the horizon for her family and people-rescue or death? Which move should she take?
