The Love of Books: A Sarajevo Story

Bosnia!(bs)

The carnage in Sarajevo provides the focus of this French documentary which seeks to call attention to the terrible conflict in the hopes of finally ending it. The film is divided into five parts. Each part covers a time frame ranging from April 4, 1992, the beginning of the war, to the present. The major issues that occur are three-fold. It depicts the systematic genocide of Bosnians, the silence of Western countries, and the determination of the Bosnians to resist. They refuse to be seen as victims, even though the filmmakers portray them so. Also included are the origins and political aspects of the war. It offers interviews with participants. It also reveals how the U.S. State Department censored reports about Serbian death camps.

Off Season(de)

Summer 1994, Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina. Two civil wars in only three years has torn the city apart and destroyed it. The town is split into a Croatian majority in the west and a Muslim majority locked in the east. An invisible wall divides the two areas. The EU appoints German social democrat Hans Koschnick as municipal administrator of the town in the hope of rekindling a sense of community there.

Little Sister's vs. Big Brother(en)

This documentary, filmed over a 10-year period, centers on the debate over censorship as it follows Vancouver's Little Sister's Bookstore and its 20-year struggle with Canada Customs over the seizure of books. In the face of bigotry, bombings and repeated book seizures, it wages the most important legal battle in history against Canada Customs.

All the World's Memory(fr)

Toute la mémoire du monde is a documentary about the Bibliothèque Nationale in Paris. It presents the building, with its processes of cataloguing and preserving all sorts of printed material, as both a monument of cultural memory and as a monstrous, alien being.

The Fog of Srebrenica(en)

This is the story of survivors of the Srebrenica genocide, the only holocaust in Europe since WWII. 8,372 Bosnian men and boys were killed in one week.Heartbreaking and mind blowing testimonials - the story told by survivors, contrasted by hauntingly beautiful landscapes and horrifying archive. The film portrays extraordinary characters, people who have been struggling to come to terms with the past as well as dealing with the harsh realities of living in one of the poorest countries in Europe. Their stories raise serious and profound questions about the nature of human existence, war and forgiveness.

Yours Truly, SEXYMAJA(sr)

In the summer of 2005 a sensation appeared on domestic social networks in the form of a blog titled “Maja in a brothel.” The author of this blog, whose nickname was “sexymaja”, identified herself as a girl from Belgrade, who has just started in the prostitution business. She soon became one of the most popular persona on the web, entertaining numerous readers with witty and provocative descriptions of the clients she had met. However, after her mysterious disappearance from the scene, suspicions were aroused about the identity of this person. The blog community points a finger at a ghostwriter, who was allegedly responsible for the entire conspiracy. He admits it, but without much hesitation also leads us to its inspiration – a girl who’s actually lived through it all.

Biblioburro, the Donkey Library(es)

This documentary follows the life of a one-of-a-kind man, and his one-of-a-kind library. Luis Soriano is a Colombian schoolteacher who spends weekends taking his donkey, and book collection, to the poverty-ridden towns of Magdalena Province. Facing down drug dealers, dangerous creatures, and overbearing heat, Soriano bravely faces down fear to promote education and literature.

Svet na dotyk(sk)

Omarska(bs)

An attempt to erect a virtual memorial for the victims of the Bosnian war, using archive material, videos and statements from survivors in a 3D animation.

Sarajevo: State in Time(en)

Shot in six European countries, it tells the story of the concerts given by cult underground band Laibach during the siege of Sarajevo back in 1995.

Great Contract: Paju, Book, City(ko)

The Trial of Ratko Mladic(en)

The war crimes trial of Ratko Mladic, accused of masterminding the murder of over 7000 Muslim men and boys in Srebrenica in the 90s Bosnian war, the worst crime in Europe since WW2.

Kiss the Future(en)

An exploration of the perils of nationalism and art’s role as a weapon of resistance and activism throughout the 1990s Siege of Sarajevo during the Bosnian War. Explore how art and music sustained hope, thanks in part to humanitarians and the band U2.

The Satanic Verses: 30 Years On(en)

The publication of Salman Rushdie's novel The Satanic Verses in 1988 sparked a culture war in Britain between the Muslim community, who considered the book blasphemous and called for the book to be banned, and those defending it as an expression of freedom of speech. Protests, began in England and soon spread to the rest of the Islamic world, culminating in February 1989 with Iran's Ayatollah Khomeini issuing a fatwa - a death sentence on the writer. Now, 30 years on, Mobeen Azhar embarks on a journey to examine the lasting effect the book has had on the Muslim community, and continue to have an impact today. Mobeen hears from a range of people affected by the so called 'Rushdie Affair' - from the men who took an early stand against the book; to a writer who wrestled with the book's publication, complex questions of free speech, and her own religious beliefs; and a former member of the National Front who claims that the furor over the book became a recruiting tool for them.

Mladí muži poznávají svět(cs)

Behind the Doors of Umberto Eco(fr)

Umberto Eco, the author of best-selling novels who passed away in February 2016, unveils the secrets behind his undertakings and novels.

Back to Bosnia(en)

Filmmaker Sabina Vajraca documents her Bosnian Muslim family's return to their home of Banja Luka, Bosnia, to recover their stolen belongings many years after being forced to flee to the United States. In Bosnia, they witness the devastation of the city, visit war crimes sites, and confront the family that has been living in their former apartment -- with all their furnishings -- for a decade.

Bums and Dogs(bs)

A hotel in the centre of town is a war-time home and refuge for many of Sarajevo's homeless people. Every morning they leave the hotel and wander around the destroyed city gathering again at the defunct hotel in the afternoon. This film follows their separate fates through the bitter comparing of images of the bums with those of dogs abandoned by their owners and now left et the mercy of the war ravaged streets of Sarajevo.

Les Trésors de la Bibliothèque nationale de France(fr)

The National Library of France is the guardian of priceless treasures that tell our history, our illustrious thinkers, writers, scholars and artists. Telling the story of the exceptional treasures of the National Library of France is like opening a great history book rich in many twists and turns. Without the love of the kings of France for books and precious objects, this institution would never have seen the light of day. The story begins in the 14th century under the reign of a passionate writer, Charles V, who set up a library in his apartments in the Louvre. But it was not until the 17th century, and the reign of Louis XIV, a lover of the arts and letters, that the royal library took over its historic quarters in the rue Vivienne in Paris, which it still occupies.

Il respiro di Sarajevo(it)

The extraordinary story of Sanja and Zoran, a couple who in 1993 fled and survived the siege of Sarajevo, the longest war in 20th century history, to find refuge in Italy, in Turin. In their life experience, past and present come together to give voice to friendship and hope, reflecting on war, prejudice, tolerance and acceptance.