The Bosnian and Herzegovinian Film Festival continues this week as part of the International Year of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The International Year of Bosnia and Herzegovina attempts to give students an international experience on campus, even for those who are unable to study abroad. The film festival will continue on Sept. 12 for three more nights of Bosnian and Herzegovinian films.

“The Bosnian film fest consists of movies by Bosnian film directors, as well as movies about Bosnia by non-Bosnian directors,” said Marko Dumančić, a professor on the planning committee for the International Year of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Advertisement

Dumančić said that he expects students to leave with a deeper understanding of the civil war in Bosnia, which led to Bowling Green’s sizable Bosnian population.

The films will focus on the war which took place from 1992 to 1995.

“We had the choice of what kind of movies to focus on,” Dumančić said. “Because there are so many quality movies that show the war and genocide from different perspectives, we decided to make this the main theme of the film festival.”

On Wednesday night, one short film and one feature-length film were shown.

The short film, “Ten Minutes,” showed the very different lives of a young boy in Bosnia and a Japanese tourist in Rome over the span of 10 minutes.

The feature-length film, which was introduced by James Kenney, a photojournalism professor who traveled to Bosnia, was titled “No Man’s Land.” The film involves three soldiers, two of them Bosniak and one Serbian, who end up stuck in the same trench during the war.

Each screening is followed by question and answer sessions of the films, led by WKU faculty members.

Some students who attended the screening said they were moved by what they saw.

Lora Darnell, a freshman, said she attended the screening because it was an extra credit opportunity for her history class, but was also glad she attended.

“I thought it was very powerful,” Darnell said. “I didn’t realize how much turmoil had gone on. It really affected me. I really enjoyed becoming informed.”

Darnell said she would be back for more of the screenings, and she hoped other students would consider attending as well.

“I think it’s really good to stay informed,” said Darnell. “To not just stay informed of our culture, but others and other people’s struggles.”

Three more films will be shown on Sept. 12, 13 and 14, including the film “Grbavica,” which comes highly recommended by professor Jerry Daday, who is also on the “International Year of…” planning committee.

“I don’t want to give away too much of the plot, but it’s one of my favorites,” Daday said of the film. “It’s about the aftermath of the war and a relationship between a mom and her daughter.”

Advertisement

The showing of “Grbavica” will be Tuesday, Sept. 12. All of the showings start at 7 p.m. and take place in Cherry Hall room 125. A full list of the upcoming films can be found on the “International Year of…” website.

Reporter Matt Stahl can be reached at 270-745-6011 and matthew.stahl551@topper.wku.edu.