Author: birnEU

The first episode of the documentary was aired on Macedonian cable TV station 24 VESTI on Wednesday afternoon, the second and third episodes follow on Thursday and Friday, while the whole movie will air on Saturday.

The Balkan Investigative Reporting Network launched its promotion of the documentary last week with a premiere in Skopje, Macedonia, followed by premieres in Belgrade, Zagreb, Pristina, Sarajevo and Novi Sad.

“The film documents the journey of six young people through the region and their encounter with nationalism, ethnic tensions, prejudice – key ingredients in the bloody menu of the Balkan wars,” the head of BIRN Macedonia, Ana Petruseva, told the audience of journalists, diplomatic and NGO representatives before the Skopje premiere.

A three-episode version of the documentary is being aired on TV channels across the Balkans.

In the film, six young people from six Balkan countries travel through the region, examining how the conflicts of the past have influenced both their present and their prospects for the future.

Along the way, they come face-to-face with some of the ghosts of the past in the shape of impoverished refugees, military veterans and unrepentant nationalists.

They also see how the nationalist ideas that led to war have been reflected in the region’s economy, culture and even architecture, as they muse on how genuine tolerance and reconciliation can develop in places that have endured such divisive violence.

The Majority Starts Here was produced by BIRN and directed by award-winning film-maker Lode Desmet. In 2006, Desmet and BIRN also produced the film Does Anyone Have a Plan?, about the future status of Kosovo.

The documentary is part of BIRN’s Balkan Transitional Justice project, which aims to improve public understanding of transitional justice issues in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Kosovo, Macedonia, Montenegro and Serbia.

Premiere screenings of BIRN’s new documentary, which follows six young people from six Balkan countries as they travel across the region examining how the conflicts of the past have affected their lives, were held on Thursday evening in Belgrade.

During their journey, the six young participants from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Kosovo, Macedonia, Montenegro and Serbia meet war veterans, refugees, unrepentant nationalists and people who advocate reconciliation.

The screening in Belgrade on Wednesday evening was followed by a debate about the legacy of the conflicts for the younger generation.

Maja Micic, from the Youth Initiative for Human Rights, said that the next step for the region was to have politicians who genuinely face the past.

“This is the moment when the state needs to show with its actions that it is aware of the horrific war that took place and needs to show understanding for the victims,” Micic said.

Dejan Remetic from the youth wing of the governing Progressive Party, said that ordinary people also had to get involved and not rely completely on politicians.

“The government has that responsibility, but it also important to have youth, some new generation, like we saw in this movie, that will bring about change,” Remetic said.

Biljana Cincarevic, a Serbian painter, said that the media as well as the state has a crucial role in informing the younger generation about what happened during the wars.

“It is important to speak about this and say that nationalism is very dangerous. That is what the state needs to say to its youth through education and the media,” Cincarevic said.

Two of the six participants in the film, Simona Milanovic from Serbia and Zvonimir Zvonar from Croatia, also spoke at the post-screening discussion.

Milanovic said that during the cross-Balkan road trip that formed the basis for the film, “I expected I would have problems, because I come from Serbia, which is always perceived as the aggressor”.

“Luckily, this was just a prejudice,” she said.

Zvonar said that although he was already informed about the conflicts which have taken place in the Balkans over the past few decades, it was a powerful experience to meet some of the people who had been directly involved.

“You hear and know about Chetniks, but it is very different when you meet all that face to face,” he said.

The film was first shown in Skopje in Wednesday and also on Thursday in Sarajevo, while further screenings are set for Pristina on October 2, Zagreb on October 3 and Novi Sad on October 7.

A three-episode version of the documentary will also be aired on TV channels across the Balkans.

The documentary is part of BIRN’s Balkan Transitional Justice project, which aims to improve public understanding of transitional justice issues in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Kosovo, Macedonia, Montenegro and Serbia.

BIRN’s new documentary, The Majority Starts Here, is launched across the region this week, starting on Wednesday with premieres in Skopje, with further premiere screenings to follow in Sarajevo and Belgrade on Thursday, Pristina on October 2, Zagreb on October 3 and Novi Sad on October 7.

In the film, six young people from ex-Yugoslavia make a journey through the region, examining how the conflicts of the past, which they were too young to understand fully at the time, have influenced both their present and their prospects for the future.

Along the way, they come face-to-face with some of the ghosts of the past in the shape of impoverished wartime refugees, military veterans and unrepentant nationalists.

They also see how nationalist ideas which led to war have been reflected in the region’s economy, culture and even architecture, as they muse on how genuine tolerance and reconciliation can develop in places which have endured such divisive violence.

BIRN director Gordana Igric said that the idea behind the film was to find out how much the younger generation knew about the recent past, and whether they believed that these conflicts should be discussed or set aside for the sake of looking to the future.

Despite some disturbing encounters during their journey however, there was a positive message: “They learned that divisions are still strong between people, but they don’t take up guns to solve the problem,” Igric said.

The Majority Starts Here was produced by BIRN and directed by award-winning film-maker Lode Desmet. In 2006, Desmet and BIRN also produced the film Does Anyone Have a Plan?, about the future status of Kosovo.

The documentary is part of BIRN’s Balkan Transitional Justice project, which aims to improve public understanding of transitional justice issues in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Kosovo, Macedonia, Montenegro and Serbia.