‘Does Anyone Have a Plan?’ Premieres in Pristina, Kosovo

More than 200 people attended the Pristina premiere of the BIRN documentary Does Anyone Have a Plan? on February 10 in Kino ABC.

Guests included Kosovo’s Prime Minister Bajram Kosumi, representatives from the US, Swiss, Swedish and Finnish government offices in Kosovo, a range of local politicians and a large contingent from the media and civil society sectors.

The film was introduced by Tim Judah, the well-known British Balkan analyst and regular contributor to BIRN’s Balkan Insight publication, and Jeta Xharra, BIRN Kosovo director and a producer of this documentary.

Ivana Enzler, local representative of the Swiss foreign ministry, which supported this project, invited the audience to ‘open your eyes and ears and enjoy the challenge,’ as they watched the film.

The documentary, which delved into many issues still painful for Kosovar Albanians, was in fact received very well by its Pristina audience, which seemed to enjoy it thoroughly.

Agim Zatriqi, director of the national broadcaster, RTK, found the film very informative.
‘It’s like medicine. All medicines are bitter, but they are healthy,’ he said.

‘It was very interesting to see the comparison with other parts of former Yugoslavia, not just Kosovo,’ said Margaret Sejdiaj from the Swedish office.

Lea Nimani, a marketing consultant for IPKO, a local internet company, also considered the documentary very informative, and a real eye-opener.

UNMIK official Nicholas Guinard praised the documentary, welcoming ‘at last a very frank film, which hides no aspect.’ He believed if would ‘feed the debate in a very constructive manner.’

‘The movie’s timing is just perfect, coming out exactly as the talks intensify,’ said Muhamet Hajrullahu, a KTV journalist, finding it particularly useful in demonstrating ‘how diametrically opposite the opinions of Serbs and Albanians are.’

Alex Anderson, from the International Crisis Group, had seen the film before, and was therefore more interested in observing viewers’ responses to it.

‘The audience was good humored,’ he found.

The film was aired at 22:00 the same evening on RTK, Kosovo’s public service broadcaster.

Does Anyone have a plan gets Sofia premiere

BIRN’s documentary on Kosovo’s final status Does Anyone Has a Plan? was presented on January 27 at The Red House for Culture and Debates in Sofia.

Director Lode Desmet, BIRN Editor in Chief Gordana Igric and BIRN Kosovo Director joined BIRN Bulgaria director Albena Shkodrova to present the film and discuss it with the audience.

A 25-minute excerpt of the film was then broadcast on 5 February by the largest Bulgarian TV channel bTV.

BIRN Documentary gets own Website

To respond to the phenomenal interest shown in BIRN’s latest film, Does Anyone Have a Plan?, a new area has been added to the Network’s website.

The documentary on the regional context for Kosovo’s status talks, first screened on January 9, has provoked a lively debate at its cinema screenings.

To make the most of the opportunities it brings for open dialogue on this highly-charged issue, BIRN is publishing the full body of material it researched in making the film – an invaluable resource for media, researchers and others.

Visitors to BIRN’s site will soon find full transcripts of all interviews in several languages, a range of video clips, the film’s trailer, information on how the film was made, and reactions from viewers. A discussion forum will be added, as well as information on TV broadcasts, festival entries and buying and showing the film.

The documentary was made with a grant from the Swiss foreign ministry.

For more information on this project, contact BIRN Regional Network Director, Anna McTaggart.

Kosovo Documentary in High Demand

Following the final regional premiere of Does Anyone Have a Plan? on February 20 in Sarajevo, BIRN has received dozens of requests for special screenings and debates, as well as television broadcasts.

Already shown at primetime on Radio Television Serbia, Radio Television Kosovo, Macedonia’s Channel 5 and Bulgaria’s bTV, the film is now to be broadcast on all main BiH channels and dozens of local stations throughout the region.

A large number of embassies, NGOs and international organisations in the Balkans are making special screenings and debates, while internationally, prestigious academic institutions such as the Central European University in Budapest, University College London, the London School of Economics, and Oxford University are doing the same.

BIRN is furthermore actively entering the documentary in international film festivals, and will get its first such showing on March 23 at the “It’s All True” Documentary Film Festival in Sao Paulo, Brazil.

All requests for information about the film, screening or broadcasting it, as well as DVD copies in English, Bosnian, Serbian, Albanian and Macedonian languages, please contact BIRN Regional Network Director Anna McTaggart.

This project was financed by the Swiss foreign ministry.

BIRN Documentary Shown to NATO Political Advisors

In early May, excerpts from BIRN’s latest documentary “Does Anyone Have a Plan?” were shown at a NATO conference in Skopje, which gathered political advisors from the Balkans to discuss regional issues.

One of the participants main preoccupations is border demarcation and they saw the part of the film which illustrates concerns over this matter.

Participants found the film very useful.

In Macedonia the film was also shown on TV Menada in Tetovo in early April and TV Nova in Kumanovo later that month. BIRN has since received praise for the film from residents of Tetovo and Kumanovo.

BIRN Receives One Year Support From the Netherlands

The Balkan Investigative Reporting Network has received one-year support from the Netherlands. The grant is aimed to help BIRN to create a network of journalists across the Balkans, capable of probing and analysing key transition issues and the process of European integration for policy-makers and the public at large.

Specifically, this means increasing the strength of the teams of journalists and analysts across the region which produce our unique output; the BIRN hub and the BIRN network’s member organisations that support them; and the BIRN network’s capacity to reach out to other media, NGOs, institutions, policymakers and society at large.

BIRN documentary screened at LSE

The screening of the BIRN TV documentary Does Anyone Have a Plan at the prestigious London School of Economics on May 8 generated a lively discussion on Kosovo’s final status.

Gordana Igric, Executive Director of the BIRN Regional Network, fielded questions on the ongoing negotiations; the causes and consequences of the dissolution of Yugoslavia; and the economic viability of the countries that emerged from the breakup of the federation.

The film was produced in January this year and has been screened across the Balkans and internationally, receiving very positive reviews.