Tag: Hub

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.

The journalists – from Serbia, Slovenia, Kosovo, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Albania, Bulgaria, Austria, Estonia, France and Romania – heard on the first day about investigative stories, methods of online research and the challenges of reporting on human trafficking.

Renowned British journalist David Leigh explained that working on investigative stories is a dangerous game. “In essence, you’re blundering along blind, because you don’t know what you’re looking for, but despite this, it is your job to collect the evidence and proof,” said Leigh.

He added that the longstanding principles of Britain’s Guardian newspaper – honesty, integrity, courage, fairness and a sense of duty – are applicable to modern investigative journalism.

Leigh told the participants about a seven-year-long investigation that he was part of, which uncovered bribery in arms dealings in Britain, highlighted the need for patience and hard, written evidence for investigative stories.

“Comment is free, but facts are sacred. This is why it is the job of journalists to get the facts right,” said Leigh.

German executive producer and journalist Marcus Lindemann discussed various online research possibilities. He revealed effective ways in which journalists can get information online about companies, individuals and issues.  

The summer school’s first working day ended with a discussion about the challenges of investigative reporting about human trafficking. Independent consultant and adviser Ruth Rosenberg spoke about the need for journalists to be highly sensitive to victims’ needs when reporting about trafficking.

“We must take care of the privacy, confidentiality and security of victims when reporting on human trafficking stories. You, as journalists, must bear in mind that your stories can have extreme consequences for the people you interview,” said Rosenberg.

Slovenian state prosecutor Savica Pureber and Katjusa Popovic from the NGO Kljuc talked about how the state and non-governmental sector work together to deal with human trafficking issues, highlighting the need for media to cover these stories, but in a sensitive and professional manner.

Meanwhile, Marija Andjelkovic from the NGO ASTRA in Serbia told the journalists about her organisation which runs a trafficking hotline which has received thousands of calls.

“The trends of trafficking in Serbia are changing. Ten years ago we had mostly victims of trafficking from Moldova, Russia, but today 99 per cent of victims are from Serbia. We are also seeing a rise in under-age victims,” said Andjelkovic.

Katrin Adams, who works on the prevention of human trafficking for Germany’s Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit, said that because these issues have been in the public eye for a while, the situation in the region has improved compared to 15 to 20 years ago.

“Prosecutors and judges have been sensitised. We have NGOs and they cooperate very well, but we have problems with sustainable and coherent ideas to improve the social welfare system. We need sustainable prevention,” said Adams.

BIRN Summer School of Investigative Reporting 2013 is organized in cooperation with the Media Program South East Europe of the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung and with support of King Baudouin Foundation and Belgium National Lottery and OSCE Mission in Kosovo, OSCE Mission to Serbia and USAID in Macedonia.

This year’s BIRN Summer School will be held at Bled Lake in Slovenia from August 25-31.

All those interested should apply online by following this link:  http://www.balkaninsight.com/en/birn-summer-school/birn-summer-school-2013-enrolment.

Experienced journalists from Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Kosovo, Macedonia, Montenegro, Romania and Serbia can apply for full scholarships that will cover full-board accommodation, a travel fee up to 100 euros and BIRN’s published textbook  “Digging Deeper: A Guide for Investigative Journalists in the Balkans”.

Application for international participants is open until August 20.

BIRN Summer School of Investigative Reporting 2013 is organized in cooperation with the Media Program South East Europe of the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung and with support of King Baudouin Foundation and Belgium National Lottery and OSCE Mission in Kosovo, OSCE Mission to Serbia and USAID Macedonia.