The new short documentary film “Remember Me” tells a powerful story of two young women whose fathers were disappeared during the conflict in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Produced by the Association of Women Izvor from Prijedor, Bosnia and Herzegovina and directed by Azra Hodzic, the film features Hasema, who was only two years old when her father was taken to the Keraterm camp, and Lejla, who was only a few months old when her father was disappeared.
Watch 'Remember Me'
Enforced disappearances were among the most heinous crimes committed during the 1992-1995 conflict in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The children of the disappeared have been particularly affected. The vast majority of them go through life searching for answers about the circumstances of their parents' disappearance, and carrying emotional scars even in cases where the remaining family members try to shield them from the full truth about what happened.
"'Remember Me' is a powerful yet subtle film. Its strength comes from the differing emotional styles and experiences that the two protagonists had. The contrasting yet overlapping nature of their reactions testifies to the poisonous legacy of disappearances on children’s lives, whether we tell them what happened early on or try to shield them from the truth,” said ICTJ President David Tolbert.
“Remember Me” will premiere on the International Human Rights day in Sarajevo War Theater (SARTR) and will be made available to international audiences online. At the screening in in Sarajevo, the film will be followed by a panel discussion on trans-generational transfer of trauma in cases of disappearances.
The film was made with support of the International Commission for Missing Persons, and is the first in a series the Association of Women from Prijedor Izvor plans to produce with the aim of contributing to a culture of remembrance in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
