Documentary Film About War-Torn Kosovo to Premiere Amidst Rising Ethnic Tensions

Documentary Film About War-Torn Kosovo to Premiere Amidst Rising Ethnic Tensions

Filmmakers Capture the Toll of War's Aftermath on a Divided People

LOS ANGELES, Jan. 4 /PRNewswire/ -- Despite rising ethnic tensions, the documentary film "VIEW FROM THE BRIDGE: STORIES FROM KOSOVO," will premiere in the capital of Kosovo, Pristina, on Janurary 16, 2007 at 7PM.*

Independently financed and filmed by a three-person American crew, VIEW FROM THE BRIDGE tells the story of Kosovo since the 1999 war through the eyes of Kosovo natives. The film centers on Mitrovica, an ethnically divided town whose bridge has been a flashpoint for repeated riots over the past seven years. Last August, a grenade attack injured nine people at the cafe near the bridge where the film crew regularly met with their Serbian producer.

"The United States went to war in Kosovo before Iraq and before Afghanistan," says the film's director, Laura Bialis. "We wanted to explore what happens after the news cameras turn away. What's happened in Kosovo has proved to be a harbinger for things that were to come in Iraq and Afghanistan. Just because the bombs stop falling doesn't mean there's peace."

With the United Nations set to announce its decision on the final political status of Kosovo this February, ethnic tensions have been mounting. Albanians demand total political independence, while Serbs want the province to remain part of Serbia. Kosovo has been under the governance of the United Nations since NATO's 78-day bombing campaign drove out the Serb military in 1999.

"In some small way, we hope that our film can contribute to a new culture of hope and understanding," says producer/director John Ealer. Despite Hollywood's busy award season and the upcoming Sundance Film Festival, the producers thought this was the right time and place to launch their film. "Having the film premiere at this pivotal moment in Kosovo's history was more important than any film festival, though it will be strange to be in Pristina instead of Park City this time of year."

The screening will take place at the Kosovo National Theater in Pristina on January 16, 2007, at 19:00 CET. A second screening, planned for the city of Mitrovica, has yet to be announced, pending resolution of security concerns.

Sirena Films, LLC is an independent documentary production company based in Los Angeles, CA. It's award-winning principals, Laura Bialis and John Ealer, have numerous network and cable television credits, including several documentaries about human rights issues.

For more information, go to http://www.kosovomovie.com/ and http://www.sirenafilms.com/.

* All times CET (Central European Time)

Source: Sirena Films, LLC

CONTACT: John Ealer (US), +1-310-403-5646, press@sirenafilms.com, or
Behar Zogiani, (Europe), +377 44 112 115, beharz@gmail.com, or Caitlin Taylor
(US), +1-310-826-8112, or cell, +1-323-251-9947, all of Sirena Films, LLC

Web site: http://www.sirenafilms.com/
http://www.kosovomovie.com/

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