Photos: Slamdance Documentary Film About Kosovo Debuts as New Balkan Political Crisis Looms

Photos: Slamdance Documentary Film About Kosovo Debuts as New Balkan Political Crisis Looms

Film highlights the human impact of the politics of hate

LOS ANGELES, Jan. 17 /PRNewswire/ -- At the peak of renewed political tensions in Kosovo, the first feature documentary about the province since the war, "VIEW FROM THE BRIDGE: STORIES FROM KOSOVO," debuts at the Slamdance 2008 Film Festival in Park City, Utah.

To view the Multimedia News Release, go to: http://www.prnewswire.com/mnr/sirenafilms/31442/

Created by filmmakers John Ealer and Laura Bialis, VIEW FROM THE BRIDGE forgoes politicians and historians in favor of harrowing first-person accounts of life in Kosovo. The film centers on Mitrovica, an ethnically divided town whose bridge has been a flashpoint for repeated riots over the past seven years between ethnic Albanians and Serbs.

Crossing the bridge was one of the scariest parts of making the movie. "Peace is for the brave," says co-director John Ealer. "In Kosovo, the legacy of the politics of hate is chilling. Crossing the bridge became a metaphor for all of us about the courage needed to make peace, to put the past behind and forge a new future."

Kosovo's promise to declare independence from Serbia has re-ignited Cold War tensions as the United States and the European Union square off with Russia over the future of the province. The United States backs independence for the mostly ethnic Albanian Kosovo, while Russia is determined to keep the province part of Serbia.

Slamdance unveils the film for an American audience. "As independent filmmakers, we've already gotten the best review we could hope for," says co-director Laura Bialis. Last fall, the European Union Planning Team for Kosovo adopted the film as part of its training program for all EU staff working in Kosovo, hailing the film as a balanced and compassionate portrayal of the province. Screening the film for Albanian and Serb audiences -- separately, of course -- was the hardest part, says Bialis. "Neither side was very happy with the film, which means I think we hit the nail on the head."

Fears of renewed ethnic violence grow as Kosovo's newly-elected Prime Minister Hashim Thaci -- once the leader of the Kosovo Liberation Army, an Albanian guerrilla group -- renewed pledges to declare independence within weeks. Meanwhile, Serbian politicians have made Kosovo a major issue in their upcoming elections. Serbian nationalist presidential candidate Tomislav Nikolic recently told a crowd of 2,000 Serbs gathered near the bridge in Mitrovica, "I will never turn my back on you, without Kosovo there is no Serbia."

Serbs, though less than 10% of Kosovo's population, flatly reject independence, staking a political claim in the region dating back at least six centuries. Kosovo has been under the governance of the United Nations since NATO's 78-day bombing campaign drove out the Serb military in 1999 and averted a humanitarian crisis. Repeated United Nations and European Union attempts to broker a compromise have failed.

The Slamdance screenings will take place at the Treasure Mountain Inn at 255 Main Street, Park City, Utah on Monday, January 21 at 7:00PM and Thursday January 24 at 12:30PM.*

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.slamdance.bside.com/ or http://www.kosovomovie.com/.

*All times MST (Mountain Standard Time)

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Video:

http://www.prnewswire.com/mnr/sirenafilms/31442
Source: Sirena Films

CONTACT: John Ealer, +1-310-403-5646, john@johnealer.com, or Laura
Bialis, +1-310-658-8858, laura@sirenafilms.com, both of Sirena Films

Web site:

http://www.sirenafilms.com/
http://www.slamdance.bside.com/
http://www.kosovomovie.com/

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