The film NEBO IZNAD ZENICA directed by Nanna Frank Møller and Zlatko Pranjić, which was shown in Sarajevo, highlights the efforts of the citizens’ association Eko Forum, led by activist Samir Lemeš, to expose how the iron factory, which is the source of pollution in Zenica, is presented as environmentally conscious. industrial plant while at the same time continuing with its harmful practice. Despite the fact that the plant enjoys the support of the city authorities and attracts money from European investors, its real impact on the environment and the population of Zenica remains hidden.
After the film screening, journalist and director Robert Zuber moderated a panel discussion on the topic “Investment in tomorrow: Who owns the future?”, with the authors of the film, producer Lisa Lense Møller and the ambassador of the Netherlands in Bosnia and Herzegovina, His Excellency Henk van den Dool .
Speaking about the motivation for starting this project, director Pranjić recalled that in 2017 they came across an article in The Guardian entitled “Zenica: a city of iron where even breathing can be painful”. He then recognized Samir, his childhood friend who was leading this battle, but his voice could not be heard at that moment. The text motivated him to call Nanna to initiate a joint film shoot.
The director stated that, although she is an outsider in this story, she easily understood that it is difficult for the inhabitants of a war-affected area to get back on their feet, when nothing fundamentally changes in the environment they live in: “Big corporations are getting bigger and bigger, which every day makes it difficult for those who would like to oppose them. That’s why you don’t often find people like Samir who are brave enough to confront these problems,” said Nana Frank Møller. She also stated that she noticed that other residents of Zenica started talking more about this problem after the work on this project started. Despite this, the director warns that such things are often “swept under the carpet”, so she appealed to the international community to help persevere in solving this problem.
The Ambassador of the Netherlands assessed this project as important not only because environmental protection is one of the focuses of this country’s foreign policy, but also because it was recognized that film can be a powerful weapon in dealing with these and similar problems: “It is difficult to see that it is not talking about a Skywalker who wants to take over the empire, but that it is a reality, which is only a few kilometers from where we are currently sitting.”
He also compared Zenica with the circumstances that were connected to his hometown in the past: “An ironworks like this existed in the place where I grew up. I remember that my mother never took the laundry out to dry because it would turn completely gray. When it snowed in the winter, we would only have one day to enjoy it, because the next day it would be completely black and we didn’t find anything unusual about it,” Van den Dool recalled.
Warning of the long-term consequences of this pollution, the ambassador warns that even today, fifty years after this pollution, when numerous precautionary measures have already been taken, there are many people suffering from cancer, diabetes and other diseases in this region compared to other regions in the Netherlands. This example should further encourage a sense of urgency when it comes to the problem that Zenica is facing today. The Ambassador is particularly concerned by the fact that the film does not show that any of the authorities or representatives of the Steel Industry show a willingness to take responsibility for what is happening, reminding that in such cases it is important to have strong legislation that will force it.
Producer Lise Lense-Møller reminded that many environmental problems around the world remain forgotten until someone starts talking about them: “Our task, the task of the film, is to shine a light on forgotten topics and to stimulate conversations about them.”
After the main part of the panel, the audience congratulated the author team on the project. The protagonist of the film, Samir Lemeš, spoke from the audience and spoke about the current situation in Zenica and the steps that will be taken in this matter, announcing tomorrow’s meeting with the authorities, which will be held without the presence of cameras.
“The film was excellent, as a person who lives in Zenica, I found myself in this film and I really sympathize with the film crew. I am glad that I was able to see the team that showed how citizens can participate in the fight for their rights. I learned that citizens should be united in struggles, because we as individuals cannot contribute much, we have to be united,” said Sara Điđić from Studio Teatro, Zenica.
That film, art and culture can create a space for discussing these important and sensitive topics was also confirmed by this year’s 30th jubilee Sarajevo Film Festival with its Human Rights Day program, which is being held for the third time in this format from August 17 to 23, 2024. . year. The program brought together young activists from Bosnia and Herzegovina and representatives of the Network of Young European Ambassadors, which consists of young people from all over the Western Balkans, who during the six days of the program discuss human rights and the influence of art, especially film, in addressing cases of human rights violations.
Photo credit: sff.ba
Source: mladi.org
