Early spring 2011, we leave for the Western Balkans and Turkey, countries in negotiation of becoming new members of the European Union. The Balkans is an often forgotten region in Europe, and often painted in dark, violent colours. Turkey is the ungraspable nation located on the last square meter of Southeast Europe, not enough to be ‘European’ some would say.
But do we know what Europe is, who it is, where it is?
The Balkans is a mixture of peoples, nations, ethnicities, nationalities, religions, cultures, heritage and more, much more… The Balkans is the very evidence of all that created Europe. It is the link between North, South, East and West. No wonder why it is complicated, no wonder why we need the Balkans to better understand each other and ourselves.
In three, one hour long, documentary films we meet with a variety of people and places, taking us to:
Albania, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Croatia, Kosovo, Macedonia (FYROM), Montenegro, Serbia, Turkey (Istanbul)
| Part I: SARAJEVO | |
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| Part II: BELGRADE | |
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| Part III: ZAGREB | |
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1st Film
SARAJEVO // BELGRADE // ZAGREB
The war came to Sarajevo in the spring of 1992 and forever changed the local but also European history. Almost twenty years after the breakout of the war, much has happened in the former Yugoslavia, where the old capital, Belgrade has regained its role as the central point for the youth all over the Balkans; Zagreb soon being another EU capital and Sarajevo… Well, Sarajevo a city with soul, pain and humour.
In the three cities we go about questions of the past, present and the future, we meet with the youth and try to get a picture of what life is like.
| Part I: MOSTAR | |
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| Part II: ISTANBUL | |
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| Part III: SUBOTICA | |
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2nd Film
OTTOMAN // BALKAN // EUROPE
Mostar, Istanbul, Subotica, Strasbourg
The Europe that we know, what would that be and what would it look like? Who is a European and who is not? Where do we live, and with whom? Why do we differentiate ourselves from one another? Why did we and why do we fight one another?… A thousand questions and millions answers.
The Ottoman heritage in Europe is a part of what it means to be European.
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| Part II | |
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3rd Film
GOING BACK // LEAVING // STAYING
Albania, Macedonia, Montenegro, Kosovo
Alexandra, Julien and Yoann travel throughout these four countries in the Balkans and meet with Roma, Caritas, refugees, nuns, politicians, and with the youth of the region.
The Roma who are levying their hand to us on the streets of Paris, Berlin, Brussels, are levying their hand to us in the Balkans as well. They live aside everywhere in Europe, but why?
The issues of migration, immigration, dislocation of people, the right to a piece of land, to a community… are sensitive and disturbing issues especially when it comes to Roma. On the ground our reporters have us discover a region of contrasts, between human warmth and misery in a dazzling landscape.
© Louvranges Broadcast 2011
A film by LOUVRANGES BROADCAST : Anna Sennö and André Bossuroy
Coordinator and contact: André Bossuroy // aboss@skynet.be
Reporters: Alexandra Jastrzebska, Erika Lastovskyte, Yoann Le Bars, Julien Mabin, Anna Sennö
Music: Ivo Saint
A project financed with the support from the European Commission
Directorate-General Enlargement // The programme Prince 2009 – EU 27 aims to familiarise people in EU Member States with the contemporary reality of candidate countries and potential candidates in Southeastern European Countries and to promote tolerance and understanding through people-to-people encounters…