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Moment of Silence for Victims of the Drina River Tragedy Before the World Premiere of a Film on Migrants

The world premiere of Vuk Ršumović's film Dweling among the Gods closed the Competition Programme - Feature Film at the 30th Sarajevo Film Festival.

This poignant film, based on a true event from 2015, was dedicated to the migrants who tragically lost their lives in the Drina River. The screening began with a moment of silence in honor of the deceased.

“The story of this film takes place in 2015, but unfortunately, these stories continue,” said Ršumović.

His film Dweling among the Gods follows the journey of a young Afghan woman, Fereshteh, who arrives in Belgrade with her husband and three children after an exhausting journey to Europe. There, she learns that her younger brother Ali, who had arrived in Belgrade before them, has drowned and is soon to be buried as an unidentified person. Although Fereshteh lacks personal documents to verify her own identity, she refuses to leave Belgrade before burying her brother under his rightful name. She embarks on a complex process to confirm his identity, using a DNA sample from their father, who remains in Afghanistan. After finally succeeding and receiving permission to claim her brother's body, Fereshteh discovers that her father wishes to bury his son in Afghanistan. This time, Fereshteh decides to take matters into her own hands.

“Every day, we witness violence. We live in a world of aggression, insecurity, a world where many people suffer and die daily. A film cannot immediately respond to everything happening around us, to all the tragedies that surround us, but it is clear that with numerous films at the Festival, including this one today, filmmakers are addressing just that. In this spirit, the film crew and the Sarajevo Film Festival invite you, our loyal audience, to observe a moment of silence for all victims, especially those of this refugee and human tragedy on the Drina River. With this film and this message, we close the Competition Programme – Feature Film of the 30th Sarajevo Film Festival, hoping that the next Festival, the next competition program, will be welcomed in at least a slightly better world,” said Elma Tataragić, the selector of the Competition Programme – Feature Film.