2009 Events

St. Louis premiere screenings of two Bosnia-related films followed by a Q & A with the directors. In English.

Background

War and genocide in the former Yugoslavia during the 1990s revived enduring questions about human responses in times of crisis. Those on the outside watched passively as multi-ethnic communities were violently torn apart. While ordinary Bosnians suffered and died for months that turned to years, opportunities to effectively intervene were squandered by avoidance, evasion, and moral equivalency between aggressors and victims.

Those caught in war zones in Bosnia-Herzegovina faced life and death choices in circumstances over which they had little or no control. Many made the painful decision to seek status as refugees in other countries as the "ethnic cleansing" of their homeland continued unabated for three and a half years. Tens of thousands lost their lives, and more than two million Bosnians -- nearly half the total population -- became refugees.

St. Louis, Missouri is today home to more than 50,000 people from all parts of Bosnia-Herzegovina. These film screenings are part of a series of programs sponsored by Fontbonne University and the exhibit consortium for Prijedor: Lives from the Bosnian Genocide on display in the Board Room of the Fontbonne University Library. This exhibit will be open for viewing before and after the events on Saturday and Sunday.

$10.00 admission at the door.

St. Louis premiere screenings of two Bosnia-related films followed by a Q & A with the directors. In Bosnian.

Background

War and genocide in the former Yugoslavia during the 1990s revived enduring questions about human responses in times of crisis. Those on the outside watched passively as multi-ethnic communities were violently torn apart. While ordinary Bosnians suffered and died for months that turned to years, opportunities to effectively intervene were squandered by avoidance, evasion, and moral equivalency between aggressors and victims.

Those caught in war zones in Bosnia-Herzegovina faced life and death choices in circumstances over which they had little or no control. Many made the painful decision to seek status as refugees in other countries as the "ethnic cleansing" of their homeland continued unabated for three and a half years. Tens of thousands lost their lives, and more than two million Bosnians -- nearly half the total population -- became refugees. St. Louis, Missouri, is today home to more than 50,000 people from all parts of Bosnia-Herzegovina. The film screenings are part of a series of programs sponsored by Fontbonne University and the exhibit consortium for Prijedor: Lives from the Bosnian Genocide displayed in the Board Room of the Fontbonne University Library. This exhibit will be open for viewing before and after the events on Saturday and Sunday.

$10.00 admission at the door.

A public screening of the documentary film followed by a panel discussion featuring one of the filmmakers (Beth Pike) and two local experts on the Bosnian genocide.

Part of the Dedicated Semester on Immigrant Experiences.

A public presentation by filmmaker Edward Serotta with screenings of his Nightline documentary, Searching for which was based on his book, Survival in Sarajevo: How a Jewish Community Came to the Aid of Its City.