This surprising blend of contemporary refugee drama, love triangle and medieval Serbian poem nabbed the top prize at the Karlovy Vary Film Festival. It begins outside Belgrade, an important point on the Balkan migrant route and the hometown of director Arsenijevic,
The film centers on Samita and his wife Ababuo. They left Ghana dreaming of a better life in Europe. But instead of reaching France, they were deported back to Serbia. While resourceful Samita is building a career playing soccer and as the go-to fixer in their refugee camp, Ababuo feels increasingly frustrated. When she disappears one day, Samita sets out to find her.
In searching for the right angle for his story, Arsenijevic thought about the epic poem, “Strahinja Banovic.” He notes, “National identity and national heritage are touchy subjects in my country, so it occurred to me: what if I replace Serbian national heroes with contemporary African migrants?” This decision provides fascinating and provocative perspectives.
Director Biography
Stefan Arsenijevic’s 2003 short film, “(A)Torzija”, was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film. He is the director of the documentary feature Belgrade Sound (2001) and the feature films Love and Other Crimes (2008), Do Not Forget Me Istanbul (2010) and As Far As I Can Walk (2021).
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