Quo Vadis, Aïda? (lit. where are you going Aïda?) tells a personal story set in the midst of Europe’s last genocide since WWII, which took place in 1995 in former Yugoslavia. Dutch soldiers known as “Dutchbat” were present at Srebrenica as part of UNPROFOR (United Nations Protection Force).
CoronaCheck: To visit this film you will need to show 1) a valid admission ticket 2) a COVID certificate (proof of vaccination, a negative test result or proof of recovery in the CoronaCheck app) 3) your ID. In case you are a student you also need to bring 4) your student ID card. The COVID certificate will be checked at the entrance of restaurant De Zwarte Doos, the admission ticket will be checked upstairs at the entrance of the film hall. Further information about CoronaCheck can be found here.
Language: English- Dutch- Bosnian- Serbian- Serbo Croatian, subtitles: English
This film focuses on the events surrounding the fall of Sebrenica, which ended in genocide of 8,372 people. The film manages to balance the enormity of dreadful historical events with the emotional specificity of individual stories, allowing the audience to engage even as they are appalled and outraged.
Female director Jasmila Zbanic made the film after extensive research and interviews with people involved. Even though the script was inspired by real life UN translator Hasan Nuhanović who wrote: Under the UN Flag: The International Community and the Srebrenica Genocide, she chooses to center the film around a female character who desperately tries to save her family once she realizes what is going on. Find more about her choices in this interview.
When the Serbian army takes over the town, her family is among the thousands of citizens looking for shelter in the UN camp. As an insider to the negotiations, Aïda has access to crucial information that she needs to interpret. She has to translate Dutch orders for the locals, yet has lost faith in the UN soldiers’ ability to de-escalate the conflict. What is on the horizon for her family and people - rescue or death? Which move should she make?
Reviews:
Director Zbanic crucially describes her film as portraying the “courage, love and resilience” of “a woman caught in a male game of war”, and dedicates it to “the women of Srebrenica and their 8,372 killed sons, fathers, husbands, brothers, cousins, neighbours…” The Guardian.
This moving, urgently needed drama by Jasmila Žbanić meticulously dissects how this conflict went from bad to worse. IFFR
Awards:
- Rotterdam International Filmfestival: BankGiro Loterij Audience Award
- Sofia International Film festival: Best Balkan Film
Nominated:
- Academy Awards (Oscar): Best International Feature Film
Please note: The Fall of Srebrenica was the result of a long and complicated history. Quo Vadis, Aïda? is a fictional film. The film will be preceded by textual slides that provide some basic context.
More information about the war in former Yugoslavia and the Fall of Srebrenica can be foundat the following:
Srebrenica massacre - Wikipedia
Balkans war: a brief guide - BBC News
Srebrenica massacre: UN court rejects Mladic genocide appeal - BBC News
Srebrenica: Timeline of Genocide (irmct.org)
Dutch cabinet resigns over Srebrenica massacre | World news | The Guardian
Dutch sites:
Val van Srebrenica - Wikipedia
Srebrenica: de machteloze missie van Dutchbat:
https://npokennis.nl/longread/7526/wat-gebeurde-er-in-srebrenica
Ticket information
This film will be shown at Filmhuis De Zwarte Doos. Buying a ticket online in advance is therefore mandatory if you want to attend this film. You can buy a ticket via the black “order” button on this page. Please note: you can only buy a ticket online; tickets are not purchasable with cash or bank card at the ticket counter.
Room opens 15 minutes before movie starts. Please make sure you are on time.
SG & USE registration
Please register your participation right away when attending the program on campus. Registration can be done by scanning your student card before the start of the program at the venue.
More information about SG & USE can be found here.