The first day of the BH Film program features 3 documentaries and 1 feature film. In an effort to highlight the documentary film as a significant aspect of our cinematography and to learn more about the work of Sanela Prašović, a journalist, documentary filmmaker, and PhD. in Communication Sciences, we spoke with Mrs. Prašović.
We hope you will enjoy this conversation as well as the film you can watch tomorrow, August 17th, at 18:00 at Cineplexx Sarajevo as part of the BH Film program.
• Why do you think it is important to address the Holocaust today?
It is always important to talk about the Holocaust, genocide, and every crime where innocent people were killed. Addressing these topics through film, while nurturing a culture of memory, is particularly significant for both the artists who create such works and for society. As you may know, before World War II, there were about 14,500 Jews living in Bosnia and Herzegovina, with approximately 12,500 in Sarajevo. Today, there are around 700 Jews living in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The Holocaust left a deep mark and is considered the worst crime in modern human history. In my film, I convey the story of events from World War II in Bosnia and Herzegovina. This is a complete historical account and has absolutely no connection to the present moment. It is a story of more than 9,000 killed Sarajevo citizens, Jews, during World War II, which I began preparing two years ago.
• Erna Kaveson Debevec has a truly remarkable story. How did you choose your protagonist?
Two years ago, I learned about Mrs. Kaveson Debevec, who survived the Holocaust as a child while most of her family members were tragically killed. I then began to investigate the story more deeply, visiting archives, gathering materials, and seeking data. I am immensely grateful to the Historical Archive of Sarajevo for making documents and important information available to me, as well as to all other institutions. I am one of those authors or directors who thoroughly research a story, fully dedicate themselves to it, and do not rush the creation process. The research took two years, and aside from the documentary film, I am currently working on a scholarly paper on the Holocaust in Bosnia and Herzegovina because I have gathered exceptional material and documentation, and it would be a shame not to turn this research into a scientific work that will contribute to future studies.
• You discuss locations in the film quite a bit—how important do you think the topography of memory is?
The locations where the film was shot are important from several aspects. You have documentary filmmakers who will talk to a few interviewees, connect their answers into a story, possibly include some archival footage, and call it a documentary film. After more than 30 years in this profession and as a PhD. in Communication Sciences, I always aim to show more, to document the story, because I consider it important to communicate the content and visual story as comprehensively as possible to the public. Therefore, I worked slowly and completely dedicated to the documentary film “I Survived the Holocaust.” From my conversations with Mrs. Erna, I extracted significant events, which I then marked with specific locations. I created a script for the reconstruction scenes and determined the locations. The film was shot across four countries, at authentic locations. I believe that this is the strength of the film, which, through locations, perpetuates the story of certain events, and this is where the importance of the topography of memory is reflected. Ultimately, the filming began in May 2023 and concluded at the end of January 2024, followed by post-production.
• Mrs. Kaveson Debevec’s journey ends on the islands. Very few people are aware of their role in World War II. How does collective forgetfulness relate to shaping an image of a place?
After fleeing Sarajevo, Erna, with her mother and older sister, arrived in Mostar. After some time, her father also arrived. They then had to go to Split, where the Italians were in control, and from there, they were sent to the island of Brač. We filmed reconstruction scenes precisely at these locations because it is important. Additionally, an Italian camp was later established on the island of Rab, and the Kaveson family was interned there. Today, people vacation on the island of Rab and are completely unaware that there was a concentration camp there, especially not knowing that it was managed by the Italians. In the film, I present information about this, as well as data on how many people did not survive the camp on the island of Rab. The Kaveson family survived, and when Italy declared capitulation, partisans helped them move to the mainland, where they eventually ended up in Topusko. This entire journey was difficult and painful. Due to Italy’s role in World War II, I filmed an interview with the excellent historian, Professor Marco Mondini in Padua, who explains this part of the events very directly.
• How important is television documentary filmmaking for the survival and development of documentary film, and how do you see the division between television and authorial documentaries?
Television is generally a fast-paced medium, and few authors can dedicate a long time to a single project within television journalism. However, television authors are trained to stick to facts, investigate, be truthful and reliable, thorough, and responsible towards the story or people they want to document. Working for years in the Documentary Program at FTV, I have authored many documentaries, some of which have won awards at festivals, and some have prompted changes in society and the state. On the other hand, in recent years, I have personally worked as an independent author and have more space to dedicate to a story and certainly greater resources. However, when you question the division between television and authorial documentaries, that, so to speak, division, is becoming less noticeable because today you have excellent documentaries on Netflix or HBO platforms or local TV stations, as well as in cinemas or at film festivals. I think the potential difference between television and authorial documentaries is gradually fading because you must not overlook the fact that many TV editorial teams consist of great professionals, award-winning documentary filmmakers. I believe the narrative highlighting these “divisions” is completely outdated and not in step with the current moment. An authorial documentary film can be fantastic or bad, just like a television documentary. Today, I see works in the media space that are called documentaries but are not, as they lack the quality of documentary expression, and the authors are neither professionally trained nor talented. But I also see perfect documentaries made by TV station employees or independent authors. I often discuss this with students. We must not make a distinction. We need to encourage young people to seek out stories that are important to share with the public and to prepare these stories not just to fulfil a task and say “I made a documentary” but so that the story in a documentary format has meaning, message, and strength. Let me also say that the co-producer of the documentary “I Survived the Holocaust” is BHRT, our national public service. That institution has historically produced many prominent authors, documentarists, excellent screenwriters, directors… and initiated and created significant film projects. Never forget that.
