Tonight at 9 p.m., as part of the BH Film program, audiences will have the opportunity to watch the documentary BLUM – MASTERS OF THEIR OWN DESTINY by Jasmila Žbanić. The film premiered in Sarajevo in 2024, while its working version was screened at the Sarajevo Film Festival back in 2022 as a special pre-festival open-air event. BLUM – MASTERS OF THEIR OWN DESTINY follows the life of Emerik Blum and his influence on the development of Sarajevo and Yugoslavia. After World War II, Sarajevo became the center of one of the most significant industrial stories, with the founding of the engineering company Energoinvest.
Thanks to its successful business model, Energoinvest quickly expanded its influence not only throughout Yugoslavia but also across the globe. Taking advantage of Yugoslavia’s unique position—belonging neither to the Eastern nor the Western bloc—the company conducted business on both sides, significantly increasing its capital. The film particularly focuses on the company’s internal structure, based on the principles of workers’ self-management. In this system, employees actively participated in making decisions that were crucial for the company’s operation and management. Through a combination of archival materials, interviews, and carefully constructed narration, the film brings to life the most important period of Yugoslavia’s post-war development.
Through this work, Jasmila Žbanić not only highlights Blum’s achievements and his approach to business but also offers a critique of the contemporary system in which workers have little to no control over their working conditions. The film reminds us of a time when labor was seen as a shared effort and responsibility—quite different from today’s models that often disregard workers’ rights and voices. As the founder of Energoinvest and the pioneer of this working model, Emerik Blum was a key figure in promoting the idea that a company belongs to its workers. His vision was aimed at creating a system in which workers could decide their own fate, thus shaping a unique model of business. At the very beginning of the documentary, through archival interview footage, Blum himself explains his belief that, although he was formally the company’s director, it was the workers who could and should be the true “masters of their future.”
The film opens with contemporary media reports documenting poor working conditions in many companies around the world. These images question the possibility of better labor organization, pointing to growing inequality and the degradation of workers’ rights. In this context, the film poses a crucial question: is there an alternative? A title card then appears on the screen, suggesting that the answer to this question already existed—in Energoinvest, one of the largest and most successful companies of its time. The narrative spans a broad time frame, from the company’s founding in 1951 to its legacy today. Using a wealth of archival material and testimonies, the film not only examines Blum’s role as a leader but also sheds light on the broader social and economic context of the era.
Particularly striking is the way the film intertwines past and present—juxtaposing images of inhumane working conditions in modern-day companies with scenes of supermarkets being built on the sites of former industrial zones. At the same time, viewers are confronted with images of former factories, some of which were turned into memorial centers after the war, such as the one dedicated to the victims of the Srebrenica genocide. In this way, the film seeks to evoke a powerful emotional response, reminding audiences not only of Emerik Blum’s importance but also of the values of solidarity and community that once formed the basis of work and society. The archival materials were gathered from a variety of sources, including the Archives of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Radio and Television of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Sarajevo Film Center, Radio Television of Serbia, Croatian Radiotelevision, and many others. These materials provide an authentic insight into the era of Emerik Blum. In contrast to the past, the present is represented through interviews with people who personally knew Blum—most of them former Energoinvest employees, from managers to technical staff—ensuring a wide perspective and a wealth of personal stories.
By combining extensive archival footage, animations, and music, the film creates a dynamic and emotional narrative that bridges past and present, inviting audiences to reflect on today’s social and economic challenges. The inclusion of not only documentary footage but also excerpts from feature films and other works of art underscores Blum’s wide-ranging social impact: he was a supporter not only of science and technology but also of culture, art, and sports. Ultimately, the film seeks to remind us of how important it is for workers to have a say in shaping their own future—encouraging reflection in today’s world, where workers are increasingly losing their power.
Ilma Smajlović
