Synopsis:
February 27, 1993, Štrpci, Bosnia and Herzegovina. A passenger train on the Belgrade–Bar route is stopped by paramilitary forces during an ethnic cleansing operation. As innocent civilians are taken away, only one man among 500 passengers dares to stand up to them. This is the true story of the man who couldn’t stay silent.
Director’s Statement: “The film is based on a horrific crime committed in Bosnia 30 years ago. Every crime has three sides: the perpetrators, the victims, and the witnesses. I was particularly interested in the witnesses. We approached the film as if everything were happening today, as if it were happening to us, here. It’s easy to imagine that the people on the train were someone else, but they could have been us – and in a way, they are us. Acts of violence happen around us every day. Locally, they may not be as extreme as during the war in the former Yugoslavia, but globally, they are even more brutal. Each of us faces the question posed by the film’s protagonist: should we stand up against violence, even if we ourselves are not its target?” (Nebojša Slijepčević)
The Sarajevo Film Festival extends its best wishes to the team behind The Man Who Couldn’t Stay Silent for the 97th Academy Awards®.
For more information about the film, visit the official website: THE MAN WHO COULD NOT REMAIN SILENT.COM
