''Remake'' is a 2003 Bosnian

war film War film is a film genre concerned with warfare, typically about navy, naval, air force, air, or army, land battles, with combat scenes central to the drama. It has been strongly associated with the 20th century. The fateful nature of battle s ...

directed by Dino Mustafić, and produced by Enes Cviko and Martine de Clermont-Tonnerre. The film is a Turkish-French co-production. The film stars Ermin Bravo, Aleksandar Seksan, Ermin Sijamija, Dejan Aćimović,

Lucija Šerbedžija Lucija Šerbedžija (born 8 June 1973) is a Croatian theatre and film actress and model, a daughter of actor, Rade, and a sister of film director, Danilo Šerbedžija. She is probably best known in the English-speaking world for her role in '' ...

, Emir Hadžihafizbegović,

Miraj Grbić Miraj Grbić (born 17 July 1976) is a Bosnian–American film, television and theater actor. Biography Grbić graduated from the Academy of Performing Arts, Sarajevo, Academy of Performing Arts in Sarajevo at the University of Sarajevo, where he ...

, François Berléand, Évelyne Bouix, and was written by

Zlatko Topčić Zlatko Topčić (born 30 April 1955) is a Bosnian screenwriter, playwright and novelist. He has written a number of films, including: ''Remake (2003 film), Remake'', ''The Abandoned (2010 film), The Abandoned'', ''Miracle in Bosnia''; theater p ...

(based on incidents which occurred in his life). ''Remake'' tells the parallel

coming-of-age stories Coming of age is a Youth, young person's transition from being a child to being an adult. The specific age at which this transition takes place varies between societies, as does the nature of the change. It can be a simple legal convention or ...

of a father living in

Sarajevo Sarajevo ( ), ; ''see Names of European cities in different languages (Q–T)#S, names in other languages'' is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Bosnia and Herzegovina, largest city of Bosnia and Herzegovina, with a population of 2 ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

and his son living through the

Siege of Sarajevo The siege of Sarajevo () was a prolonged military blockade of Sarajevo, the capital of Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina, during the ethnically charged Bosnian War. After it was initially besieged by Serbian forces of the Yugoslav People's Arm ...

during the

Bosnian War The Bosnian War ( / Рат у Босни и Херцеговини) was an international armed conflict that took place in Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bosnia and Herzegovina between 1992 and 1995. Following several earlier violent incid ...

. The film premiered at the 32nd

International Film Festival Rotterdam International Film Festival Rotterdam (IFFR) is an annual film festival held at the end of January in various locations in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, focused on independent and experimental films. The inaugural festival took place in June 1972, ...

on January 23, 2003. The film's US premiere was at the 2004 Wine Country Film Festival (

San Francisco San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial District, San Francisco, financial, and Culture of San Francisco, cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of ...

), where it won three awards: Best First Feature, Best Actor (Bravo) and Award for Peace and Cultural Understanding. It won a Special Mention Award at the 53rd Berlin International Film Festival.

Plot and theme

In the early 1990s, Tarik is a young Sarajevan just starting out as a writer. Before the onset of war in the former

Yugoslavia , common_name = Yugoslavia , life_span = 1918–19921941–1945: World War II in Yugoslavia#Axis invasion and dismemberment of Yugoslavia, Axis occupation , p1 = Kingdom of SerbiaSerbia , flag_p ...

, he sends a screenplay to a literary competition in

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

. In a parallel plot, we see the dramatization of his script: a true story of his father Ahmed Karaga, who is unprepared for the outbreak of World War II and ends up in a concentration camp, but manages to survive. In the present plot, Ahmed's drama is almost identically replayed in the fate of Tarik. Only the era and the conditions of suffering have changed. In Sarajevo, Tarik is captured by the

Serbian Army The Serbian Army () is the land-based and the largest component of the Serbian Armed Forces. Its organization, composition, weapons and equipment are adapted to the assigned missions and tasks of the Serbian Armed Forces, primarily for operatio ...

and is subjected to the cruel conditions of a labour camp, which differs little from a concentration camp. After an unsuccessful attempt to escape, a famous French film producer helps exchange Tarik for another prisoner and ensures transportation to

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

. There, where few know of the great tragedy that has struck

Bosnia Bosnia and Herzegovina, sometimes known as Bosnia-Herzegovina and informally as Bosnia, is a country in Southeast Europe. Situated on the Balkans, Balkan Peninsula, it borders Serbia to the east, Montenegro to the southeast, and Croatia to th ...

, he meets one of his tormentors. The film explores the theme of revenge versus forgiveness, as well as the idea that history repeats itself and that those who do not learn from it are doomed to repeat it. ''Remake'' is also a coming-of-age drama, with scenes in which Ahmed and Tarik go out with their friends, have fun, fall in love.

Cast and characters

* Ermin Bravo as Tarik Karaga * Aleksandar Seksan as Miro Jovanović, Tarik's best friend *Miralem Zupčević as Ahmed Karaga, Tarik's father * Ermin Sijamija as the younger version of Ahmed * Dejan Aćimović as Duke Mišo, one of the commanders of the local Serbian forces and Tarik's neighbor *

as Eva Bebek, Ahmed's girlfriend from his youth *Slaven Knezović as Marko Kalaba, Ahmed's friend * Helena Minić as Alma Dizdarević, Tarik's girlfriend *

Jasna Diklić Jasna Diklić (born March 8, 1946) is a Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bosnian theatre and film actress. She was born in Sarajevo. Her mother was also an actress and a puppeteer. Diklić's first theatre experiences began at MESS Festival's experimental t ...

as Desa Jovanović, Miro's mother * Zijah Sokolović as Mirsad Alihodžić "Hodža", a Bosnian refugee in France, war profiteer * François Berléand as Francois-Charles Leconte, producer * Évelyne Bouix as Katrin Leconte, producer's wife *Haris Begović as Adis Dizdarević, Alma's younger brother *

Izudin Bajrović Izudin Bajrović (born 9 February 1963) is a Bosnian theater, film and television actor. He has appeared in more than forty films since 1986. Recent activity In 2017, Bajrović signed the Declaration on the Common Language of the Croats, Serbs ...

as Jovo, Serbian soldier * Emir Hadžihafizbegović as Željko, Serbian guard *Admir Glamočak as an interrogator, investigator, Ustasha *Mario Drmać as Remzo, a singer from the camp *

as Mitar, Serbian guard * Mirsad Tuka as Vaso, Serbian soldier *Mirza Tanović as French UN officer *Rade Čolović as Zoka, Serbian guard *Jasmin Mekić as Miki, Serbian soldier *Mirvad Kurić as Salko, captive * Tahir Nikšić as Vlado, captive *Nakib Abdagić as Zijo Bajrić, captive *Edhem Husić as Meho Mizić, captive *Božo Bunjevac as Avdo Ligata, captive *Vlado Kerošević as

major Major most commonly refers to: * Major (rank), a military rank * Academic major, an academic discipline to which an undergraduate student formally commits * People named Major, including given names, surnames, nicknames * Major and minor in musi ...

*Alen Muratović as Džemo, illegal *Tatjana Šojić as announcer *Vlado Jokanović as clergyman *Bojan Trišić as gutterman *Aldin Zulić as Don Dragiša de la Kuvelja *Boris Balta as Ustasha

Production

''Remake'' is the first

feature film A feature film or feature-length film (often abbreviated to feature), also called a theatrical film, is a film (Film, motion picture, "movie" or simply “picture”) with a running time long enough to be considered the principal or sole present ...

directed by Dino Mustafić and the first written by

. Mustafić said in an interview: "We need a cathartic films that talk about our recent past. They are just as important as a testimony to the evil and stupidity of war does not happen again." Topčić said: "The script is devoid of ideological and daily political tinge. This movie wants to be a movie of love, not hate." The film's script was published in 2002.

Filming

Filming took place in

, Sarajevo and other locations.

Principal photography Principal photography is the phase of producing a film or television show in which the bulk of shooting takes place, as distinct from the phases of pre-production and post-production. Personnel Besides the main film personnel, such as the ...

began in 2001.

Release

The film was released worldwide on January 23, 2003, by Forum Sarajevo and Terra Entertainment Inc. It was released in

Bosnia and Herzegovina Bosnia and Herzegovina, sometimes known as Bosnia-Herzegovina and informally as Bosnia, is a country in Southeast Europe. Situated on the Balkans, Balkan Peninsula, it borders Serbia to the east, Montenegro to the southeast, and Croatia to th ...

on February 22, 2003.

Music

Musician

Adi Lukovac Adi Lukovac (9 September 1970 – 18 June 2006) was a Bosnian musician, best known as the pioneer of electronic music in Bosnia and Herzegovina and leader of the Bosnian industrial band Adi Lukovac & The Ornaments. Lukovac founded the band Orna ...

and singer Emina Zečaj collaborated on the soundtrack for the film.

Accolades

Reception

Box office

''Remake'' was a box office hit. It is the most watched film in its native country ever.

Critical response

Ronald Holloway of ''Kino-German Film & International Reports'' wrote that "''Remake'' should not be missed". Also, he called it "a major film event of 2003". Deborah Young, in ''

Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

'', remarked that the film "is long on narrative but short on original insight into Balkan history". The film's world premiere was at the 32nd

, where a critic said that ''Remake'' is a "very brave film, describing the situation as it was" and emphasized that "the restrained acting, the flowing transitions between the flashbacks and the clever cutting make ''Remake'' into a penetrating film experience". It was the most watched film of the festival and received a 20 minute standing ovation. Some critics specifically praised the cult scene in which actor Mario Drmać sings a traditional folk song "'". On ''Filmski.net'', the film has a score of 5 out of 5 stars. ''MukMag'' rated ''Remake'' as one of the best films of ex-

Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia The Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (commonly abbreviated as SFRY or SFR Yugoslavia), known from 1945 to 1963 as the Federal People's Republic of Yugoslavia, commonly referred to as Socialist Yugoslavia or simply Yugoslavia, was a country ...

cinema.

International festival circuit

The film was screened at over 100 international film festivals around the world, including the Festival du Film de Paris,

New York Film Festival The New York Film Festival (NYFF) is a film festival held every fall in New York City, presented by Film at Lincoln Center. Founded in 1963 by Richard Roud and Amos Vogel with the support of Lincoln Center president William Schuman, NYFF i ...

Los Angeles Film Festival The LA Film Festival was an annual film festival that was held in Los Angeles, California, and usually took place in June. It showcased independent, international, feature, documentary and short films, as well as web series, music videos, episodi ...

Tribeca Film Festival The Tribeca Festival is an annual film festival organized by Tribeca Enterprises. It takes place each spring in New York City, showcasing a diverse selection of film, episodic, talks, music, games, art, and immersive programming. The festival ...

Locarno Festival The Locarno International Film Festival is a major international film festival, held annually in Locarno, Switzerland. Founded in 1946, the festival screens films in various competitive and non-competitive sections, including feature-length narr ...

Warsaw International Film Festival Warsaw Film Festival (; WFF), also known as Warsaw International Film Festival, is an annual international film festival held every October in Warsaw, Poland. The 40th edition of the festival will take place from 11 to 20 October 2024. Histor ...

Berlin International Film Festival The Berlin International Film Festival (), usually called the Berlinale (), is an annual film festival held in Berlin, Germany. Founded in 1951 and originally run in June, the festival has been held every February since 1978 and is one of Europ ...

Rome Film Festival International Rome Film Fest is a film festival that takes place in Rome during the month of October. The name in Italian is Festa del Cinema di Roma. From 2022, the festival was officially recognized as a competitive festival by the Internation ...

BFI London Film Festival The BFI London Film Festival is an annual film festival held in London, England, in collaboration with the British Film Institute. Founded in 1957, the festival runs for two weeks every October. In 2016, the BFI estimated that around 240 fe ...

Gothenburg Film Festival Göteborg Film Festival (GFF), formerly Göteborg International Film Festival (GIFF), known in English as the Gothenburg Film Festival, formerly Gothenburg International Film Festival, is an annual film festival in Gothenburg, Sweden and the large ...

, FEST, Salerno International Film Festival,

Sydney Film Festival The Sydney Film Festival is an annual competitive film festival held in Sydney, Australia, usually over 12 days in June. A number of awards are given, the top one being the Sydney Film Prize. , the festival's director is Nashen Moodley. Histo ...

Tokyo International Film Festival The is a film festival established in 1985. The event was held biennially from 1985 to 1991 and annually thereafter. According to the FIAPF, it is one of Asia's competitive film festivals and the second largest film festival in Asia behind the ...

, Valencia International Film Festival Cinema Jove,

Toronto International Film Festival The Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF, often stylized as tiff) is one of the most prestigious and largest publicly attended film festivals in the world. Founded in 1976, the festival takes place every year in early September. The organi ...

Sofia International Film Festival Sofia International Film Festival (SIFF) (Bulgarian language, Bulgarian: ''Международен София Филм Фест, София Филм Фест''), also known as Sofia Film Fest, is an annual film festival in Sofia, capital city of ...

Transilvania International Film Festival The Transilvania International Film Festival (TIFF; ) is the first international feature film festival in Romania, which is held annually in the historic capital of Transylvania, Cluj-Napoca. Founded in 2002 by the Romanian Film Promotion (), TIFF ...

São Paulo International Film Festival The São Paulo International Film Festival (), also known internationally as Mostra, is an annual film festival held in the city of São Paulo, Brazil Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South Ame ...

, Houston Cinema Arts Festival, Monaco International Film Festival,

International Istanbul Film Festival The Istanbul Film Festival () is the first and oldest international film festival in Turkey, organised by the Istanbul Foundation for Culture and Arts. It is held every year in April in movie theaters in Istanbul, Turkey. As mentioned in its re ...

Montreal World Film Festival The Montreal World Film Festival (), commonly abbreviated MWFF in English or FFM in French, was an annual film festival in Montreal, Quebec, Canada from 1977 to 2019.Filmfest München The Munich International Film Festival () is the largest summer film festival in Germany and second only in size and importance to the Berlinale. It has been held annually since 1983 and takes place in late June or early July. It presents fe ...

, Prague International Film Festival - Febiofest,

Karlovy Vary International Film Festival The Karlovy Vary International Film Festival (, KVIFF) is an annual film festival held in Karlovy Vary, Czech Republic. The Karlovy Vary Festival is one of the oldest in the world and has become Central and Eastern Europe, Central and Eastern Eur ...

, Wine Country Film Festival,

Cleveland International Film Festival The Cleveland International Film Festival (CIFF) is an annual film festival based in Cleveland, Ohio. CIFF is the largest film festival in Ohio and among the longest-running in the United States. The festival is held at Playhouse Square, the lar ...

Sarajevo Film Festival The Sarajevo Film Festival is the premier and largest film festival in Southeast Europe, and is one of the largest film festivals in Europe. It was founded in Sarajevo in 1995 during the siege of Sarajevo in the Bosnian War, and brings internatio ...

, and many others. It was screened at festivals in the

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Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...

Croatia Croatia, officially the Republic of Croatia, is a country in Central Europe, Central and Southeast Europe, on the coast of the Adriatic Sea. It borders Slovenia to the northwest, Hungary to the northeast, Serbia to the east, Bosnia and Herze ...

Serbia , image_flag = Flag of Serbia.svg , national_motto = , image_coat = Coat of arms of Serbia.svg , national_anthem = () , image_map = , map_caption = Location of Serbia (gree ...

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

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Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

Turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...

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, the

Czech Republic The Czech Republic, also known as Czechia, and historically known as Bohemia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the south ...

and the

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. It was also premiered on TV in the United States and

Hungary Hungary is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning much of the Pannonian Basin, Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croatia and ...

References

External links

*
FILMSKI.NET about ''Remake''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Remake (film) 2003 films Bosnia and Herzegovina war drama films French war drama films Films directed by Dino Mustafić Films about the Siege of Sarajevo World War II films 2000s war drama films Films about anti-fascism 2000s French-language films Bosnian-language films Films set in Bosnia and Herzegovina Films set in Sarajevo Films set in France Films set in Paris Films with screenplays by Zlatko Topčić 2000s political drama films 2003 drama films 2000s English-language films 2000s French films English-language war drama films