Romeo And Juliet In Sarajevo
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''Romeo and Juliet in Sarajevo'' is an international documentary about the deaths of Admira Ismić (born May 13, 1968) and Boško Brkić (Cyrillic: Бошко Бркић; born August 11, 1968). The couple were natives of
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 ...
living in the city of
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 ...
. Admira was a
Bosniak The Bosniaks (, Cyrillic script, Cyrillic: Бошњаци, ; , ) are a South Slavs, South Slavic ethnic group native to the Southeast European historical region of Bosnia (region), Bosnia, today part of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and who sha ...
, and Boško was a Bosnian Serb. They were killed by sniper fire on 19 May 1993, while trying to cross the Vrbanja bridge to the Serb-controlled territory of Grbavica. Mark H. Milstein's photograph of their dead bodies was used by numerous media outlets, and a
Reuters Reuters ( ) is a news agency owned by Thomson Reuters. It employs around 2,500 journalists and 600 photojournalists in about 200 locations worldwide writing in 16 languages. Reuters is one of the largest news agencies in the world. The agency ...
dispatch about them was filed by Kurt Schork. The documentary was co-produced by PBS's '' Frontline'', the
Canadian Broadcasting Corporation The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (), branded as CBC/Radio-Canada, is the Canadian Public broadcasting, public broadcaster for both radio and television. It is a Crown corporation that serves as the national public broadcaster, with its E ...
, the
National Film Board of Canada The National Film Board of Canada (NFB; ) is a Canadian public film and digital media producer and distributor. An agency of the Government of Canada, the NFB produces and distributes documentary films, animation, web documentaries, and altern ...
and WDR Germany. It was directed by John Zaritsky.


Synopsis

The 1992–96 Siege of Sarajevo by the
Bosnian Serb Army The Army of Republika Srpska (; ВРС/VRS), commonly referred to in English as the Bosnian Serb Army, was the military of Republika Srpska, the self-proclaimed Serb secessionist republic, a territory within the newly independent Bosnia and Herz ...
(VRS) caused drastic deterioration in living conditions for its inhabitants. In 1993, Admira and Boško, a couple with connections across different ethnic groups, decided to escape the conflict. On 19 May 1993, the pair attempted to cross Vrbanja Bridge, part of Sniper Alley, hoping for a safe passage due to an alleged informal agreement that no one would fire during their crossing. Accounts differ regarding the exact sequence of events. According to some sources, the couple approached the bridge at 17:00, when Boško was shot first, dying instantly. Admira, although wounded, managed to crawl to him, embrace him, and died moments later. The two bodies remained in no man’s land for several days, with Serb and Bosnian forces arguing over responsibility for their deaths and recovery. After eight days, Serb forces retrieved the bodies using Bosnian
POWs A prisoner of war (POW) is a person held captive by a belligerent power during or immediately after an armed conflict. The earliest recorded usage of the phrase "prisoner of war" dates back to 1610. Belligerents hold prisoners of war for a ...
, and the couple was later buried together at the "Groblje Lav" ''(The Lion Cemetery)''. Kuniomi Asai, a war correspondent who accompanied soldiers at the front lines, recalls events differently. He reported that Sarajevo's Bosnian government initially restricted access to the front for foreign journalists. However, through his connections, Asai joined a
platoon A platoon is a Military organization, military unit typically composed of two to four squads, Section (military unit), sections, or patrols. Platoon organization varies depending on the country and the Military branch, branch, but a platoon can ...
heading to the front and encountered photographer Mark Milstein, a stringer for
Reuters Reuters ( ) is a news agency owned by Thomson Reuters. It employs around 2,500 journalists and 600 photojournalists in about 200 locations worldwide writing in 16 languages. Reuters is one of the largest news agencies in the world. The agency ...
, who pleaded to accompany them, desperate to capture compelling images. Upon reaching a building overlooking the bridge, Asai claims they saw the bodies of the young couple, appearing as if the man had been shot first, and the woman had collapsed while trying to help him. Local soldiers identified the snipers as Serbian forces and described the couple as high school sweethearts attempting to escape the war. Milstein’s photographs of the tragic scene were widely circulated by international media and used in Kurt Schork’s article, which turned the couple into a symbol of the senseless violence during the siege. Reflecting on the media’s influence, Asai expressed frustration with the Japanese news agency’s delayed interest in the footage he had captured, noting that they only pursued the story after it gained traction in Western media outlets. The identities of the snipers remain unconfirmed, as no formal investigation was conducted. The deaths of Boško and Admira continue to symbolize the devastating human impact of the Bosnian War, remembered both as an emblem of love transcending conflict and as a tragic outcome of war.


Cast

* Damir Andrei as Translation voice * Nancy Beatty as Translation voice * Amos Crawley as Translation voice * Cynthia Eastman as Translation voice *
Louis Ferreira Louis Ferreira (born Luís Henrique da Rocha Ferreira; born 20 February 1966) is a Canadian actor. Ferreira is known for his roles in ''Stargate Universe'' as Colonel Everett Young, serial killer Ray Prager in the first season of ''Durham County ...
as Translation voice (as Justin Louis) * Soo Garay as Translation voice * Michael Hogan as Translation voice * Charmion King as Translation voice


Awards

For this film, director Zaritsky received the Alfred Dupont Award from the
Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism The Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism is located in Pulitzer Hall on the university's Morningside Heights campus in New York City. Founded in 1912 by Joseph Pulitzer, Columbia Journalism School is one of the oldest journalism sch ...
as well as an
Emmy Award The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the year, each with their own set of rules and award categor ...
nomination.


See also

* Bill Madden – ''Bosko and Admira'', from the 2008 album ''Child of the Same God''. * Up with People – Sang the song
Last Embrace
, inspired by Boško and Admira's story as part of their show ''The Festival''. * Kurt Schork – The original dispatch by Kurt Schork, whose ashes are interred next to Bosko and Admira, telling the moving story of Romeo and Juliet in Sarajevo. * Inela Nogić – Won the Miss Besieged Sarajevo contest in 1993. * '' Jill Sobule'' – "Vrbana Bridge". *
Vedran Smailović Vedran Smailović (born 11 November 1956), known as the "''Cellist of Sarajevo''", is a Bosnian musician. During the siege of Sarajevo, he played Albinoni's '' Adagio in G Minor'' in ruined buildings, and, often under the threat of snipers, he ...
– Known as the "Cellist of Sarajevo". * " 薩拉熱窩的羅密歐與茱麗葉" – exact translation in Chinese of "Romeo and Juliet in Sarajevo", from Sammi Cheng's 1994 album ''Ten Commandments''.


References


External links

*
NFB Web page

Mark H. Milstein's image on Flickr with notes about making the world-famous photo of Boško and Admira


* ttps://www.irishtimes.com/opinion/grim-tale-of-slain-romeo-and-juliet-1.946689 Article includes mention of Mark H. Milstein, photojournalist who made the famous photos of Boško and Admira
Article includes mention of Mark H. Milstein, photojournalist who made the famous photos of Boško and Admira

PBS Transcript "Romeo and Juliet of Sarajevo"



CNN Mission: Peace "Bodies of Sarajevo's 'Romeo and Juliet' come home"


{{DEFAULTSORT:Romeo And Juliet In Sarajevo 1994 films English-language Canadian films Reuters Canadian documentary films National Film Board of Canada documentaries Documentary films about war Documentary films about the Siege of Sarajevo Films directed by John Zaritsky Frontline (American TV program) 1990s English-language films 1990s Canadian films Alfred I. duPont–Columbia University Award winners English-language documentary films