''The Perfect Circle'' ( Bosnian: ''Savršeni krug'') is a 1997 Bosnian war drama film by

Ademir Kenović Ademir Kenović (born September 14, 1950) is a Bosnian film director and producer. He graduated from the University of Sarajevo in 1975. In 1972–73 he studied film, English literature and art at the Denison University in Ohio Ohio ( ...

set 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 the siege of 1992-1996. It was written by Kenović with Pjer Žalica and Abdulah Sidran. The title derives from the ability of "Hamza" (played by Mustafa Nadarević) to draw perfect circles on paper.

Plot

A Bosnian poet (Hamza) lives with his family in

during the horrific siege of the city in the early 1990s. The war in Bosnia is raging all around them. After sending his wife (Gospoda) and daughter (Miranda) to

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 ...

, he finds two orphans Adis and Kerim, who have escaped a massacre in their own village, hiding in his home. After escaping their village the orphans have come to Sarajevo in search of their aunt, who used to live in the Bistrik district. Hamza decides to help the boys by sheltering them and helping them look for their aunt. After a long search, Hamza discovers that the boys' aunt has been airlifted to

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

. Upon learning this, Hamza tries to save the kids by sending them out of the war zone. But the only way out is through the Sarajevo International Airport, which is a dangerous passage occupied and monitored by Chetniks and their death squads as well as snipers. As they try to cross and take refuge from Serb shelling in a building, a Serb soldier shoots the dog that Adis and Kerim have adopted. Kerim kills two Serbs as they are approaching Hamza and him. Outside of the building, Hamza and Kerim find Adis, who has died. They take him to the cemetery to be buried. On the wooden headstone placed on the grave, Kerim writes 'Adis', and encircles the name. In many scenes Hamza is seen with the two kids speaking monologues, while observing photos of his wife and daughter. All the poetry cited in the film by Hamza are verses written by Abdulah Sidran, renowned Bosnian writer and poet, best known for his 1993 poetry masterpiece ''Sarajevski tabut'' ("The Coffin of Sarajevo").

Cast

* Mustafa Nadarević - Hamza * Almedin Leleta - Adis * Almir Podgorica - Kerim * Jasna Diklić - Gospoda * Mirela Lambić - Miranda * Ljubica Lohajner-Znidarić - an old woman * Dragan Marinković * Mira Avram - mother of Hamza * Sabina Bambur * Senad Bašić - Strazar * Amina Begović - Gordana * Vedrana Seksan * Božidar Bunjevac - Grobar * Ines Fančović - Baka * Admir Glamočak - Staka * Zaim Muzaferija - Asaf * Elvira Delalić

Production

Principal photography was originally scheduled for the Spring of 1992, but the siege of 1992-1996 began before any filming could be completed. The screenplay was retooled during the siege while the director and writers took refuge in a Holiday Inn that had originally been constructed for the 1984 Olympics. Filming began again in 1996 after the signing of the Dayton Peace Accord and after director Ademir Kenović had gotten permission from the

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is the Earth, global intergovernmental organization established by the signing of the Charter of the United Nations, UN Charter on 26 June 1945 with the stated purpose of maintaining international peace and internationa ...

, whose forces were still monitoring the area. The film would go on to become the first Bosnian feature released after the

1992 Bosnian independence referendum An independence referendum was held in the Socialist Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina between 29 February and 1 March 1992, following the first free elections of 1990 and the rise of ethnic tensions that eventually led to the breakup of Yugo ...

, making it in some sense the first Bosnian film.

Awards

*" François Chalais Prize" at

1997 Events January * January 1 – The Emergency Alert System is introduced in the United States. * January 11 – Turkey threatens Cyprus on account of a deal to buy Russian S-300 missiles, prompting the Cypriot Missile Crisis. * January 1 ...

Cannes Film Festival The Cannes Film Festival (; ), until 2003 called the International Film Festival ('), is the most prestigious film festival in the world. Held in Cannes, France, it previews new films of all genres, including documentaries, from all around ...

*" Tokyo Sakura Grand Prix" at 1997

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 ...

1997 Tokyo Film Festival awards list
at

Internet Movie Database IMDb, historically known as the Internet Movie Database, is an online database of information related to films, television series, podcasts, home videos, video games, and streaming content online – including cast, production crew and biograp ...

References

External links