Welcome to Sarajevo (1997)

User Rating:

6.9/10   

Director:

Michael Winterbottom

Writers:

Michael Nicholson (book)
Frank Cottrell Boyce (writer)

Release Date:

26 November 1997 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | War

Tagline:

For this celebrated, outrageous, adrenaline-loving bunch of reporters, home is the latest war zone. Now, one of them is about to do the unthinkable--get emotionally involved.

Plot:

Journalist Floyd from US, Michael Henderson from UK and their teams meet the beginning of Bosnian war in Sarajevo...

Plot Keywords:

England | Bosnian War | Sarajevo | Orphanage | Journalism

Awards:

1 win & 2 nominations

Cast

Stephen Dillane	...	Michael Henderson
Woody Harrelson	...	Flynn
Marisa Tomei	...	Nina
Emira Nusevic	...	Emira
Kerry Fox	...	Jane Carson
Goran Visnjic	...	Risto Bavic
James Nesbitt	...	Gregg
Emily Lloyd	...	Annie McGee
Igor Dzambazov	...	Jacket
Gordana Gadzic	...	Mrs. Savic
Juliet Aubrey	...	Helen Henderson
Drazen Sivak	...	Zeljko
Vesna Orel	...	Munira
Davor Janjic	...	Dragan
Vladimir Jokanovic	...	Emira's Uncle

Also Known As:

Sarajevo (UK) (working title)

MPAA:

Rated R for brutal images/war atrocities and language.

Runtime:

103 min

Country:

UK | USA

Language:

English | Serbo-Croatian

Colour:

Colour

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Singapore:NC-16 | Iceland:14 (original rating) | Iceland:16 (video rating) | Argentina:13 | Australia:MA | Finland:K-16 | France:U | Germany:12 | Hong Kong:IIB | Norway:15 | Portugal:M/16 | Sweden:15 | Switzerland:12 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:12 (canton of Vaud) | UK:15 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Sarajevo, Bosnia-Herzegovina

Company:

Channel Four Films

Goofs:

Continuity: When the bus is stopped by the Chetniks, the gun of the leader alternates between being a type of Kalashnikov and a French FAMAS.

Quotes:

[Flynn has saved a child from sniper fire, getting photographed by the world's media in the process]
Annie McGee: What you did wasn't about Sarajevo. It was all about you.
Flynn: Funny thing is, back home no-one's heard of Sarajevo, and everyone's heard of me.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in The 100 Greatest War Films (2005) (TV)

Soundtrack:

Shine On

The film is well intentioned, well made, and successfully highlights a difficult topic.

Welcome to Sarajevo provides an important exploration of the events which occurred during the conflict in and around Sarajevo. Director Michael Winterbottom does an excellent job of portraying the lives and decisions of the reporters who covered the war, while also highlighting the moral dilemmas faced by all those involved.

The acting is understated yet powerful, allowing the audience to feel a strong connection with those on the screen. Taken from true events, the horror on the screen is often taken from actual video of events.

Many excellent artists were chosen for this film, and they seem to truly have left behind any Hollywood egoism in favor of rendering an honest depiction of situations which are easily forgotten by many in the West. The film is well intentioned, well made, and successfully highlights a difficult topic. The only fault I could see was that the film could have given a background on the different factions fighting at the beginning, explaining to those not familiar with Sarajevo exactly who the different groups were composed of. However, this would not keep me from highly recommending Welcome to Sarajevo.