Introduction

Quo Vadis, Aida? (lit. Where are you going, Aida?) is a 2020 internationally co-produced war drama film written, produced and directed by Jasmila Žbanić.

An international co-production of twelve production companies, the film was shown in the main competition section of the 77th Venice International Film Festival.

Outline

The film dramatises the events of the Srebrenica massacre, during which Serbian troops sent Bosniak men and boys to death in July 1995 led by Serbian convicted war criminal Ratko Mladić. Named for its protagonist, Quo Vadis, Aida? exposes the events through the eyes of a mother named Aida, a schoolteacher who works with the United Nations as a translator. After three and a half years under siege, the town of Srebrenica, close to the Northeastern Serbian border, was declared a UN safety zone in 1993 and put under the protection of a Dutch battalion working for the UN.

Cast

• Jasna Đuričić as Aida Selmanagić
• Izudin Bajrović as Nihad Selmanagić, Aida’s husband
• Boris Isaković as General Ratko Mladić
• Johan Heldenbergh as Colonel Thom Karremans
• Raymond Thiry as Major Rob Franken
• Boris Ler as Hamdija Selmanagić, Aida’s son
• Dino Bajrović as Sejo Selmanagić, Aida’s son
• Reinout Bussemaker as Colonel Dr. Robben
• Juda Goslinga as Lieutenant Rutten
• Jelena Kordić-Kuret as Ćamila
• Rijad Gvozden as Muharem
• Emir Hadžihafizbegović as Joka
• Edita Malovčić as Vesna, Joka’s wife
• Teun Luijkx as Captain Mintjes
• Joes Brauers as Boudwijn
• Ermin Bravo as The Mayor
• Sol Vinken as Soldier Lammerts
• Micha Hulshof as Major De Haan
• Alban Ukaj as Tarik
• Ermin Sijamija as Lalović

Production

Filmed in Mostar, almost 300km from Srebrenica.

Release

The film had its world premiere at the 77th Venice International Film Festival on 03 September 2020. It was also screened at the 2020 Toronto International Film Festival on 13 September 2020. In February 2021, Super LTD acquired US distribution rights to the film. It was released in the United States through virtual cinema on 05 March 2021, followed by video on demand on 15 March 2021.

Accolades

In September 2020, Quo Vadis, Aida? was selected as the Bosnian entry for the Best International Feature Film at the 93rd Academy Awards, making the shortlist of fifteen films. On 15 March 2021, the film was officially recognised as a nominee in that category. It won the Audience Award at the 50th edition of the International Film Festival Rotterdam and the Best International Film Award at the 2021 Gothenburg Film Festival. The film was also nominated for and later on won the Best International Film Award at the 36th Independent Spirit Awards. In March 2021, 74th British Academy Film Awards nominated the film for Best Film Not in the English Language and Žbanić earned a nomination in the Best Director category.

In December 2021, Quo Vadis, Aida? won the Award for Best Film at the 34th European Film Awards. Also, Žbanić won the Award for Best Director and Jasna Đuričić won the Award for Best Actress at the same awards.

Trivia

• Jasna Djuricic, who plays the main role, is the wife of Boris Isakovic, who plays general Mladic.
  • They often work together in film and theatre, but in this film they don’t share any scenes.
• One of former President Barack Obama’s 14 Favourite Films of the Year 2021.

Production & Filming Details

• Director(s):
  • Jasmila Zbanic
• Producer(s):
  • Barbara Albert … co-producer
  • Nedzad Cerkez Beredza … executive producer
  • Ibrahim Eren … co-producer
  • Nicolas Eschbach … co-producer
  • Simon Gabriele … co-producer
  • Mike Goodridge … executive producer
  • Mirza Hamzic … line producer
  • Oana Iancu … executive producer Romania
  • Damir Ibrahimovich … producer
  • Margaux Juvénal … co-producer
  • Lucja Kedzior-Samodulska … associate co-producer
  • Gerhard Meixner … co-producer
  • Cristian Nicolescu … co-producer
  • Roman Paul … co-producer
  • Ewa Puszczynska … co-producer
  • Flora Rumpler … Creative Producer
  • Ingunn Sundelin … co-producer
  • Antonin Svoboda … co-producer
  • Els Vandevorst … co-producer
  • Eric Vogel … co-producer
  • Bruno Wagner … co-producer
  • Jasmila Zbanic … producer
• Writer(s):
  • Jasmila Zbanic … (screenplay by)
  • Hasan Nuhanovic … (inspired by the book “Under the UN Flag” by)
• Music:
  • Antoni Lazarkiewicz
• Cinematography:
  • Christine A. Maier
• Editor(s):
  • Jaroslaw Kaminski
• Production:
  • Deblokada Produkcija (presents)
  • Coop99 Filmproduktion (co-production)
  • Digital Cube (co-production)
  • N279 Entertainment (co-production)
  • Razor Film Produktion GmbH (co-production)
  • Extreme Emotions (co-production)
  • Indie Prod (co-production)
  • Tordenfilm (co-production)
  • Turkish Radio & Television (TRT) (in collaboration with)
  • Zweites Deutsches Fernsehen (ZDF) (in collaboration with)
  • ARTE (in collaboration with)
  • Österreichischer Rundfunk (ORF) (in collaboration with)
  • Radiotelevizija Bosne i Hercegovine (BHRT) (in collaboration with)
  • Eurimages (support)
  • Federal Ministry of Education and Science (Vlada FBiH – Ministarstvo
  • Obrazovanja i Nauke, support) Centrul National al Cinematografiei (CNC (support)
  • Fondacija za Kinematografiju Sarajevo (support)
  • Österreichisches Filminstitut (support)
  • Nederlands Filmfonds (support)
  • Netherlands Film Production Incentive (support)
  • Polski Instytut Sztuki Filmowej (support)
  • Medienboard Berlin-Brandenburg (support)
  • Centre national du cinéma et de l’image animée (CNC) (support)
  • L’Aide aux Cinémas du Monde (support)
  • Institut Français (support)
  • Filmfonds Wien (support)
  • Sørfond (support)
  • MEDIA Programme of the European Union (support)
  • Ministry of Culture of Canton Sarajevo (support)
  • Open Society Foundations (support)
• Distributor(s):
  • Deblokada
• Release Date: 03 September 2020 (Venice Film Festival, Italy).
• Running Time: 101 minutes.
• Rating: 15.
• Country: Bosnia and Herzegovina, Austria, Germany, France, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Romania, Turkey, and Montenegro.
• Language: English, Bosnian, Serbian, and Dutch.

Video Link(s)