CHICAGO FESTIVAL OF BOSNIAN-HERZEGOVINIAN FILM Review

Jelena Z. has reviewed our festival from last weekend. Here's what she had to say:



I have some bad news: You're going to have to wait until 2011 to attend the annual Chicago Festival of Bosnian Herzegovinian Film. The silver lining of this cloud is that I went, I watched, and I remembered. For all of you! Well, my intentions weren't entirely alturistic... I went for me, too.

The organization, comprised entirely of professional volunteers, strives to satiate the growing appetite for world cinema (specifically, Bosnia-Herzegovinian film) in Chicago. Through the festival, new and emerging directors are highlighted, classics are revived, the culture is celebrated and further exploratory discourse is prompted. As in, actual face-to-face intellectual conversation. Something most of us could use a dose of, no?

My take on the films? It's not often tha the mind is courted by smarts yet accosted by sentiment... ah yes, those are what we call heartstrings, right? The political climate in teh Balkans is different than most Americans have experienced, and subsequently, you sense a recurring theme of hopelessness vs. hope (no surprise there) and how these proud and strong people resolve these conflicted feelings through shared love of music, traditions, food and celebration. And conversely, through deep bouts of angst. There's a real raw quality to this cinema and onscreen, it cuts like a revelatory knife at times. However, there's astounding beauty as well -- we're talking deep, punched-in-the-gut sorrowful beauty. And maybe you too will find yourself shedding a tear.

So -- go and be moved. And experience something opposite or ordinary... these films depict a life that may not be your reality, but you'd be hard-pressed not to find commonality. And that's what I call humanity.

Keep up the great work, organizers -- many thanks for bringing these films to mainstream light!