HEADING FOR PEACE

Original title: FODBOLDSKOLEN

Director: Lars Gudmund Hansen

Script: Gunvor Bjerre

Producer: Lisbeth Lyngse

Production & Distribution: Spor Media, Elmegade 5, 2200 Copenhagen N, Denmark, Phone: +45 35 36 09 40 www.spormedia.dk, E-mail: spor@spormedia.dk

Co production: KRO, Netherlands

Short film (Drama-doc)

Duration: 24.33 min

Age group: 8-12 years

Dialogue: Bosnian/ Danish with English subtitles – Exists in a Bosnian version too.

Format: Beta SP / DVD

Awards

               

Synopsis

As the Serbian Dejana by accident smashes a windowpane with her football, the base is ready for an ethnic confrontation. The ball ends up in the sleeping room of Jasmin’s Muslim family. Jasmin and Dejana are both living in Bosnia. Jasmin is a Muslim and loves football, but hates Serbs – or at least his father does. Dejana is a Serb and loves football too, but her mother does not want her to play with Muslims, as they killed a family member during the war. Both of them end up at a football school during the holidays – a football school for Serbs, Muslims and Croats. They realise, that the other part is not that bad, as they have been told…. maybe even attractive!

Background

During the civil war in Ex-Yugoslavia (1991 – 95) Serbs, Muslims and Croats were fighting against each other. Now they have to learn how to live in peace with each other. Especially the children, since they are the future of the country. The film is based on a Danish reconciliation project in Bosnia Herzegovina: Open Fun Football Schools. See: www.ccpa.dk

It all started with a Dane, Anders Levinsen, who was working for the Danish Refugee Council during the civil war in former Yugoslavia. He realised that the children were copying the ethnic hatred of their parents. The reconciliation between the adults was very difficult, but as the children were the ones who were going to build up the new country, it was crucial, that they learned something about co-existence.

So a successful Danish project inspired him: football schools, and implemented it “the Bosnian way”. For a week children from Serbian, Croatian and Muslim villages/towns were brought together to play with each other and to play football. Through the play and the game they gradually diminish the prejudices about each other. Just like the parents, who often have to revise their own opinions as they experience the enthusiasm of their kids. Very often the kids start “booing” of the other ethnic groups as they arrive at the stadium – but at the last day of the football school they exchange hugs, phone numbers and addresses! Maybe not the big revolution, but the seeds are sown for a hope of a better future in the tortured country, where it is the children who are going to implement the co-existence. Today app. 30.000 Serbian, Croatian and Muslim children have participated in the football schools.

Facts

Most of the towns and villages in Bosnia are ethnically segregated. The film is shot in the town of Jajce in Northern Bosnia, a town that was heavily ravaged during the civil war. The surroundings are still showing signs of the heavy bombardments from the war period. Vast areas are still bristling with landmines. The physical scars of the war in the cities combined with the parents’ stories about the cruel ravage of “the others” result in the fact, that the children do not mix with each other, that they go to ethnically segregated schools and by and large never get in contact with “the others”.

Premiere

The opening night was honoured with the presence of the Danish crown prince Frederik and the Norwegian crown prince Harald. Both of them received a copy of the film and a football for their small sons!

Sold to

The film has been sold to: TV2 Denmark, SVT Sweden, NRK Norway, KRO Holland, Bosnian + Croatian + Syrian + Albanian TV

Festivals:

- Japan Prize, International Educational Program Prize, Japan 2006

 - Barcelona International Television Festival, Spain 2006

 - Salaam DK, Multicultural Film Festival, Denmark 2006

Credits

Director Lars Gudmund Hansen

Producer Lisbeth Lyngse Signe Byrge Sørensen

Manuscript Gunvor Bjerre

Idea Anne Lise Andreasen

Translation and Research Goran Fazlinovic

Photographer Henrik Kloch

Sound Predrag Doder

Editor Rikke Malene Nielsen

Composers Søren Siegumfeldt Halfdan E

Driver Srdzan Hadzijusufovic

Soundmix Freezone

Grahpics CELLULOID

Online & Colourcorrection Al Fleming

Accounting Korthe Barfod

Danish Speak Cecilie Bøcker Rosling Emil Johnsen Players: The Family Smajlovic The Family Boskan Children and trainers from football schools in Jajce, Mrkonjic Grad & Sipovo

Thanks to: Cross Cultures Project Association in Denmark and Bosnia-Herzegovina

Produced by SPOR Media in co-production with KRO Youth, The Netherlands Jan-Willem Bult

With the support of Royal Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs Sida, Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency Cross Cultures Project Association Norsk Rikskringkastning Sveriges Television TV2 Danmark

Developed and produced with the support of The European Union Media Plus Programme.