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Mostar United

DirectorClaudia Tosi
ProducerEdoardo Fracchia – Stefilm International; Petra Seliskar – Petra Pan Film Production
WriterClaudia Tosi
EditorRasmus Hogdall Molgaard
CameraBrand Ferro
SoundVladimir Rakic
MusicDaniele Rossi
Year2008
Length73 min
CountryItaly/Slovenia
SubtitlesEnglish
SectionDocumentaries Open Debates / Focus: Europe, 30 Years After the Berlin Wall
ScreeningSaturday 9 November | 13:00 hours | Filmhuis Den Haag

Historically important and attractive for tourists, after the war in the 1990s the beautiful city of Mostar has lived its peace as a divided city, separated on two sides by the Neretva River. The film is part of our Focus program which emphasizes some of the aberrations of “united” Europe that at several vulnerable spots, even 30 years after the Berlin Wall fell, is still divided.

Synopsis

For four years Italian director followed a football enthusiast and Bosnian war veteran in his struggle against nationalism. While his fighting in the war ended in the mid-nineties, the fight he didn’t anticipate at the time is still ongoing. Using football as his tool, Mensud Durakovic spends his days trying to coach boys from Croatian and Bosnian part of the city of Mostar. Football techniques are just part of his training, as the true focus of Mensud’s effort is to develop feelings of unity and mutual respect for kids from different communities. Football trainings are rare moments of overcoming divisions for kids who attend ethnically separated schools and live on different parts of the city, split by a magnificent river.

Festivals & Awards (selection)

DOKMA, Slovenia 2009 – Best Documentary Feature | Trieste Film Festival, 2009 – 2nd Prize of the Audience | PRIX EUROPA, Berlin 2009 | Sarajevo Film Festival, 2009 | Genova Film Festival 2009 | IDFA, 2009

Director’s bio

Claudia Tosi was born in Modena, Italy, in 1970. She studied a Philosophy major at the University of Bologna. She has worked as a creative documentary filmmaker since 2003. Claudia has attended EAVE as a writer in 2011, Eurodoc in 2012, IDFA Academy in 2014, Berlinale Talents – Doc Station in 2015 and EWA’s Multiple Revenue Stream Training Program. Filmography: I Had A Dream (2018), Verso Casa (2016), The Perfect Circle (2015), Mostar United (2009), Building the Winter Games (2007), Private Fragments of Bosnia (2004). Her latest film ‘I had a dream’ won three awards at DOK Leipzig festival, including the Golden Dove and the FIPRESCI Award.