The day Bosnian film history was written: 17 years since the Oscar for No Man's Land

(Patria) - On this day at the 74th Academy Awards for Best Foreign Language Film of 2001, on March 24, 2002, at the Kodak Theatre (Hollywood, California), the Bosnian film "No Man's Land" directed by Danis Tanović received an Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film.

No Man's Land was in competition with the films Amélie (France), Elling (Norway), Lagaan (India), and Son of the Bride (Argentina). The award was presented by Sharon Stone and John Travolta.

No Man's Land
Between war and peace, humor and hatred, capture and surrender, life and death - lies no man's land. Set in an unforgettable trench of the Bosnian-Serbian conflict, this "stunning" (Chicago Tribune) film tells the story of three soldiers caught between two front lines. Hailed as "one of the best films of 2001," No Man's Land is a "powerful, poignant, exceptionally entertaining" (Movieline) exploration of the senselessness of war.

Bosnia and Herzegovina, 1993. During the war, two Bosniaks and a Serb meet on a piece of mined no man's land. While one Bosniak and the Serb resolve their personal frustrations through verbal duels, a third soldier lies on a mine that will explode if he moves. UNPROFOR comes to their aid, endangering their position. News crews soon learn of the entire situation, and the case takes on dramatic proportions.

Screenplay and direction: Danis Tanović; Producer: Čedomir Kolar; Starring: Branko Đurić, Rene Bitorajac, Filip Šovagović, Katrin Cartlidge

Danis Tanović
Bosnian and Herzegovinian director and screenwriter was born in Zenica, grew up in Sarajevo, where in 1992 he experienced what would mark his life and career - the war. He interrupted his directing studies at the Academy of Performing Arts and joined the Army of Bosnia and Herzegovina, first as a regular soldier, and then he was put in charge of the film archive of the then Army of BiH. The materials he shot were used in numerous films and reports about the siege of Sarajevo and the war in BiH. In 1994, Tanović went to Belgium, where he continued his studies at the INSAS film school. After completing his studies, Tanović began working on the film No Man's Land, for which he wrote the screenplay. He finished the film in 2000.