Mostar audience welcomes documentary film 'Partisan Necropolis'

(Patria) - In a full hall of the National Theatre Mostar, the documentary film "Partisan Necropolis" by Scottish director Chris Leslie was screened tonight, dedicated to the Partisan Memorial Cemetery in Mostar - one of the most endangered cultural heritages in Europe.

Tonight's special screening and subsequent discussion were supported by the British Embassy Sarajevo and the National Theatre Mostar.

The British Ambassador to Bosnia and Herzegovina, Julian Reilly, emphasized the importance of screening this film precisely in the city of Mostar, and thanked everyone who participated in its filming and contributed by considering the different realities that shaped perceptions of this powerful and beautiful monument.

- I hope the film will contribute to establishing a common understanding of the monument and the life and death it commemorates. I also hope that the Partisan Cemetery can, like the Old Bridge, become a bridge to the future, a part of the common future of this city.

Finally, I hope that together we can find ways to build a common future that is reconciled with the past - said Reilly.

The director of this documentary film, Chris Leslie, also attended the screening.

- When I first visited the Partisan Cemetery in November 2021, I was deeply moved. Its striking design, symbolism, and atmosphere make it an irreplaceable place of historical and cultural significance.

The almost complete destruction of its iconic stone flowers in June 2022 was devastating - and it was that moment that prompted me to make this film.

The Partisan Memorial Cemetery deserves recognition and protection equal to that of the Old Bridge. It should stand as a testament to resilience, memory, and unity - values that we need more than ever today.

It was precisely this conviction that guided me throughout this journey, and it was an honor to share the result with the audience in Mostar - emphasized Chris Leslie.

The Director of the National Theatre, Emir Spahić, expressed his satisfaction that tonight's screening was held at the National Theatre Mostar, a space renovated through the project "Mostar - Spaces that Move", thanks to the funds from the Government of the United Kingdom, which was warmly welcomed by the Mostar audience.

The film "Partisan Necropolis" was created in cooperation with the Post-Conflict Research Center and tells the story of the decay of the Partisan Memorial Cemetery in Mostar and the families fighting to preserve the memory of fallen partisan fighters from World War II.

Through the stories of four families who return to the cemetery to find the stone flowers with the names of their loved ones among the ruins of this former national monument, we gain insight into the scale of the consequences of forgetting for individuals and society.

It premiered at this year's Sarajevo Film Festival.