As If I Am Not There

• Director: Juanita Wilson
• Writer: Juanita Wilson, based on the book by Slavenka Drakulic
• Cast: Natasha Petrovic, Fedja Stukan, Jelena Jovanova, Sanja Buric, Irina Apelgren
• Theatrical Release Date:
• On The Web IMDB Entry

Synopsis:

Harrowing, tragic and based on true events, "As If I Am Not There" tells the story of a young woman from Sarajevo who finds herself in the wrong place at the wrong time in 1992. Based on Croatian writer Slavenka Drakulic’s real life experiences overseeing the proceedings of the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia at The Hague, Juanita Wilson’s debut feature chronicles a moment in history that must never be forgotten.

The film opens on Samira, a vibrant young woman, playing with her younger sister in her family home as her loving parents look on. Samira is a teacher, and she’s decided to travel to a remote village to teach the local children whose teacher has gone mysteriously missing. Getting on the bus, she arrives at a town that seems like something from a previous century. While her home was a beautiful urban apartment, this town is filled with downtrodden peasants leading mules.

She’s only been in town for one day when a group of Serbian soldiers round up all of the villagers at gunpoint and crowd them into the local hall. Samira tries to explain that there’s been a mistake; she’s from Sarajevo. But her cries fall upon deaf ears. The soldiers take all the men outside and shoot them before rounding up the women and shipping them by bus to a hangar in the middle of nowhere. Confused and frightened, none of the captives know what to do.

Disturbing, powerful and ultimately redemptive, "As If I Am Not There" is an amazing story of the will to survive and an important testament to the survivors of the atrocities in the former Yugoslavia. [Synopsis courtesy of Michèle Maheux/Toronto International Film Festival]