Click to read the article
Welcome to Sarajevo (1997)
Runtime: 1 hr 42 mins
Synopsis: Michael Winterbottom's ingenious drama, adapted by journalist Michael Nicholson from his memoir NATASHA'S STORY, concerns the horrific bloodshed that broke out in Yugoslavia in the early 1990s. Most specifically, the film focuses its attention on Bosnia, the capital of Sarajevo, when... Michael Winterbottom's ingenious drama, adapted by journalist Michael Nicholson from his memoir NATASHA'S STORY, concerns the horrific bloodshed that broke out in Yugoslavia in the early 1990s. Most specifically, the film focuses its attention on Bosnia, the capital of Sarajevo, when the violence was its most intense and unpredictable. The story follows a group of journalists who spend their days braving the front lines, searching for footage that will guarantee them a prime slot on their local newscast. Stephen Dillane plays Michael Henderson, a disillusioned English war reporter working alongside cameraman Gregg (James Nesbitt) and producer Jane (Kerry Fox). The trio immediately befriends their new driver, Risto (Goran Visnjic), while contending with Flynn (Woody Harrelson), a hotshot American who is more interested in individual glory than the war itself. When Nina (Marisa Tomei), a relief worker, arrives to shuttle a busload of children out of the country, Henderson takes it upon himself to smuggle out Emira (Emira Nusevic), an apparent orphan, risking his life in the process. With WELCOME TO SARAJEVO, Winterbottom cleverly combines documentary footage of the horrific acts of "ethnic cleansing" with a more traditional story, resulting in a highly original motion picture that aims to shed light on the tragic civil war that ravaged Yugoslavia. [More]
Genre: Television
Starring: Stephen Dillane, Woody Harrelson, Marisa Tomei, Emira Nusevic, Kerry Fox
Producer: Graham Broadbent, Damian Jones
Story: Michael Nicholson
Screenwriter: Frank Cottrell Boyce
Composer: Adrian Johnston
DVD Info
Release:
Mar 2, 2004
DVD Features:
- Region 1
- Keep Case
- Widescreen - 2.35
Audio:
- Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound - English
- Subtitles - English - Closed Captioned
Additional Release Material:
- Documentaries - "Locked & Loaded"
Reviews
A documentary would have more powerfully captured the horror of the Bosnian conflict than this synthetic, if well-acted and -intentioned, drama.
Winterbottom takes a recent history the rest of the world already was beginning to forget and throws it into a sharp, human focus.
Lifts up compassion as the quivering of the heart in the presence of pain and suffering.
News
posted by Gitesh Pandya June 21, 2007
Universal looks to score its first number one hit in nearly a year this weekend with the new Steve Carell comedy...


Top Critic