Romeo and Juliet in Sarajevo

{{Infobox film

| name = Romeo and Juliet in Sarajevo

| image =

| caption =

| director = John Zaritsky

| producer = Rainer Hoffmann
Steve Milosevic
Mark Starowicz
Virginia Storring
CBC
NFB
WDR

| writer = John Zaritsky

| narrator = Will Lyman

| starring = Damir Andrei
Nancy Beatty
Amos Crawley

| music = Mason Daring

| cinematography = Michael Savoie

| editing = Eric Goddard
Richard Wells

| studio = PBS

| distributor = PBS Distribution

| released = {{Film date|1994|5|10}}

| runtime = 90 minutes

| country = Canada

| language = English

| budget =

| gross =

}}

Romeo and Juliet in Sarajevo is an international documentary about the deaths of Admira Ismić (born May 13, 1968) and Boško Brkić (Cyrillic: Бошко Бркић; born August 11, 1968).{{cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jnQ1lTAVjhw |title=Romeo and Juliet in Sarajevo |date=1994 |medium= |language= |publisher= |trans-title= |location= |time=1:17:31 |access-date= |format=Television Broadcast |id= |isbn= |oclc= |quote= |people=}}{{Cite web |date=14 May 2021 |title=Nezaboravljeni: 20 godina od pogibije sarajevskih Romea i Julije (VIDEO) |url=https://net.hr/danas/nezaboravljeni-20-godina-od-pogibije-sarajevskih-romea-i-julije-video-a11f3844-b1c4-11eb-854b-0242ac130037}} The couple were natives of Bosnia and Herzegovina living in the city of Sarajevo. Admira was a Bosniak, and Boško was a Bosnian Serb.{{Cite web |title=FRONTLINE {{!}} PBS {{!}} Official Site {{!}} Documentary Series |url=http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/frontline/documentaries/ |access-date=2025-05-14 |website=FRONTLINE |language=en-US}} They were killed by sniper fire on 19 May 1993, while trying to cross the Vrbanja bridge to the Serb-controlled territory of Grbavica. Mark H. Milstein's photograph of their dead bodies was used by numerous media outlets, and a Reuters dispatch about them was filed by Kurt Schork. The documentary was co-produced by PBS's Frontline, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, the National Film Board of Canada and WDR Germany. It was directed by John Zaritsky.

Synopsis

The 1992–96 Siege of Sarajevo by the Bosnian Serb Army (VRS) caused drastic deterioration in living conditions for its inhabitants.{{cite news |author=Stacy Sullivan |date=12 October 1995 |title=Lights, Water, Action: Life in Sarajevo Returns to the Basics |url=https://www.csmonitor.com/1995/1012/12012.html |access-date=15 April 2013 |work=CSMonitor.com}} In 1993, Admira and Boško, a couple with connections across different ethnic groups, decided to escape the conflict. On 19 May 1993, the pair attempted to cross Vrbanja Bridge, part of Sniper Alley, hoping for a safe passage due to an alleged informal agreement that no one would fire during their crossing.

Accounts differ regarding the exact sequence of events. According to some sources, the couple approached the bridge at 17:00, when Boško was shot first, dying instantly. Admira, although wounded, managed to crawl to him, embrace him, and died moments later.

The two bodies remained in no man’s land for several days, with Serb and Bosnian forces arguing over responsibility for their deaths and recovery. After eight days, Serb forces retrieved the bodies using Bosnian POWs, and the couple was later buried together at the "Groblje Lav" (The Lion Cemetery).{{Cite web |title=BBC News {{!}} EUROPE {{!}} Kurt Schork buried in Sarajevo |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/863587.stm |access-date=2025-05-14 |website=news.bbc.co.uk}}

Kuniomi Asai, a war correspondent who accompanied soldiers at the front lines, recalls events differently. He reported that Sarajevo's Bosnian government initially restricted access to the front for foreign journalists. However, through his connections, Asai joined a platoon heading to the front and encountered photographer Mark Milstein, a stringer for Reuters, who pleaded to accompany them, desperate to capture compelling images.

Upon reaching a building overlooking the bridge, Asai claims they saw the bodies of the young couple, appearing as if the man had been shot first, and the woman had collapsed while trying to help him. Local soldiers identified the snipers as Serbian forces and described the couple as high school sweethearts attempting to escape the war.

Milstein’s photographs of the tragic scene were widely circulated by international media and used in Kurt Schork’s article, which turned the couple into a symbol of the senseless violence during the siege. Reflecting on the media’s influence, Asai expressed frustration with the Japanese news agency’s delayed interest in the footage he had captured, noting that they only pursued the story after it gained traction in Western media outlets.

The identities of the snipers remain unconfirmed, as no formal investigation was conducted. The deaths of Boško and Admira continue to symbolize the devastating human impact of the Bosnian War, remembered both as an emblem of love transcending conflict and as a tragic outcome of war.

Cast

Damir Andrei as Translation voice
Nancy Beatty as Translation voice
Amos Crawley as Translation voice
Cynthia Eastman as Translation voice
Louis Ferreira as Translation voice (as Justin Louis)
Soo Garay as Translation voice
Michael Hogan as Translation voice
Charmion King as Translation voice

Awards

For this film, director Zaritsky received the Alfred Dupont Award from the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism as well as an Emmy Award nomination.{{cite web |url=http://www.onf.ca/portraits/fiche.php?id=537&v=h&lg=en |title=NFB - Portraits |accessdate=2007-07-06 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20070930015320/http://www.onf.ca/portraits/fiche.php?id=537&v=h&lg=en |archivedate=2007-09-30 }}

References

External links

{{IMDb title|0885253}}
[http://onf-nfb.gc.ca/en/our-collection/?idfilm=32791 NFB Web page]
[https://www.flickr.com/photos/northfoto/3588896797/ Mark H. Milstein's image on Flickr with notes about making the world-famous photo of Boško and Admira]
[https://web.archive.org/web/20070202085205/http://www.ansphoto.hu/romeo%26~1.htm Mark H. Milstein's images with notes about making the world-famous photo of Boško and Admira]
[https://www.irishtimes.com/opinion/grim-tale-of-slain-romeo-and-juliet-1.946689 Article includes mention of Mark H. Milstein, photojournalist who made the famous photos of Boško and Admira]
[https://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/arts/theater/blog/13077010/fearful-passage-theater-alliance-reads-the-romeo-and-juliet-of-sarajevo Article includes mention of Mark H. Milstein, photojournalist who made the famous photos of Boško and Admira]
[https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/frontline/article/watch-10-most-streamed-frontline-2020-documentaries/ PBS Transcript "Romeo and Juliet of Sarajevo"]
[http://www.albany.edu/jmmh/vol1no1/RJSarajevo.html The Journal for MultiMedia History]
[http://www.cnn.com/WORLD/Bosnia/updates/9604/10/ CNN Mission: Peace "Bodies of Sarajevo's 'Romeo and Juliet' come home"]
[http://www.ksmemorial.com/romeo.htm Kurt Schork’s signature dispatch from siege of Sarajevo]