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Exile in Sarajevo (1997)

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clip Nirvana education content clip 3

Original classification rating: M. This clip chosen to be PG

Clip description

Zemka is the mother of twelve year-old Nirvana who has been killed by a shell in Sarajevo during the Bosnian War. She looks at the footage of her now-deceased daughter dancing that filmmakers Tahir Cambis and Alma Sahbaz had only recently taken. Zemka becomes distressed as she looks at the dress and handbag that Nirvana was wearing at the dance. Belma, Nirvana’s sister, comforts her mother.

Curator’s notes

by Poppy De Souza

Cambis’ narration explains that Zemka, an administrator at Sarajevo University, and her family have stayed in Sarajevo during the siege and ‘fought for their city by refusing to leave’. The ultimate price she has paid is the loss of her young child and this extraordinary moment of grief is captured on camera. The video images of a vibrant Nirvana dancing in her pink dress are interspersed with Zemka sitting on her couch holding the dress that Nirvana wore only the week before. Her grief at the loss of her child later causes her to question whether she can face staying in Sarajevo any longer. Later in the film, we find out that she and Belma decide to leave Sarajevo to rebuild their lives in the United States.

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australianscreen is produced by the National Film and Sound Archive. By using the website you agree to comply with the terms and conditions described elsewhere on this site. The NFSA may amend the 'Conditions of Use’ from time to time without notice.

All materials on the site, including but not limited to text, video clips, audio clips, designs, logos, illustrations and still images, are protected by the Copyright Laws of Australia and international conventions.

When you access australianscreen you agree that:

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  • You may download materials for your personal use or for non-commercial educational purposes, but you must not publish them elsewhere or redistribute clips in any way.
  • You may embed the clip for non-commercial educational purposes including for use on a school intranet site or a school resource catalogue.
  • The National Film and Sound Archive’s permission must be sought to amend any information in the materials, unless otherwise stated in notices throughout the Site.

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ANY UNAUTHORISED USE OF MATERIAL ON THIS SITE MAY RESULT IN CIVIL AND CRIMINAL LIABILITY.

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