The Srebrenica Tape
| The Srebrenica Tape | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Chiara Sambuchi |
| Produced by | Antje Böhmert |
| Narrated by | Alisa Smajlović |
| Cinematography | Pablo Pisacane |
| Edited by | Claudia Linzer Torsten Striegnitz |
| Music by | Hannes Gill Luca Ciut |
Production companies | BSX Schmölzer Docdays Productions |
Release date |
|
Running time | 89 minutes |
| Countries | Germany Austria |
| Languages | Bosnian English Serbian |
The Srebrenica Tape – From Dad, for Alisa (also subtitled Messages of Love from the War) is a 2025 documentary film following a Bosnian woman, Alisa Smajlović, who returns to her hometown of Srebrenica to learn more about her father, Sejfo, who was murdered in the Srebrenica massacre in 1995. Filmed in the United States and Bosnia and Herzegovina, the film was a co-production of Germany and Austria. and comprises Smaljović's road trip in Bosnia intercut with video footage recorded by her father prior to the massacre.[1]
Premise
Alisa Smajlović is a Bosnian woman, born in Srebrenica to a Bosnian Muslim father and a Bosnian Serb mother. During the Bosnian War, she went to live in Serbia with her maternal grandparents, while her father remained in Srebrenica, where he was killed during the Srebrenica massacre. After moving to the United States as an adult, Alisa watches a VHS tape that her father Sejfo recorded of life in Srebrenica leading up to the massacre. Alisa returns to Bosnia with her mother and daughter to learn more about her father and to identify and locate people featured in the tape.
Production
Following the outbreak of the Bosnian War, Smajlović was sent to Ljubovija, Serbia to live with her grandparents. Her father, Sejfo, became among 40, 000 war refugees living in Srebrenica, where he recorded footage of daily life in the town; the tape of all the recordings totalled over four hours of footage which had filmed specifically for Alisa.[2][3] It was filmed between 1993 and 1995.[4] The film also includes archival footage of the war.[5]
Release
The Srebrenica Tape had its worldwide premiere at the 44th Movies That Matter festival in the Hague, Netherlands.[2] It was also screened at Dok.fest Munich, Diagonale and the Sarajevo Film Festival.[1][6][5]
The Srebrenica Tape premiered in the United Kingdom on BBC Four on 1 July 2025, as part of its Storyville documentary film series.[7]
Reception
Cineuropa gave the film a positive review, describing it as "a touching personal investigation of some of the darkest years in contemporary regional history".[2] It was described as a "companion piece" to the 2020 drama film Quo Vadis, Aida?, directed by Jasmila Žbanić.[8]
References
- ^ a b "The Srebrenica Tape". First Hand Films. Archived from the original on 22 November 2025. Retrieved 22 November 2025.
- ^ a b c Popp, Olivia (28 March 2025). "Review: The Srebrenica Tape – From Dad, for Alisa". Cineuropa. Archived from the original on 3 April 2025. Retrieved 22 November 2025.
- ^ "The Srebrenica Tape". Docdays Productions. Archived from the original on 20 July 2025. Retrieved 22 November 2025.
- ^ "The Srebrenica Tape - From Dad, for Alisa". DW. 30 June 2025. Archived from the original on 22 November 2025. Retrieved 22 November 2025.
- ^ a b "The Srebrenica Tape: From Dad, for Alisa". Diagonale. Archived from the original on 15 July 2025. Retrieved 22 November 2025.
- ^ "THE SREBRENICA TAPE - FROM DAD, FOR ALISA". DOK.fest. Retrieved 22 November 2025.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ "The Srebrenica Tape". Storyville. 1 July 2025. Archived from the original on 22 November 2025. Retrieved 22 November 2025.
- ^ "Film recommendation: "The Srebrenica Tape – Messages of Love from the War"". Käte Hamburger Centre. 14 July 2025. Archived from the original on 22 November 2025. Retrieved 22 November 2025.