Chiara Sambuchi did not intentionally set out to make a documentary about the Bosnian War (1992-1995). “But this intimate communicative about a daughter looking for her father was hard to ignore,” the 51-year-old Italian documentarian explained from her home in Berlin. Sambuchi first heard about it via Jaap Verdenius. A fewer years ago, the Dutch writer stumbled upon a collection of old VHS tapes in second-hand store in Belgrade. “Initially, Jaap couldn’t realize the content of those tapes,” Sambuchi explained. “But he became fascinated by this man behind the camera, talking to his daughter. With the aid of a translator, Jaap was able to part together a basic outline of this tragic household story.”
That first footage ran to 4 hours and 3 minutes. It begins in 1991, in the town of Srebrenica, in east Bosnia-Herzegovina – then inactive part of Yugoslavia. In the beginning shot, an eight-year-old girl, Alisa Smajlović, stands in her backyard, seemingly carefree and happy. She has received a birthday gift from her father, Sejfo. “You put the toy together,” she tells Dad with heartfelt gratitude. In the following scene, Sejfo addresses the camera directly. But the temper has darkened. He looks hopeless and helpless. “Alisa,” he says. “I got a camera. I’ve captured lots of material from the war. But I’ve besides filmed around the house, the old neighbours, the refugees. To show you how it is now. Don’t worry. We will see each another soon. Don’t always forget your father.”
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