Jasmila Zbanic Prepping Sequel to Oscar Nominee ‘Quo Vadis, Aida?’ (EXCLUSIVE)

variety.com:

Christopher Vourlias Oscar-nominated filmmaker Jasmila Žbanić is prepping a sequel to her harrowing war drama “Quo Vadis, Aida?,” which competed for best international feature film at the 93rd Academy Awards, Variety can exclusively reveal.

Speaking at the Sarajevo Film Festival, Žbanić said the film will explore the tragic consequences of the 1990s Bosnian War and the brutal massacre at the heart of her critically acclaimed Oscar contender, which follows a Bosnian UN translator (Jasna Đuričić) torn between family and duty in Srebrenica, where more than 8,000 civilians — mostly Muslim men and boys — were slaughtered in the worst act of mass killing on European soil since World War II.

While Žbanić was reluctant to share details about the sequel’s plot, she discussed her inspiration to depict the aftermath of the massacre — which was later deemed to be a genocide — as well as the consequences of the wider war, which left countless Bosnian women without husbands and sons. “There is really something that I need to talk about, which is how these women after the war united — they were mostly peasants, housewives — and they united and broke all obstacles that Bosnian politicians, European politicians, world politicians were putting in in front of them,” said Žbanić.

After the signing of the Dayton Peace Accords brought an end to the Bosnian War, she said, many political actors were determined to “look forward” and “not talk about dead bodies and mass graves and war criminals.” The brave Bosnian women mourning their dead, however, refused. “They were like, ‘No, we need to find our sons.’” The director said the film is “not only about Srebrenica, but it’s about this time we live in.” “For 30 years, these women are searching for.