Sarajevo Film Festival Denounces Controversial Serbian World War II Drama ‘Heroes Of Halyard’ After Heavy Political Backlash

deadline.com:

The Sarajevo Film Festival has distanced itself from a controversial Serbian film that has been accused of glorifying Serbian nationalist groups after experts from the feature were screened at the festival’s industry forum.

Heroes Of Halyard, written and directed by Serbian filmmaker Radoš Bajić, is set in a remote Serbian village at the tale end of World War II and tells the story of three brothers and their family torn between conflicting ideologies: Mirko fights in the units of the right-wing Yugoslav Army, Sreten has joined the progressive partisans, while Ilija, the youngest son, is torn between two sides.

The film was not screened as part of the festival. Clips from the pic, currently in post-production, were presented as part of a presentation at Sarajevo’s CineLink industry forum by its producer Telekom Srbija, Serbia’s state-backed telecom company.

News of the presentation immediately sparked criticism on the ground in Sarajevo, with local attendees describing the film’s depiction of the right-wing Yugoslav Army as revisionist.