02-12-2020

FNE Oscar Watch 2021: Dara in Jasenovac is Serbian Submission to Academy Awards

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    Dara in Jasenovac by Predrag Antonijević Dara in Jasenovac by Predrag Antonijević credit: Vladimir Avramović and Irena Canić

    BELGRADE: The historical drama Dara in Jasenovac / Dara iz Jasenovca directed by Predrag Antonijević is Serbia's candidate for the 93rd Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences award in the best international feature film category. This is the first feature film dealing with the extermination camp of Jasenovac, known as the Balkan's Auschwitz, during the WWII.

    Based on testimonies of survivors, the film tells the story of a little girl Dara, who is sent during the Holocaust to the extermination camp complex of Jasenovac, one of the Croatian fascist organisation Ustaše's concentration camps, where the Serbs were sent after the Kozara Offensive.

    The main characters are played by Biljana Čekić, Vuk Kostić, Marko Janketić, Igor Đorđević and Radoslav Milenković.

    The film is a Serbian coproduction, produced by Dandelion Production Inc in coproduction with Film Danas and Komuna. It was supported by the Serbian Ministry of Culture and Information and Film Center Serbia.

    Dara in Jasenovac was supposed to premiere at the beginning of 2020 in order to commemorate 75 years from the escape of the remaining prisoners from the camp, but the release was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

    The nominations for the 93rd Academy Awards will be announced on 15 March 2021.