Welcome to Sarajevo

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Welcome to Sarajevo ★★★½ 1997 (R)

Fresh, unusual take on the siege of Sarajevo in 1992. A group of news correspondents, including British reporter Michael Henderson (Dillane), find themselves in the middle of the siege, and become disillusioned when the conflict is largely ignored by the rest of the world. Film sheds perspective when a particularly bloody massacre takes a backseat to the marital troubles of the royal family. Henderson becomes personally involved when his daily coverage of an orphanage sparks him to become a hero to the orphaned Emily (Sarajevan actress Nusevic). Intermingling actual news footage, Winterbottom shows the violence on a personal level. Solid supporting characters include Harrelson as the wonderfully egotistic American celeb journalist. Strong emotional content is tempered by the smart and savvy gallows humor, which keeps melodrama miles away. Loosely based on a true story by ITN reporter, Michael Nicholson. 102m/C VHS, DVD . Stephen (Dillon) Dillane, Woody Harrelson, Marisa Tomei, Kerry Fox, Emily Lloyd, Goran Visnjic, Juliet Aubrey, Emira Nusevic, James Nesbitt, Igor Dzambazov, Gordana Gadzic, Drazen Sivak, Vesna Orel; D: Michael Winterbottom; W: Frank Cottrell-Boyce; C: Daf Hobson; M: Adrian Johnston.

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