FRIEDENFLECHTEN: MIROTVORAC

The footage wascaptured shortly after the shots were fired near Tenja: Witnesses speak of what they saw whilst fighting back the tears, a police officer tries to assess the chaotic situation while police cars race past. At a roadblock, a car was riddled with bullets – amongstits passengers was Reihl-Kir.

The filmtakes this moment as the starting point to retrace the last months of his life, in the process also examining the circumstances that led to his death. With the rise of the newly-formed, nationalist HDZ party in Croatia under future President Franjo Tuđman, hostilities grew against the Serbian population, many of whom subsequently joined the radical nationalist Chetniks. Both sides provoked and mobilised: hostile attacks were staged to justify counterattacks, barricades and roadblocks were erected, and attacks on Serbian businesses were carried out whilst the media only added fuel to the fire. Caught in the middle is Josip Reihl-Kir, a mediator with both an unshakable faith in peaceful solutions and great diplomatic skill. Time and again, the police chief succeeds in negotiating with Serbs to have barricades dismantled and weapons handed over. They trust him. Yet with the growing influence of the paramilitary Croatian brigades under Branimir Glavaš and the support of the Yugoslav People's Army for Serb forces, the conflict escalates further. In the eyes of many Croats, Kir comes to be regarded as a traitor to the people—a foreshadow of his fate.

Featuring rare archival footage and interviews with contemporary witnesses—including Kir's wife and former companions—the film paints a portrait of a man who stood for compromise and was committed to finding peaceful solutions. It uncovers the circumstances of an assassination that still raises questions today. As with his previous films, director Ivan Ramljak also delves deep into Croatian history and society, in the process sketching a picture of a nation at a historical crossroads that has won him numerous awards at film festivals in Croatia.

Text: Merlin Webers

Thu 06.11. I 14:30 I KAMMERBÜHNE I original version with English subtitles + simultaneous German translation

Panel: PEACE WEAVING & FILM. 30 years of experience from South-Eastern Europe Kammerbühne, Fr 07.11. | 18:30