Warchild (film)
Encyclopedia
Warchild or Stille Sehnsucht is a 2006 film directed by Christian Wagner. It tells the story of a Bosnian woman, Senada, who is determined to find her daughter who was taken into other people's care during the war and ended up in Germany
. Warchild was filmed in a number of locations in Germany, Bosnia-Herzegovina, and Slovenia
. The film is in German
and Serbo-Croat. It won two awards and was nominated for a further two.
(Before the Rain
) stars as Senada, a young mother whose only daughter Aida was removed from Bosnia-Herzegovina during the worst years of the war and presumably adopted into a Western Europe
an family. Searching for her after the war, Senada enters illegally into Germany, where she discovers through a social worker the harsh truth of postwar adoption
: Aida is alive and well and living happily with a German family. Dark secrets then emerge, leaving no one unscathed in this expertly crafted, superbly performed drama.
. However, Wagner (Wallers last Trip/Transatlantis/Ghetto Kids) wanted to tell a universally recognisable story that would bring home to viewers the impact of war
on ordinary people’s lives. It is a story about a mother’s search for her child after the war but it is also a story about dislocation, as adults and children everywhere face the consequences of separation, relocation and migration
.
and reflect Wagner’s interest in the movement of peoples throughout Europe
.
. It and won the award for best screenplay.
Warchild has won a number of other awards including the Bavarian Film Awards (Special Jury Prize), Best Screenplay Montreal 2006, Audience Award Portoroz, and the Golden Olive Tree & Special Audience Award 2007 at European Filmfestival/Lecce.
Shown at about 50 international film festival
s, the film is a German and Slovenian co-production by Wagnerfilm, Munich and Studio Maj, Ljubljana and was funded by MFG/FilmFernsehFonds Bayern/BKM/Filski Sklad Slovenia/EURIMAGES.
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. Warchild was filmed in a number of locations in Germany, Bosnia-Herzegovina, and Slovenia
Slovenia
Slovenia , officially the Republic of Slovenia , is a country in Central and Southeastern Europe touching the Alps and bordering the Mediterranean. Slovenia borders Italy to the west, Croatia to the south and east, Hungary to the northeast, and Austria to the north, and also has a small portion of...
. The film is in German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
and Serbo-Croat. It won two awards and was nominated for a further two.
Plot
Labina MitevskaLabina Mitevska
Labina Mitevska is a Macedonian actress.Mitevska began her acting career aged 19 after studying in Skopje, Denmark and the University of Arizona...
(Before the Rain
Before the Rain (film)
Before the Rain is a 1994 Macedonian film starring Katrin Cartlidge, Rade Šerbedžija, Grégoire Colin, and Labina Mitevska. It was directed and written by Milčo Mančevski. The music was created by the band Anastasia.-Plot:...
) stars as Senada, a young mother whose only daughter Aida was removed from Bosnia-Herzegovina during the worst years of the war and presumably adopted into a Western Europe
Western Europe
Western Europe is a loose term for the collection of countries in the western most region of the European continents, though this definition is context-dependent and carries cultural and political connotations. One definition describes Western Europe as a geographic entity—the region lying in the...
an family. Searching for her after the war, Senada enters illegally into Germany, where she discovers through a social worker the harsh truth of postwar adoption
Adoption
Adoption is a process whereby a person assumes the parenting for another and, in so doing, permanently transfers all rights and responsibilities from the original parent or parents...
: Aida is alive and well and living happily with a German family. Dark secrets then emerge, leaving no one unscathed in this expertly crafted, superbly performed drama.
The theme of war
Warchild is set against the background of the Bosnian WarBosnian War
The Bosnian War or the War in Bosnia and Herzegovina was an international armed conflict that took place in Bosnia and Herzegovina between April 1992 and December 1995. The war involved several sides...
. However, Wagner (Wallers last Trip/Transatlantis/Ghetto Kids) wanted to tell a universally recognisable story that would bring home to viewers the impact of war
War
War is a state of organized, armed, and often prolonged conflict carried on between states, nations, or other parties typified by extreme aggression, social disruption, and usually high mortality. War should be understood as an actual, intentional and widespread armed conflict between political...
on ordinary people’s lives. It is a story about a mother’s search for her child after the war but it is also a story about dislocation, as adults and children everywhere face the consequences of separation, relocation and migration
Human migration
Human migration is physical movement by humans from one area to another, sometimes over long distances or in large groups. Historically this movement was nomadic, often causing significant conflict with the indigenous population and their displacement or cultural assimilation. Only a few nomadic...
.
Balkan Blues Trilogy
Warchild belongs to German filmmaker Christian Wagner’s Balkan Blues Trilogy, which begins with a short film, Zita and continues with Alcatrash, currently in production. The three films are all connected with the BalkansBalkans
The Balkans is a geopolitical and cultural region of southeastern Europe...
and reflect Wagner’s interest in the movement of peoples throughout Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
.
Awards and Screenings
Warchild is the second installment of Wagner's Balkan Blues Trilogy and featured Labina Mitevska and Katrin Sass (Good Bye, Lenin!). It had its international premiere at the 2006 Montreal World Film FestivalMontreal World Film Festival
The Montreal World Film Festival , founded in 1977, is one of Canada's oldest international film festivals and the only competitive film festival in North America accredited by the FIAPF...
. It and won the award for best screenplay.
Warchild has won a number of other awards including the Bavarian Film Awards (Special Jury Prize), Best Screenplay Montreal 2006, Audience Award Portoroz, and the Golden Olive Tree & Special Audience Award 2007 at European Filmfestival/Lecce.
Shown at about 50 international film festival
Film festival
A film festival is an organised, extended presentation of films in one or more movie theaters or screening venues, usually in a single locality. More and more often film festivals show part of their films to the public by adding outdoor movie screenings...
s, the film is a German and Slovenian co-production by Wagnerfilm, Munich and Studio Maj, Ljubljana and was funded by MFG/FilmFernsehFonds Bayern/BKM/Filski Sklad Slovenia/EURIMAGES.