It was February 1993 in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and the city had been enduring bombings for the past 10 months. The capital was surrounded and under siege by Bosnian Serb forces, resulting in a relentless assault that lasted for a total of 1,425 days. This siege became known as the longest siege of a capital city in the history of modern warfare.
At the age of 16, Elma Tataragić had reached a breaking point with the war. Living on the outskirts of Sarajevo, she was confined to her home for an extended period due to the constant shelling and danger in her area. Despite adapting to the city’s new reality of collecting rainwater for cooking and relying on a bike generator for entertainment, Elma longed for a short escape from the war. She yearned to experience a taste of normalcy, even if only for a few hours.
One day, Elma heard about the Apollo War Cinema and knew that she had to go. Located in the basement of the Sarajevo Academy of Performing Arts, the cinema reopened amidst the siege and defiantly screened films, defying the “normal abnormal” reality of the city.
Despite her parents’ pleas for her to stay home, Elma disregarded their worries and rode her bike to the Apollo, even passing snipers’ nests along the way. She was determined and excited. Elma vividly remembers dressing up in her best clothes, including her white sneakers that were slightly uncomfortable but didn’t diminish her excitement.
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During the siege, money was scarce, and cigarettes became the unofficial currency of the city. Elma, who taught English to children during that time, was paid in cigarettes by the parents. One cigarette was the cost of admission to the Apollo.
The screenings at the Apollo were always packed. Due to the electricity cuts, the theater relied on generators to power the projector. The films shown were a mix of VHS tapes donated by friends and smuggled in from the outside world. The selection was eclectic, ranging from popular films like “Bodyguard” to a week of French New Wave. Regardless of the movie, Elma cherished those two hours of escape from the horrors happening around her on a daily basis.
As word spread about the Apollo, the international film community started contributing to the theater’s collection, ensuring a steady supply of new movies. Festivals like Edinburgh and Locarno provided titles from their line-ups and retrospectives. The underground cinema ran continuously from February 1993 to December 1995, even during the siege. In December 1995, it transformed into the Sarajevo Film Festival, still operating under difficult circumstances. Hearing that they were in need of someone with good English skills, Elma applied for a job at the festival and got hired. She has been with the festival ever since, now serving as the head of the competition selection.
Joining the festival was a transformative and life-changing moment for Elma. While the war had changed her circumstances, it was the decision to go to the Cinema Apollo and later join the festival that marked the first time she took control of her own destiny. Sitting in the basement between the stage and the bar, surrounded by actors, directors, and writers, Elma felt like she was in heaven.
Now, 30 years later, the Sarajevo Film Festival is paying tribute to its roots in the basement of the Apollo. For its 2023 edition, the festival plans to screen a special program of movies that were originally shown on VHS at the Apollo cinema. Films like David Lynch’s “Wild at Heart,” Paul Verhoeven’s “Basic Instinct,” and Ridley Scott’s “Thelma & Louise” will be included in this program. Attendees are encouraged to bring cigarettes, just like in the days of the Apollo.
In conclusion, the Apollo War Cinema provided a brief respite from the horrors of war for the people of Sarajevo during the siege. It demonstrated the power of film to transport individuals to another world, offering them a temporary escape from their reality. The cinema’s legacy lives on through the Sarajevo Film Festival, which continues to celebrate the transformative nature of cinema and provide a platform for filmmakers and film enthusiasts from around the world.
