Karneval

It was by coincidence that the Montenegrin journalist Seki Radoncic came across a black page in the history of his country. Bosnian refugees seeking safety in Montenegro during the Balkan War were mercilessly picked up and transported to Bosnia in May 1992, where they ended up in the notorious, Serb-run prison of Foca. Only one or two people lived to tell the tale. Most relatives have heard nothing from their loved ones since those fatal days. Radoncic decides to investigate the matter further and succeeds in tracking down witnesses to the events. Among them is a policeman who was ordered to arrest all Bosnian men between 18 and 70 years old. Images of the annual carnival in the sunny seaside town where it all took place form a wry contrast to the large-scale acts of betrayal that nobody in Montenegro wants to be reminded of. We follow Radoncic during his search for the truth, and witness the difficulties he encounters, including a bomb attack on himself and his family, while the eyewitness accounts by the (then) unsuspecting relatives are heart-rending. Images of the work of the identification team as it examines the bone-DNA from the mass graves add weight to Radoncic's mission. (International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam)