Jack, the Balkans & I

In 1972, Congolese-Belgian pop star Jack Roskam moved to Yugoslavia, where he met and married his Croatian wife. He became the guitarist of one of the most popular local rock bands, Galija. Tall, black, his hair in dreadlocks, Jack stood out on stage among his mostly Serbian bandmates. A confirmed pacifist, Jack had escaped service in the Belgium army, but when the war in Yugoslavia broke out, his convictions were sorely tested. As Galija's songs became more Serb-oriented, Jack decided to leave the band. While Yugoslavian people were forced to choose sides, Jack faced the dilemma of either returning to Belgium or staying and sharing the fate of his new country and family and friends. The war forced him to exchange his Fender Stratocaster for a Kalashnikov and to fight in the Croatian army. Meanwhile, Bosnian filmmaker Sergej Kreso fled the country during the war. In Jack, the Balkans & I, Kreso visits his old friend Jack and they travel together around former Yugoslavia, reflecting on the choices they both made during the war. This road movie portrays a country under reconstruction, filled with striking images of both the beauty and the scars. (International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam)