Welcome to Sarajevo (1997)

Michael Winterbottom's ingenious drama, adapted by journalist Michael Nicholson from his memoir NATASHA'S STORY, concerns the horrific bloodshed that broke out in Yugoslavia in the early 1990s. Most specifically, the film focuses its attention on Bosnia, the capital of Sarajevo, when the violence was its most intense and unpredictable. The story follows a group of journalists who spend their days braving the front lines, searching for footage that will guarantee them a prime slot on their local newscast. Stephen Dillane plays Michael Henderson, a disillusioned English war reporter working alongside cameraman Gregg (James Nesbitt) and producer Jane (Kerry Fox). The trio immediately befriends their new driver, Risto (Goran Visnjic), while contending with Flynn (Woody Harrelson), a hotshot American who is more interested in individual glory than the war itself. When Nina (Marisa Tomei), a relief worker, arrives to shuttle a busload of children out of the country, Henderson takes it upon himself to smuggle out Emira (Emira Nusevic), an apparent orphan, risking his life in the process. With WELCOME TO SARAJEVO, Winterbottom cleverly combines documentary footage of the horrific acts of "ethnic cleansing" with a more traditional story, resulting in a highly original motion picture that aims to shed light on the tragic civil war that ravaged Yugoslavia.