Dara of Jasenovac () is a 2021 Serbian historical drama film directed by Predrag Antonijević. Based on the testimonies of survivors, it deals with war crimes and atrocities that took place at Jasenovac concentration camp, which was a part of the Holocaust and the wider genocide of Serbs in the Independent State of Croatia.
The film was set to premiere in early 2020, commemorating 75 years since the escape of the remaining prisoners from the camp. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the premiere was postponed to 22 October 2020, and then further on to early 2021. It was selected as the Serbian entry for the Best International Feature Film at the 93rd Academy Awards, although it was not nominated. It was also eligible for Best Picture but it did not make the shortlist. Dara of Jasenovac has been submitted for consideration for the Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture – Drama, while young actress Biljana Čekić was submitted for consideration for the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama. It is the first Serbian production on the subject of the Jasenovac camp.
The film was met with mixed reviews from international critics. Positive reviews praised the film for dealing with a lesser-known episode of World War II that gets little to no coverage from the international public, while negative reviews pointed out its role in the Serbian government's nationalist propaganda aims.
Plot
After the Axis-led Kozara Offensive, the majority of the local Serb population ends up in Ustaše and Nazi German concentration camps in the Independent State of Croatia.
Families are marched towards cattle cars. Ten-year old Dara Ilić marches alongside her older brother Jovo and asks him why others are not being rounded up as well when they look the same. A woman marching in the column of prisoners carries her crying baby and makes eye contact with one of the young Croatian peasant women working the fields. She decides to leave the baby with her before returning to the column.
At a train station adorned with the Nazi German flag, Father Miroslav Filipović separates the sick and elderly from the rest, who are forced into the cattle cars. Dara watches as those who are left behind are shot and killed by Filipović. With no information about the whereabouts of her father, the train transports Dara, her mother and two brothers to the Jasenovac concentration camp. In an undisclosed location nearby, Dara's father Mile is tasked with removing and disposing of dead bodies.
That night at the camp, the guards devise a game of musical chairs as entertainment for visiting German Nazi officers. Each prisoner who loses each round has their throat slashed with a srbosjek or is bludgeoned by a hammer, which Dara witnesses.
As families are separated, Dara's mother struggles and refuses to hand over her older son. They are both shot and killed by Ante Vrban. Dara is left to take care of her younger brother as they are sent to a special camp for women and children. She makes it her personal mission and goal to insure the survival of her younger brother.
With the help of a Jewish prisoner, Blankica, Dara plots a path to escape.
Cast
Production
An old brickyard located in the village of Kolut near Sombor was reconstructed and turned into a camp by production designer Goran Joksimović. The second part of the movie was shot in Bela Crkva.
Children from Kozarska Dubica were chosen to portray numerous children who were imprisoned in the camp. Scenes with the children were shot in sequence in order to mask the growth of children over the three months of shooting and so that those young actors would better understand the material. A psychologist was kept on the set.
A number of actors from Republika Srpska took part in the project, joined by their colleagues from Serbia.
Dara in Jasenovac was supported by Ministry of Culture and Information and Film Center Serbia.
American scholar Michael Berenbaum served as history consultant and executive producer.
The Serbian premiere took place in Gračanica and the movie was screened for seven days.
101 Studios secured the U.S. rights for the film.
While several movies were filmed during the existence of Yugoslavia, this is the first movie in Serbian production on the subject of the Jasenovac concentration camp.