QUO VADIS, AIDA?

BEST INTERNATIONAL FEATURE

Aida is a translator for the UN in the small town of Srebrenica. When the Serbian army takes over the town, her family is among the thousands of citizens looking for shelter in the UN camp. What is on the horizon for her family and people – rescue or death – and how should she act?

Bosnia and Herzegovina

“Quo Vadis, Aida?” is an intense war drama set in the city of Srebrenica before the 1995 Srebrenica massacre. With the UN failing to negotiate with the Army of Republika Srpska, who forcefully invades Srebrenica, the citizens flock to the small UN camp for safety. Aida, a UN translator, uses her negotiation skills to protect her husband and two sons from the approaching army’s imposing threat. The result is a unique perspective on wartime happenings.

Bosnia and Herzegovina have been to the Oscars one time before, with the film “No Man’s Land” in 2001. It ended up winning the Oscar. That win shouldn’t hurt the chances of “Quo Vadis, Aida?” What does hurt its outcome is the outcry of support for “Another Round.” You cannot deny the love for a film when not only does it get nominated for Best International Feature, but the director also gets in for Best Directing. Getting a directing nomination for an international film is pretty tricky. The fact that Thomas Vinterberg beat out people like Regina King and Aaron Sorkin shows you exactly how much the Academy supports that director and that film. “Quo Vadis, Aida?” overcoming that kind of support seems insurmountable, yet not entirely impossible.