Tim Roth applauds Children of Sarajevo

Tim Roth, jury president of the Un Certain Regard section, gave a standing ovation to the film Djeca (Children of Sarajevo), directed by the Bosnian Aida Begic, after it was shown to the press yesterday. The film tells the moving story of two young men: Rahima, 23 years old and his brother Nedim (14), orphans of the Bosnian war. The two are living in Sarajevo in a society that seems to have lost all its compassion for young men during the siege on the city. After a youth of crime, Rahima appears to have found comfort in the Islamic religion and hopes that his brother will follow his example. But the situation becomes more complicated when Nedim has a fight at school with the son of a powerful national minister. The incident will lead to a chain of events that will allow Rahima to discover that his young brother is leading a double life as well. The actors were cast and the film was shot in the outskirts of Sarajevo. ''Making a film with non-professional and debuting actors is certainly not easy. And the worsening crisis of Bosnian cinema certainly was not helping,'' explained director Aida Begic.(ANSAmed).