Faux found footage film 78 Days offers a glimpse of war through the eyes, or rather a video camera, of children. In her debut feature, director Emilija Gašić recreates her childhood memories and those of an entire generation by means of a fictive video diary filmed by three young girls amidst the 1999 mass-bombing in Serbia by NATO troops.
It is 1999 and the Balkans are on fire: Kosovo wants to break away from the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, where Serbia holds sway. Which leads to NATO bomings in spring 1999 that last until the Yugoslav army withdraws from Serbia. The attacks lasted from 24 March to 10 June, i.e. 78 days. This Operation Allied Force is the backcloth of 78 Days. Because this is anything but a war drama. In her first feature film, Serbian Emilija Gašić just focuses on everyday life, viewed through the eyes - or rather, the video camera - of three sisters. From beginning to end, 78 Days consists of images filmed by the girls on camera. No documentary footage from a quarter-century ago, but rather a (partly fictional) recreation of Gašić's childhood memories and those of an entire generation. This technical-artistic choice brings the reality of the time to life in a raw, direct way.
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Credits
Emilija Gašić
Goran Bogdan, Jelena Djokić, Pavle Čemerkić
Emilija Gašić
Inés Gowland
Jovana Filipović
Miloš Ivanović, Andrijana Sofranic Sucur, Djordje Ćirić
Set Sail Films
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Serbian
Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina
2024
