No Man's Land (2001 film)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| No Man's Land | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Directed by | Danis Tanović |
| Produced by | Čedomir Kolar |
| Written by | Danis Tanović |
| Starring | Branko Đurić Rene Bitorajac Filip Šovagović |
| Distributed by | MGM Distribution Co. |
| Release date(s) |  12 May 2001 (premiere at Cannes) 28 September 2001.svg/22px-Flag_of_Belgium_(civil).svg.png){kind=small} 10 October 2001 7 December 2001 (NYC only) 14 December 2001 (LA only) 8 December 2001 17 May 2002 |
| Running time | 98 mins |
| Language | Bosnian / Serbian / French / English / German |
| IMDb profile | |
No Man's Land (Bosnian: Ničija zemlja) is a war drama that is set in the midst of the Bosnian war in 1993. The film is a parable with a tone of ironic black comedy. The film marked the debut of writer and director Danis Tanović. The film is a co-production between companies in Bosnia-Herzegovina, Slovenia, Italy, France, Belgium and the UK.
Contents |
[edit] Plot
Two wounded soldiers, a Bosniak (Bosnian Muslim) (Čiki, portrayed by Branko Đurić) and a Bosnian Serb (Nino, portrayed by Rene Bitorajac) are caught between their lines in the no man's land, in a struggle for survival. The two soldiers confront each other in a trench, where they wait for dark. They trade insults and even find some common ground. Confounding the situation is another wounded Bosniak soldier (Cera, portrayed by Filip Šovagović) who wakes from unconsciousness. A land mine had been buried beneath him by the Bosnian Serbs; should he make any move, it would be fatal.
A French sergeant (Marchand, portrayed by Georges Siatidis), of the United Nations Protection Force (UNPROFOR), gets involved in effort to help the three trapped soldiers, despite initial orders to the contrary by high command. UNPROFOR's mission in Bosnia was to guard the humanitarian aid convoys, to remain neutral and act as a mere bystander. Luckily, an English reporter arrives on scene, bringing media pressure to bear that moves the United Nations high command to swing in to action to try to save the soldiers.
A row between the stressed out and fatigued Čiki and Nino gradually escalates even after being rescued. Eventually, Čiki shoots Nino and is in turn shot by a Peacekeeper. After this confrontation, it is found that the mine cannot be defused. The UNPROFOR high command tries to save face: they lie, saying that Cera has been saved and they leave the area, along with the reporters and everyone else. In reality, Cera is left alone and desolate in the trenches, still immobilized by the mine.
[edit] Awards
- Best Foreign Language Film, (2001) 74th Academy Awards
- Best Foreign Language Film, 2002 Golden Globe Awards
- Best Screenplay, 2001 Cannes Film Festival
No Man's Land won Prix du scénario at the Cannes Film Festival, followed by numerous awards, including the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film in 2001, while in competition with French Amélie. Tanović was presented the Oscar by John Travolta and Sharon Stone. Briefly after, Tanović thanked everyone who worked with him on the film and supported its creation. He ended his acceptance speech by saying, "This is for my country".
In total, No Man's Land won 42 awards, including the Oscar for Best Foreign Film, the European Film Academy Award for Best Screenplay, the César Award for Best Debut in 2002 and the Golden Globe Award for Best Foreign Language Film in 2002.
[edit] Cast and roles
- Branko Đurić - Čiki
- Rene Bitorajac - Nino
- Filip Šovagović - Cera
- Georges Siatidis - French sergeant Marchand
- Serge-Henri Valcke - Dubois
- Sacha Kremer - Michel
- Alain Eloy - Pierre
- Mustafa Nadarević - Old Bosnian Serbian soldier
- Bogdan Diklić - Bosnian Serbian officer
- Simon Callow - Soft
- Katrin Cartlidge - Jane Livingstone, journalist
- Tanja Ribič - Martha
- Branko Zavrsan - German deminer
- Djuro Utjesanović - Bosnian Muslim guide
- Mirza Tanović - Bosnian Muslim officer
- Boro Stjepanović - Bosnian Muslim soldier
- Almir Kurt - Bosnian Muslim soldier
- Ratko Ristic - Bosnian Muslim soldier
- Peter Sedmak - Bosnian Muslim soldier
- Saša Petrović - Bosnian Muslim soldier (credited as Aleksandar Petrović)
- Boris Cindrić - Miralem
- Danijel Smon - Bosnian Serbian officer #2
- Peter Prikratki - Bosnian Serbian soldier
- Primož Ranik - Cameraman
- Jure Plesec - Mark
- Gordon Wilson - John
- Maëlys De Rudder - Olivia
- Alan Fairairn - Bill
- Michel Obenga - UNPROFOR soldier
- Rok Strehovec - UNPROFOR soldier
- Zvone Hribar - Journalist
- Ales Valic - Journalist
- Fred M. Liss - Journalist
- Franc Jakob Rac - Journalist
- Predrag Brestovac - Rambo
- Tadej Troha - Young Bosnian Muslim soldier
- Primož Petkovsek - Serbian lieutenant (barricade)
- Janez Habic - Bosnian Serbian soldier (barricade)
- Matej Bizjak - Boy accordionist
- Marinko Prga - Bosnian Serbian soldier
- Darjan Gorela - Bosnian Serbian soldier
- Srečko Dzumber - Bosnian Serbian soldier
- Uroš Tatomir - Bosnian Serbian sergeant
- Matej Recer - Bosnian Muslim officer (barricade)
- Matija Bulatovic - Bosnian Muslim soldier (barricade)
- Uros Furst - Bosnian Muslim soldier (barricade)
- Radovan Karadžić - Himself (with François Mitterrand) (archive footage) (uncredited)
- François Mitterrand - Himself (with Karadžić) (archive footage) (uncredited)
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
| Preceded by Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon |
Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film 2001 |
Succeeded by Nowhere in Africa |
| Preceded by Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon |
Golden Globe for Best Foreign Language Film 2002 |
Succeeded by Talk to Her |
