Synopsis

The film’s plot unfolds in a single afternoon. The backdrop to the production is the most prestigious address in Sarajevo, the Hotel Europe. Intended as a celebration of peace, a special ceremony is to be held to commemorate the centenary of the assassination of the heir to the Austrian-Hungarian throne. The mood is tense. A prominent guest, played by Jacques Weber, rehearses his speech in the presidential suite. Mr Weber is a French actor who already participated in the stage adaptation of Bernard-Henri Lévy’s literary source. Down in the laundry, a turbulent staff meeting is being held. Since their wages haven’t been paid for two months, the employees decide to go on strike and boycott the festivities. The hotel manager Omer, who is certainly involved in dark and dirty deals, tries to prevent the strike, even if the process requires force. Meanwhile, on the hotel roof, a journalist questions a man with the symbolic name "Princip" about the assassination attempt. As a result, the journalist soon gets in trouble as well. The individual storylines in Danis Tanović’s new film mingle smoothly through flowing camera techniques. The drama resembles an allegory on the highly ambivalent conditions which still prevail in Bosnia. The film is packed with thrilling action and remains suspenseful until the very end.

Guests

DANIS TANOVIC

Danis Tanović

Director Death in Sarajevo

In Vienna: March 21