''The Perfect Circle'' ( Bosnian: ''Savršeni krug'') is a 1997 Bosnian film by

Ademir Kenović Ademir Kenović (born September 14, 1950) is a Bosnian film director and producer. He graduated from the University of Sarajevo in 1975. In 1972–73 he studied film, English literature and art at the Denison University in Ohio. His films inclu ...

set in

Sarajevo Sarajevo ( ; cyrl, Сарајево, ; ''see Names of European cities in different languages (Q–T)#S, names in other languages'') is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Bosnia and Herzegovina, with a population of 275,524 in its a ...

during the siege of 1992-1996. It was written by Kenović with

Pjer Žalica Pjer Žalica (born 7 May 1964 in Sarajevo) is a Bosnians, Bosnian film director, screenwriter and a professor at the Academy of Performing Arts in Sarajevo. His father Miodrag (1926–1992) was a noted dramaturgist and poet who scripted several T ...

and

Abdulah Sidran Abdulah Sidran (born 2 October 1944), often referred to by his hypocoristic nickname ''Avdo'', is a Bosnian poet and screenwriter. He is best known for writing the poetry book Sarajevski Tabut and the scripts for ''When Father Was Away on Busines ...

. The title derives from the ability of "Hamza" (played by

Mustafa Nadarević Mustafa Nadarević (2 May 1943 – 22 November 2020) was a Bosnian and Croatian actor. Widely considered one of the greatest actors from the former Yugoslavia, he starred in over 70 films, including ''The Smell of Quinces'' (1982), ''When Father ...

) to draw perfect circles on paper.

Plot

A Bosnian poet (Hamza) lives with his family in

during the hard times in the horrific siege of the city. The war in Bosnia is raging all around them. After sending his wife (Gospoda) and daughter (Miranda) to

Croatia , image_flag = Flag of Croatia.svg , image_coat = Coat of arms of Croatia.svg , anthem = "Lijepa naša domovino"("Our Beautiful Homeland") , image_map = , map_caption = , capit ...

, he finds two orphans Adis and Kerim, who escaped a massacre in their own village, hiding in his home. After escaping their village they have come to Sarajevo in search of their aunt, who used to live in the Bistrik district. Hamza decides to help the boys by sheltering them and helping them look for their aunt. After a long search, Hamza discovers that the boys' aunt has been airlifted to

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

. Upon learning this Hamza tries to save the kids by sending them out of the war zone. But the only way out is through the

Sarajevo International Airport Sarajevo International Airport ( bs, Međunarodni aerodrom Sarajevo/Међународни аеродром Сарајево) is the main international airport in Bosnia and Herzegovina, serving Sarajevo, capital of Bosnia and Herzegovina. It i ...

, which is a dangerous passage occupied and monitored by

Chetnik The Chetniks ( sh-Cyrl-Latn, Четници, Četnici, ; sl, Četniki), formally the Chetnik Detachments of the Yugoslav Army, and also the Yugoslav Army in the Homeland and the Ravna Gora Movement, was a Yugoslav royalist and Serbian nationa ...

s and their death squads as well as

sniper A sniper is a military/paramilitary marksman who engages targets from positions of concealment or at distances exceeding the target's detection capabilities. Snipers generally have specialized training and are equipped with high-precision r ...

s. As they try to cross and take refuge from Serb shelling in a building, a Serb soldier shoots the dog that Adis and Kerim have adopted. Kerim kills two Serbs as they are approaching Hamza and him. Outside of the building, Hamza and Kerim find Adis, who has died. They take him to the cemetery to be buried. On the wooden headstone placed on the grave, Kerim writes 'Adis', and encircles the name. In many scenes Hamza is seen with the two kids speaking monologues, while observing photos of his wife and daughter. All the poetry cited in the film by Hamza are verses written by

, renowned Bosnian writer and poet.

Cast

- Hamza * Almedin Leleta - Adis *

Almir Podgorica Almir may refer to: * Almir (given name) * Almir (footballer, born 1938), Almir da Silva, Brazilian football striker * Almir (footballer, born 1969), Almir de Souza Fraga, Brazilian football striker * Almir (footballer, born 1973) Almir Morae ...

- Kerim *

Jasna Diklić Jasna Diklić (born March 8, 1946) is a Bosnian theatre and film actress. She was born in Sarajevo. Her mother was also an actress and a puppeteer. Diklić's first theatre experiences began at MESS Festival's experimental theatre studio, after wh ...

- Gospoda *

Mirela Lambić Mirela Cabero García (born July 31, 1990 in Aranjuez, Spain), simply known as Mirela, is a Spanish singer and actress. Mirela has participated in various musical contests and singing competitions since she was a child. Career 2004: ''Eu ...

- Miranda *

Ljubica Lohajner-Znidarić Ljubica ( sr-cyr, Љубица and mk, Љубица) is a Slavic feminine given name meaning "love" or "kiss", where -ica is a diminutive suffix. Also, ''ljubica'' means violet, while the actual flower is ''ljubičica'', a superdiminutive. It is ...

- an old woman *

Dragan Marinković Dragan Marinković "Maca" (born 17 March 1968) is a Bosnian actor and TV personality. Widely known by his nickname Maca, though trained as an actor, Marinković is most notable for his outrageous personality showcased during his stints on reali ...

Mira Avram Mira (), designation Omicron Ceti (ο Ceti, abbreviated Omicron Cet, ο Cet), is a red-giant star estimated to be 200–400 light-years from the Sun in the constellation Cetus. ο Ceti is a binary stellar system, consisting of a va ...

- mother of Hamza *

Sabina Bambur Sabina may refer to: Places and jurisdictions * Sabina (region), region and place in Italy, and hence: * the now Suburbicarian Diocese of Sabina (-Poggio Mirteto), Italy * Magliano Sabina, city, Italy * Pozzaglia Sabina, city, Italy * Fara Sa ...

Senad Bašić Senad Bašić (born 26 August 1962) is a Bosnian film, theater and television actor, and comedian. Bašić graduated from the Academy of Performing Arts in Sarajevo in 1987. He works as a professor at the Academy, specializing in acting. Awards ...

- Strazar *

Amina Begović Aminatu (also Amina; died 1610) was a Hausa Muslim historical figure in the city-state Zazzau (now city of Zaria in Kaduna State), in what is now in the north-west region of Nigeria. She might have ruled in the mid-sixteenth century. A controve ...

- Gordana * Vedrana Bozinović * Bozidar Bunjevać - Grobar * Ines Fančović - Baka *

Admir Glamocak Admir is a Bosnian masculine given name. People with the name include: * Admir Adrović, Montenegrin footballer * Admir Adžem, Bosnian footballer * Admir Aganović, Bosnian footballer * Admir Bilibani, Bosnian footballer * Admir Ćatović, Swe ...

- Staka *

Zaim Muzaferija Zaim Muzaferija (9 March 1923 – 5 November 2003) was a Bosnian film, television and stage actor, and poet. The magazine ''6yka'' (''Buka'') called Muzaferija a "legend of Bosnian cinema." Biography During World War II, Muzaferija was arrested ...

- Asaf * Elvira Delalic

Production

Principal photography was originally scheduled for the Spring of 1992, but the siege of 1992-1996 began before any filming could be completed. The screenplay was retooled during the siege while the director and writers took refuge in a Holiday Inn that had originally been constructed for the 1984 Olympics. Filming began again in 1996 after the signing of the

Dayton Peace Accord The General Framework Agreement for Peace in Bosnia and Herzegovina, also known as the Dayton Agreement or the Dayton Accords (Croatian language, Croatian: ''Daytonski sporazum'', Serbian language, Serbian and Bosnian language, Bosnian: ''Dejto ...

and after director Ademir Kenović had gotten permission from the

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and international security, security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be ...

, whose forces were still monitoring the area. The film would go on to become the first Bosnian feature released after the

1992 Bosnian independence referendum An independence referendum was held in Bosnia and Herzegovina between 29 February and 1 March 1992, following the first free elections of 1990 and the rise of ethnic tensions that eventually led to the breakup of Yugoslavia. Independence was stro ...

, making it in some sense the first Bosnian film.

Awards

François Chalais Prize The François Chalais Prize ( French: ''Prix François Chalais'') is awarded at two main events, the Cannes Film Festival (since 1997) and the Young Reporters' Awards (since 1999). It was created to pay tribute to French journalist and film histor ...

" at

1997 File:1997 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The movie set of ''Titanic'', the highest-grossing movie in history at the time; ''Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone'', is published; Comet Hale-Bopp passes by Earth and becomes one of t ...

Cannes Film Festival The Cannes Festival (; french: link=no, Festival de Cannes), until 2003 called the International Film Festival (') and known in English as the Cannes Film Festival, is an annual film festival held in Cannes, France, which previews new films o ...

Tokyo Sakura Grand Prix The is a film festival established in 1985. The event was held biennially from 1985 to 1991 and annually thereafter. Along with the Shanghai International Film Festival, it is one of Asia's competitive film festivals, and is considered to be the ...

" at 1997

Tokyo International Film Festival The is a film festival established in 1985. The event was held biennially from 1985 to 1991 and annually thereafter. Along with the Shanghai International Film Festival, it is one of Asia's competitive film festivals, and is considered to be the ...

1997 Tokyo Film Festival awards list
at

Internet Movie Database IMDb (an abbreviation of Internet Movie Database) is an online database of information related to films, television series, home videos, video games, and streaming content online – including cast, production crew and personal biographies, ...

References

External links