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Kiss the Future

Berlinale Special Gala 2023
© Bill S. Carter / Not Us Ltd
An exploration of the perils of nationalism and art’s role as a weapon of resistance and activism, Kiss the Future follows an underground community that continued to work, create and live throughout the 1990s Siege of Sarajevo. Amid the breakup of Yugoslavia, the citizens of Sarajevo wake to find the city under siege and Bosnia at war. As the blockade stretches for years, living becomes an act of defiance and rock and punk music inspires and distracts from the daily nightmare of Serbian shells and snipers.
In a far-fetched scheme inspired by local resistance, an American aid worker living in Sarajevo reached out to the world’s biggest band, U2, to see if they could help raise global awareness of the devastating conflict. The band agreed and across the summer of 1993, their ZOO TV Tour featured live satellite interviews with local Sarajevans who described their plight to the concert-goers. When these interviews came to an end, the band pledged to perform in the city once the conflict was over. Kiss the Future follows the story of that promise, with a post-war concert that saw U2 play to over 45,000 local fans in a liberated city, a show that lives on as a joyous collective memory for the people of Sarajevo – proof that they did not just survive the blockade, but thrived in spite of it; that amid the horrors of the darkest human impulses, music and art can be acts of rebellion.
by Nenad Cicin-Sain
with Vesna Andree Zaimović, Senad Zaimović, Enes Zlatar, Alma Catal Hurem, Boris Siber, Gino Jevdjevic, Bono, The Edge, Adam Clayton, Miro Purivatra USA / Ireland 2023 English, Bosnian 103’ Colour & Black/White Documentary Form

With

  • Vesna Andree Zaimović
  • Senad Zaimović
  • Enes Zlatar
  • Alma Catal Hurem
  • Boris Siber
  • Gino Jevdjevic
  • Bono
  • The Edge
  • Adam Clayton
  • Miro Purivatra

Crew

Director Nenad Cicin-Sain
Screenplay Bill S. Carter
Cinematography Bradley Stonesifer
Editing Eric Burton
Music Howard Bernstein
Sound Design Samir Foco
Sound Ron Bartlett
Production Design Philip Messina
Production Manager Perla Ovadija Mosca
Producers Matt Damon, Ben Affleck, Sarah Anthony, Ned O’Hanlon
Executive Producer Drew Vinton

World sales

Fifth Season

https://fifthseason.com https://fifthseason.com

Produced by

Pearl Street Films

http://www.pearlstreetfilms.com http://www.pearlstreetfilms.com

Good Wolves Productions

Maverick

Photos

Press Conference

Red Carpet

Nenad Cicin-Sain

The director made his directorial debut in 2012 with The Time Being which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival. He recently completed work on the screenplay for These People which is being produced by Matt Damon and Ben Affleck.

Filmography

2012 The Time Being 2023 Kiss the Future

Bio- & filmography as of Berlinale 2023