Leon’s journey took him and his team to four countries: Hungary (to interview war refugees), Croatia, Bosnia, and Serbia.  Armed only with small DV cameras and a knowledge of the language and the culture, they were able to go deeper than the news reports and get ordinary people to talk: refugees of an all-but forgotten war, two men who turn to very different types of music for rehabilitation and reconciliation, veterans questioning what they fought for, a woman trying to maintain the middle class life she once took for granted, people still living with physical and psychological displacement years after the fighting has ended and the aid workers have moved on to other hotspots.

As he talks to each of these people, Leon also reflects on his own history and wonders aloud, “With war still raging inside of me, will I be able to record the stories of people who are so close to me?  Am I different now?”  It is this question he must face as he journeys into the fears, hopes, prejudices, and everyday existence of people living in a postwar society.  People who once believed it could never happen to them.

Why now?

Crucible of War is a timely story which transcends borders; it is a document of how people attempt to recover from senseless acts of violence against them, their loved ones, their communities, and their nation. Whether in Iraq, Afghanistan, Israel, Indonesia, Central Africa, Chechyna, or even the streets of New York or London, the news reminds us constantly that the nature of war has changed.  The line between internal conflict and war between nations is fuzzy.  One man's terrorist is another man's freedom fighter.  90% of all war victims are civilians rather than soldiers.  No one can any longer claim safety from politically-motivated acts of violence.  At the same time, fear is increasingly being used as a tool to manipulate public opinion.  It can happen to us.

Crucible of War is a timely look at one society where people didn't think war could happen to them and it did.   Now they must live with the consequences on a day to day basis.  They wear the invisible scars of displacement, resentment, fear, and hope even as they known they are the lucky ones who have the privilege of trying to go on with their lives.  Their world is one which can not easily be resolved by treaties or peacekeepers.  Their world is one which is not so far from our own. 

Who is our Audience?

Our target audience consists of people who are very much like the people introduced in our documentary.  They may also be teachers, students, religious leaders, military veterans, or homemakers.  They may be people who are also dealing with difficult questions of faith, nationality, vengeance, and forgiveness.  By focusing on the experiences of ordinary people who have refused to be labeled as victims, viewers  see a human side to complex events in the Balkans.   Through their lives, we see our own.

Our main focus is on reaching audiences in the United States, Canada, and Europe – those who want to be better informed about the situation in the Balkans, those who live in communities facing their own issues of how to resolve ethnic, religious, or racial conflicts peacefully, and those who are confronting their own fears about our uncertain world and how to cope with it.  We plan to reach audiences through our companion website, film festivals and an outreach campaign of public screenings and discussions, television, and educational distribution.

FIND OUT MORE

• Who are the people we met?

• Who is the creative team behind the project?

• What's the press saying about the project?

• What are real people saying about the project?

• Where can I find downloadable stills from the film?

• What was their journey into the Balkans like? 
  Read producer journals.

• What's "Former Yugoslavia" anyway? 
  Find out more about this part of the world.

• Purchase the film.

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