Documentary 'Sarajevo Safari' Exposes War Tourism During Bosnian Siege

Slovenian filmmaker Miran Zupanič's documentary 'Sarajevo Safari' investigates a disturbing phenomenon during the Bosnian War, where foreign tourists paid to take sniper positions against civilians in besieged Sarajevo. The film, presented at the 19th Pordenone Docs Fest, reveals that between 1993 and 1995, hundreds of foreigners traveled to the conflict zone, paying substantial fees to shoot at unarmed civilians from Serbian military positions. A price list reportedly existed, with children as the most expensive targets, followed by women and elderly people. The Milan prosecutor's office has been investigating these allegations since November, with assistance from French, Swiss, and Belgian authorities. Evidence comes from Zupanič's research and journalist Ezio Gavazzeni's book 'I cecchini del weekend,' which suggests 230 of approximately 500 participants were Italian. One 80-year-old Italian is currently under investigation for murder. The documentary features key testimonies, including an anonymous Slovenian soldier who refused to shoot and Edin Subašić, a former Bosnian army intelligence agent who describes the logistics. Survivor accounts include Stana and Samir Ćišić, who lost their one-year-old daughter Irina in 1993, and Faruk Šabanović, who was paralyzed by a sniper bullet that same year. Zupanič argues the 'sniper for a day' concept originated with the Army of the Republika Srpska, as visitors fired from their positions in areas like Grbavica. The film uses extensive archival footage from the war, which was heavily documented due to new video technology. Producer Franzi Zajc initiated the project, selecting Zupanič for his expertise on Yugoslav history. The documentary is now available for streaming on the OpenDDB platform.