Wikipedia

Quo Vadis, Aida?

Quo Vadis, Aida? (lit. Where are you going, Aida?) is a 2020 internationally co-produced war drama film written, produced and directed by Jasmila Žbanić. An international co-production of twelve production companies,[5] the film was shown in the main competition section of the 77th Venice International Film Festival.[6]

Quo Vadis, Aida?
Theatrical release poster
Directed byJasmila Žbanić
Written byJasmila Žbanić
Produced by
  • Damir Ibrahimović
  • Jasmila Žbanić
Starring
CinematographyChristine A. Maier
Edited byJarosław Kamiński
Music byAntoni Łazarkiewicz
Production
companies
  • Deblokada Film
  • Digital Cube
  • Coop99 Filmproduktion
  • N279 Entertainment
  • Razor Filmproduktion
  • Extreme Emotions
  • Indie Prod
  • Tordenfilm
  • TRT
Release date
Running time
102 minutes
Countries
  • Austria
  • Bosnia and Herzegovina
  • Croatia
  • France
  • Germany
  • Italy
  • Netherlands
  • Norway
  • Poland
  • Romania
  • Sweden
  • Turkey
  • Montenegro
Languages
  • Bosnian
  • English
  • Serbian
  • Dutch
Budget€3.5–4 million[2][3]
Box office$ 812 957[4]

Quo Vadis, Aida? earned a nomination for Best International Feature Film at the 93rd Academy Awards, and received two BAFTA Award nominations. It also won four European Film Awards, including Best Film.[7]

Plot

The film dramatizes the events of the Srebrenica massacre, during which Serbian troops sent 8,372 Bosniak men and boys to death and mass expelled another 25,000–30,000 Bosniak civilians in July 1995 led by Serbian convicted war criminal Ratko Mladić. Named for its protagonist, Quo Vadis, Aida? portrays the events through the eyes of a mother named Aida, a schoolteacher who works with the United Nations as a translator. After three and a half years under siege, the town of Srebrenica, located in northeastern Bosnia and Herzegovina close to Serbian border, was declared a UN safety zone in 1993 and put under the protection of a Dutch battalion working for the UN.

Cast

Release

The film had its world premiere at the 77th Venice International Film Festival on 3 September 2020.[6][8] It was also screened at the 2020 Toronto International Film Festival on 13 September 2020.[9][10] In February 2021, Super LTD acquired U.S. distribution rights to the film.[11] It was released in the United States through virtual cinema on 5 March 2021, followed by video on demand on 15 March 2021.[12]

Reception

Critical response

On Rotten Tomatoes, 100% of 78 critic reviews are positive, and the average rating is 8.8/10. The critics consensus on the website states: "Quo Vadis, Aida? uses one woman's heartbreaking conflict to offer a searing account of war's devastating human toll."[13] According to Metacritic, the film received "universal acclaim" based on a weighted average score of 97 out of 100 from 16 critic reviews.[14] It was declared Metacritic's Official Best Movie of 2021 and Best International Movie of 2021.[15]

Ryan Gilbey of New Statesman stated "Žbanić has shaped the factual into an eloquent and conscientious picture that purrs along as suspensefully as any ticking-bomb thriller, using Ðuričić's performance as its engine."[16] Jude Dry of IndieWire wrote that "Žbanić lays bare the deeply human toll of violence and war",[17] and Peter Bradshaw wrote in The Guardian that "after 25 years, the time has come to look again at the horror of Srebrenica, and Žbanić has done this with clear-eyed compassion and candor."[18]

Jessica Kiang for Variety states that "this is not historical revisionism, if anything, Quo Vadis, Aida? works to un-revise history, re-centering the victims’ plight as the eye of a storm of evils—not only the massacre itself, but the broader evils of institutional failure and international indifference."[19] Kevin Maher writes in The Times that "it's incendiary, furiously committed film-making from the director Jasmila Žbanić, who also adds an unnerving ending about the burden that Srebrenica survivors still bear."[20]

"The final act of Quo Vadis, Aida . . . makes clear that many other perpetrators escaped with impunity," writes film critic A. O. Scott in The New York Times. "The war ended, and some version of normalcy returned, but Žbanić takes no consolation in the banal observation that life goes on. It’s true that time passes, that memory fades, that history is a record of mercy as well as of savagery. But it’s also true—as this unforgettable film insists—that loss is permanent and unanswerable."[21]

Accolades

In September 2020, Quo Vadis, Aida? was selected as the Bosnian entry for the Best International Feature Film at the 93rd Academy Awards,[22] making the shortlist of fifteen films.[23] On 15 March 2021, the film was officially recognized as a nominee in that category.[24] It won the Audience Award at the 50th edition of the International Film Festival Rotterdam[25] and the Best International Film Award at the 2021 Gothenburg Film Festival.[26] The film was also nominated for and later on won the Best International Film Award at the 36th Independent Spirit Awards.[27] In March 2021, 74th British Academy Film Awards nominated the film for Best Film Not in the English Language and Žbanić earned a nomination in the Best Director category.[28]

In December 2021, Quo Vadis, Aida? won the Award for Best Film at the 34th European Film Awards.[29] Also, Žbanić won the Award for Best Director and Jasna Đuričić won the Award for Best Actress at the same awards.[7]

Awards

Award Date of ceremony Category Recipient(s) Result Ref.
Venice Film Festival 12 September 2020 Golden Lion Quo Vadis, Aida? Nominated [30]
Brian Award Won [31]
International Film Festival Rotterdam 7 February 2021 Audience Award Won [25]
Gothenburg Film Festival 8 February 2021 Best International Film Award Won [26]
BAFTA Awards 10 April 2021 Best Director Jasmila Žbanić Nominated [28]
Best Film Not in the English Language Quo Vadis, Aida? Nominated
Independent Spirit Awards 22 April 2021 Best International Film Won [27]
Academy Awards 25 April 2021 Best International Feature Film Nominated [24]
European Film Awards 11 December 2021 Best Film Won [29]
University Film Award Nominated
Best Director Jasmila Žbanić Won
Best Screenwriter Nominated
Best Actress Jasna Đuričić Won
Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards 18 December 2021 Best Foreign Language Film Quo Vadis, Aida? Runner-up [32]
Gaudí Awards 6 March 2022 Best European Film Nominated [33]
European Film Awards 10 December 2022 Lux Award Won [34]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Quo Vadis, Aida?". Venice Film Festival. 20 July 2020. Retrieved 29 August 2020.
  2. ^ Blaga, Iulia (22 October 2018). "GRANTS: Romanian CNC Gives Biggest Grant to Minority Coproduction Quo Vadis, Aida!". filmneweurope.com. Retrieved 29 July 2020.
  3. ^ Solomun, Zoran (30 August 2020). ""Quo Vadis, Aida?" – novi film Jasmile Žbanić". DW (in Bosnian). Retrieved 1 September 2020.
  4. ^ "Quo Vadis, Aida? (2020)". Box Office Mojo.
  5. ^ "Quo Vadis, Aida? Film by Bosnian Director Jasmila Zbanic on the Venice Biennale". Sarajevo Times. 29 July 2020. Retrieved 31 July 2020.
  6. ^ a b Sharf, Zack (28 July 2020). "Venice Film Festival 2020 Full Lineup: Luca Guadagnino, Chloe Zhao, Gia Coppola, and More". IndieWire. Retrieved 28 July 2020.
  7. ^ a b "European Film Awards". europeanfilmawards.eu. 11 December 2021. Retrieved 12 December 2021.
  8. ^ "Quo Vadis, Aida?". labiennale.org. La Biennale di Venezia. 28 July 2020. Retrieved 28 July 2020.
  9. ^ Wiseman, Andreas (30 July 2020). "Toronto Sets 2020 Lineup: Werner Herzog, Regina King, Mira Nair, Francois Ozon, Naomi Kawase Titles Join Hybrid Edition". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 30 July 2020.
  10. ^ "Quo Vadis, Aïda?". Toronto International Film Festival. Retrieved 30 July 2020.
  11. ^ Grater, Tom (19 February 2021). "Oscar-Shortlisted Bosnian War Drama 'Quo Vadis, Aida?' Lands At Neon's Super Ltd". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 8 March 2021.
  12. ^ Berger, Laura (5 March 2021). "Trailer Watch: A U.N. Translator Faces a Crisis in Jasmila Žbanić's Oscar Contender "Quo Vadis, Aida?"". Women and Hollywood. Retrieved 8 March 2021.
  13. ^ "Quo Vadis, Aida? (2020)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango. Retrieved 30 November 2022.
  14. ^ "Quo Vadis, Aida?". Metacritic. Retrieved 10 April 2021.
  15. ^ "The 50 Best Movies of 2021". Metacritic. Retrieved 8 January 2022.
  16. ^ Ryan Gilbey (27 January 2021). "Quo Vadis, Aida? is a powerful drama about the Srebrenica genocide". www.newstatesman.com. Retrieved 15 February 2021.
  17. ^ Dry, Jude (15 September 2020). "'Quo Vadis, Aida?' Review: A Gripping and Tragic Feminist Drama About Bosnian Genocide". IndieWire. Retrieved 15 February 2021.
  18. ^ Bradshaw, Peter (20 January 2021). "Quo Vadis, Aida? review – shattering return to Srebrenica". The Guardian. Retrieved 15 February 2021.
  19. ^ Kiang, Jessica (5 September 2020). "'Quo Vadis, Aida?' Review: Harrowing, Vital Retelling of the 1995 Srebrenica Massacre". Variety. Retrieved 15 February 2021.
  20. ^ Maher, Kevin (22 January 2021). "Quo Vadis, Aida? review — incendiary, furiously committed Bosnian war drama". The Times. Retrieved 15 February 2021.
  21. ^ Scott, A. O. (11 March 2021). "'Quo Vadis, Aida?' Review: Life and Death in Srebrenica". The New York Times. Retrieved 16 December 2021.
  22. ^ "Movie Quo Vadis, Aida? is BH Candidate for Oscar". Sarajevo Times. 24 September 2020. Retrieved 24 September 2020.
  23. ^ Davis, Clayton (9 February 2021). "Oscars Shortlists Announced in Nine Categories". Variety. Retrieved 10 February 2021.
  24. ^ a b L.K. (15 March 2021). "Film Jasmile Žbanić o genocidu u Srebrenici nominovan za Oscara!" (in Bosnian). Klix.ba. Retrieved 15 March 2021.
  25. ^ a b "Pebbles by Vinothraj P.S. wins the 2021 Tiger Award". iffr.com. 7 February 2020. Retrieved 10 February 2021.
  26. ^ a b N.V. (7 February 2021). "Film "Quo vadis, Aida" nagrađen na filmskim festivalima u Roterdamu i Goterborgu" (in Bosnian). Klix.ba. Retrieved 7 February 2021.
  27. ^ a b N.O. (23 April 2021). ""Quo Vadis, Aida?" dobio još jednu nagradu za najbolji strani film" (in Bosnian). Klix.ba. Retrieved 23 April 2021.
  28. ^ a b L.K. (9 March 2021). ""Quo Vadis, Aida?" nominovan za dvije BAFTA nagrade" (in Bosnian). Klix.ba. Retrieved 9 March 2021.
  29. ^ a b I.B. (11 December 2021). "Film Jasmile Žbanić o genocidu u Srebrenici je najbolji evropski film 2021.!" (in Bosnian). Klix.ba. Retrieved 11 December 2021.
  30. ^ Sharf, Zack (28 July 2020). "Venice Film Festival 2020 Full Lineup: Luca Guadagnino, Chloe Zhao, Gia Coppola, and More". IndieWire. Retrieved 28 July 2020.
  31. ^ "Mostra del Cinema di Venezia: il premio Brian a "Quo vadis, Aida?"". A ragion veduta. UAAR. 10 September 2020. Retrieved 10 September 2022.
  32. ^ Shanfield, Ethan; Murphy, J. Kim (18 December 2021). "'Drive My Car' and 'The Power of the Dog' Win Top Prizes at L.A. Film Critics Association Awards 2021 (Full List)". Variety. Retrieved 19 December 2021.
  33. ^ ""Las leyes de la frontera", la més nominada en uns Premis Gaudí molt disputats". 3/24. Corporació Catalana de Mitjans Audiovisuals. 25 January 2022.
  34. ^ "2022 Lux Audience Award Nominations". European Film Academy. 27 March 2022. Retrieved 8 April 2022.
Retrieved from "https://en.wiki.x.io/w/index.php?title=Quo_Vadis,_Aida%3F&oldid=1264484371"