"Jack, The Balkans And I"

(2008), 68 min., Documentary

Directed by Sergej Kreso; Research / Idea / Script: Sergej Kreso; Cinematography: Wiro Felix; Editor: Srdjan Fink; Sound: Slobodan Bajic; Music: Jack Roskam; Produced by Volya films, Netherlands

Official website: http://formtest.filmfestival.nl/nl/personen

In 1972, Congolese-Belgian pop star Jack Roskam moved to Yugoslavia, where he met and married his Croatian wife. He became the guitarist of one of the most popular local rock bands, Galija. Tall, black, his hair in dreadlocks, Jack stood out on stage among his mostly Serbian band-mates. A confirmed pacifist, Jack had escaped service in the Belgium army, but when the war in Yugoslavia broke out, his convictions were sorely tested. The war forced him to exchange his Fender Stratocaster for a Kalashnikov and to fight in the Croatian army. Meanwhile, Bosnian filmmaker Sergej Kreso left the country during the war. After 15 years he comes back to take a tour with Jack, looking for the Galija members and the answers to his questions. This road movie portrays a country under reconstruction, filled with striking images of both the beauty and the scars.