Unmik Titanik

New Year’s Eve, December 2003. One of the most heavily guarded places on earth by UN peace keepers is Pristina, the capital of Kosovo. After four years of Serbo-Albanian conflicts and 77 days of NATO bombing, UN administrators have taken over Kosovo. But what kind of life do ordinary people lead there now? The film focuses on the destiny of several Serbian families who reside in an abandoned building. Of the 40,000 Serbs who lived in Pristina before the conflict, only 100 remained. Some of them squatted a building from the Yu Programme, formerly occupied by state officials, hoping for the promise of a better future. They expected they would have to stay in this downtown residential area only temporarily, but it has been their ghetto for five years now. In spite of everything, nobody wants to miss New Year’s celebrations. What is this special evening like for these families? The children are “locked up” in the building, scared to go outside. They play soccer between apartments and watch videos while adults chat over drinks and listen to Serbian turbo-folk music. With a very dynamic handheld camera and almost no artificial light, the director depicts the depressing atmosphere and hopelessness of people whose lives are ruled by others.