Bosnian Producer Damir Ibrahimović Honored for Bringing Srebrenica Massacre to Screen

Damir Ibrahimović, a prominent figure in Bosnian cinema, passed away recently. He was regarded as a driving force in Bosnian Herzegovinian cinema as the co-founder of production company Deblokada, where he closely collaborated with his life partner and creative collaborator, filmmaker Jasmila Žbanić.

Ibrahimović, an economist by training, met Žbanić when they were both taking shelter in a bomb shelter during the 1992-1996 Siege of Sarajevo. After the conflict ended, they set up their neighborhood's first post-war video store and used the proceeds to make short films, launching Deblokada in 1998. Their early works focused on the human impact of the Bosnian War.

Ibrahimović's most significant contribution was his work on Žbanić's films, including the award-winning Grbavica: The Land of My Dreams in 2006 and the critically acclaimed Quo Vadis, Aida? in 2020. The latter revisited the Srebrenica massacre of 1995, in which over 8,000 Bosnian Muslim men and boys were killed by Bosnian Serb forces. The film was nominated for Best International Feature at the 93rd Academy Awards in 2021.

The Srebrenica Memorial Center paid tribute to Ibrahimović, stating that he will be remembered for ensuring the story of the Srebrenica genocide and its victims will never be forgotten through his work in film.