IN THE SHADOW OF WAR (formerly known as Between Two Mountains) will take you on a cinematic journey through the hopes and dreams of a new generation that find themselves living with the ongoing effects of a war that ended before most of them were even born.

The Cause

The film tells four very different stories of trauma and, on occasion, triumph over adversity. Many films have been made about the war in the former Yugoslavia which deal with the subject of truth, justice and reconciliation but this is the first film which charts the long term impact which the war has had on those children born during or just after the war ended.

In the pursuit of justice against war criminals and in the face of the need to rebuild infrastructure and economies, often very little attention is paid to the needs of hundreds of thousands of people whose lives are permanently damaged by the effects of war.

These profound psychological effects can last for decades, impose great strains on the society as a whole and can be the ground on which new enmities grow. When peace eventually comes to countries like Syria and Afghanistan one of the great challenges will be to find ways of addressing these problems, to avoid creating a society which exists in an almost permanent state of trauma.

The Making of the Film

Over the course of 2013, we filmed four teenagers, who, like thousands of other children born at the end of the war in Bosnia, have grown up in orphanages or live with parents suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder. The film follows them as they grapple with turning 18 - coming to terms with how they were conceived, attempting to rebuild broken relationships and healing mental and physical scars.

The film features a soundtrack composed by local musicians, which captures the energetic spirit of Bosnia and Herzegovina and bears witness to the legacy of a brutal conflict. 

By telling their stories,  IN THE SHADOW OF WAR will look at the ongoing consequences of war and what can be done to break the cycle of destruction that millions of young people face around the world. We will be working with individuals and organizations that are providing help and support for Bosnia and Herzegovina's marginalized young people as they try to put the past behind them.