Balkan Line

Balkan Line, a 2019 war drama film directed by Florent Emilio Siri, plunges viewers into the midst of the Kosovo War's tumultuous aftermath. The story begins in 1999, where the NATO bombing of Yugoslavia has all but dismantled the country's infrastructure and severed the supply lines of the Yugoslav army. The beleaguered Serbian people, left to fend for themselves in the face of an awakening Albanian resistance, find themselves facing an unforgiving reality. As the fragile ceasefire barely holds, Captain Arsic, a seasoned Serbian soldier, tries to assert order amidst the chaos. Recognizing the airport in Slatina as a crucial stronghold, Arsic launches a daring mission to reclaim control over this key installations. Alongside a small band of wounded and battle-hardened soldiers, Arsic sets out on a perilous journey to retake Slatina airport, thereby safeguarding the lives of nearly 300 stranded Serbian refugees huddled within its confined walls. As the tiny Serbian crew maneuvers through treacherous roads, landmines, and abandoned neighborhoods, they're left with one goal: reach Slatina airport and stave off the onslaught by the ruthless United Albanian Command, that stands at the gateway to the airport. Taking defensive positions inside the crumbling airport, the small squadron, reenforced by handful of civilians, musters the last remnants of their strength to create an impregnable fortress. Throughout the night and into dawn's first light, an onslaught of artillery barrages pounds the airport from all sides. Soldiers and civilians alike risk life and limb to fetch vital supplies from nearby unoccupied military arms depots, facing untold risks and unending brutality. Despite being undermanned and outgunned, Arsic remains utterly resolute in his resolve: until Russian peacekeepers, assigned to the U.N. INTERFET military coalition, arrive and guarantee the airport's security, this small band of defenders will hold firm. Undermined by personal torment and a crushing sense of hopelessness, Arsic and his comradely forces continue to defend the aerodrome in a stand-out show of fortitude in the face of impossibly higher odds. Whether bolstered by flashbacks as a young soldier on the edge of war, or fueled by a steely resolve to shield fellow civilians from raging war's storm of chaos, the soldiers unite behind Arsic in refusing to submit – ever yielding to any onslaught against this 'Balkan Line' they're destined to safeguard. Awards for the film Balkan Line, including the Leopard CinéPlus prize, highlight efforts toward illuminating war's heart-wrenching tribulations that traverse the complex socio-political divisions torn by war's savagery. Florent Emilio Siri and Dominik Gajin deliver captivating accounts of small, powerless individuals' dogged attempts to find humane salvation within crushing landscapes blemished by unrequited murder, resulting in a polished portrayal of courage in in the face of grim human circumstances.