The Abandoned (Ostavljeni)

From Adis Bakrač comes the 2010 Bosnian drama The Abandoned (original title Ostavljeni). Shot in Bosnian, it runs 88 minutes and is a Croatian-French co-production; its producers include Almir Šahinović, Marie-Anne Coste and Page Ostrow. The screenplay is by Zlatko Topčić, whose script won the 2003 CineLink competition and caught the attention of international producers.

At the heart of the story is Alen, a thirteen-year-old living in a children's home. He wants to learn who he is and where he comes from, but the search pulls him into a criminal world. Through one child's journey, the film shows the devastation left by war and the great injustice it inflicted on its most helpless victims, children. Tony Grga plays Alen, alongside Mira Furlan, Mirsad Tuka, Mirela Lambić, Dragan Marinković, Meto Jovanovski and Zijah Sokolović.

The film had its world premiere on 8 July 2010 at the 45th Karlovy Vary International Film Festival. It was first shown in Bosnia and Herzegovina on 7 December 2010, and its US premiere followed on 2 February 2011 at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival. Tony Grga won the Golden Arena for Best Actor in a Leading Role at the 2010 Pula Film Festival.