GK Films says it is reapplying for a permit to shoot parts of Angelina Jolie’s directorial debut in Sarajevo after concerns about the film’s content reportedly caused the original permit to be revoked by Bosnian authorities.
In a prepared statement, Graham King’s GK, which is financing the untitled film, said that “as a purely technical matter” it is obliged to reapply for a permit “now that the final script is available.”
The statement also said that, “The stories about the film which have recently been circulated are incorrect. The dedication and commitment of the cast and crew from all over the former Yugoslavia demonstrates the integrity of this project.”
The company refused to elaborate on the statement.
The statement came in response to a BBC report that Bosnian culture minister Gavrilo Grahovac had revoked the film’s permit to shoot in Sarajevo. The report said Grahovac attributed the decision to the fact that the permit application was not, as required by law, accompanied by a copy of the film’s script.
The BBC story also said, however, that Grahovac made his decision after meeting representatives from an association of female victims of the Bosnian war. The association, Women Victims of War, was reacting, said the BBC, to local press reports that the film’s central love story involves a Serbian rapist and his Muslim victim.
Jolie has reportedly written to the women’s group to reassure its members about the film’s content.
In the statement from GK, Jolie is quoted as saying, “Obviously any dramatic interpretation will always fail those who have had a real experience. This is not a documentary. There are many twists in the plot that address the sensitive nature of the relationship between the main characters and that will be revealed once the film is released. My hope is that people will hold judgement until they have seen the film.”
The film is currently shooting in Hungary.
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