The majority starts here

Two decades after the start of the wars that pulled apart Yugoslavia, six youngsters from five different former Yugoslav republics and one former autonomous province take a trip together through their now independent countries.

Bardh, Djordje, Magda, Simona, Vanja, and Zvonimir are young and beautiful. They like video games and rock concerts. They like to sleep long and stay out even longer. They chat continuously – online and off line. They travel with smartphones and laptops, although their families certainly cannot be called rich. They can afford their gear because they combine their studies with part-time jobs.

When the wars in their countries started none of them was old enough to have more than vague, anecdotal recollections of what happened. Bardh from Kosovo has the clearest memories of the conflict, but even for him it’s the present that counts now.

 They are not ready yet to let go of their hopes – of life without borders. Without nationalism. Corruption. Dirty politics. Yellow media. 

They all know – deep inside themselves – that one day soon they will have to choose between staying in the Balkans or leaving the region. But for now they are putting off the painful decision. A big part of what tears them up is that leaving is egoistic. It means giving up on the communities in which they were raised.  They are not ready to do that yet- even if for their own sake they know they should.

The trip takes the youngsters from Sarajevo to the mountains of Montenegro, via Pristina to Skopje, up to Belgrade, to Osijek, the Croatian island of Hvar, and through Mostar back to Sarajevo. 

They share a basement, play paint ball, go rafting and carting, visit Vukovar, talk to war veterans, listen to refugees, hear Chetnik songs, laugh in Skopje, discover the clubs of Belgrade, dance, sing, swim, discuss, drink and cook together.

Six youngsters from six different Balkan countries. Astonished at how well they get along together. Surprised by the common ground they quickly find – even if it is partly based on common ignorance.

At the end of the journey none of them wants to leave. They all pledge to meet again – soon … but if that doesn’t work out, they say, at least sometime in the next two decades.

Are these young people representative of their generation? They answer in unison: “The majority starts here!”

Lode Desmet, Producer/Director