THOMAS BALMÈS
BOSNIA HOTEL
1996
« This way of evoking North-South relations, of speaking philosophy, of filming Africans with dignity, is subversive. « Bosnia Hotel » has this clever and endearing side it displays this innovative will of resistance, of shift, of sense. » Magali Jauffret, L’Humanité
PRESENTATION
« When Samburu warriors of Kenya served in Bosnia as part of the U.N. peacekeeping forces, they found a world quite different from their pastoral existence in their homeland. They did not understand the reasons for the conflict, and upon their return, filmmakers recorded their candid impressions of a culture so remote from their own. Bosnia Hotel: Kenyan Warriors in Bosnia contrasts their stark world, frequently seen as primitive, with that of an advanced society where people ruthlessly killed one another, and even found targets among women and children. »
Alice Day, NY TIMES
A film directed by Thomas Balmès (Director, Director of Photography, Co-producer)
Year of production: 1996
Length: 52'
Production: Quark Productions, TBC Productions
GALLERY
PRESS & AWARDS
PRESS
« The grace of Bosnia Hotel, documentary of the talented newcomer Thomas Balmès. Test shot, master stroke: by collecting the memories of a handful of men of the Samburu ethnic group, returned to northern Kenya after serving a year under the blue helmet in Bosnia, Balmès upsets our eyes on the return from barbarism in the heart of Europe. »
Vincent Hugeux, L’Express
This way of evoking North-South relations, of speaking philosophy, of filming Africans with dignity, is subversive. « Bosnia Hotel » has this clever and endearing side it displays this innovative will of resistance, of shift, of sense. »
Magali Jauffret, L’Humanité
« Bosnia Hotel « is not a documentary like the others. a kind of philosophical tale, it reverses the anthropological gaze, shatters some cultural prejudices and offers us a lesson in healthy life. » L’Humanité
« Thomas Balmes chose to change the rules of the game by asking an African people his point of view on this European war, often described as tribal. The result of this unprecedented approach is striking. » Le Monde
AWARDS
Mention spéciale du jury and Mention spéciale du Prix Michel Mitrani at the FIPA 1997
Grand Prix Ciné ECO 1997 in Seia (Portugal)
Monterey Bay Film Festival 2001 (USA)
American Anthropological Association 1998
FESTIVALS
Dok Leipzig — États généraux du film documentaire à Lussas — Festival International Médias Nord-Sud — INPUT, Montréal
