Jasenovac is one of the most controversial topics in Balkan history, often depicted alongside global Holocaust memory. It has become a symbolic term used in post-war contexts to refer to war crimes, similar to the Holocaust on a global scale. The visual representations of Jasenovac polarize post-Yugoslav society and continue to pose a significant obstacle to regional reconciliation. Almost all films about Jasenovac rely on original film and photo material, which often leads to misinterpretation, instrumentalization, or propaganda.
The aim of this research is to define the corpus of film material shot in and around Jasenovac by exploring its origin, analyzing its use, and revealing its contribution to the construction of contradictory images of history. How does the presence or absence of knowledge about the provenance of source material lead to different levels of meaning? And how does the film material consequently serve as evidence and illustration for contradictory images of memory?
This research employs an empirical method of selecting and systematizing film materials (quantitative-statistical data collection) in conjunction with the study of appropriation and interpretation practices (qualitative-hermeneutic methods). The focus is on a comprehensive analysis of the films identified as source material to discern their thematic, symbolic, and iconic aspects. Subsequently, this analysis seeks to understand their contribution to "recognizable images" and their potential for the (re)presentation of suffering and genocide within the contexts of memory studies, historiography, and media studies.
- Project lead:
Aleksandra Miljković
- Contact: aleksandra.miljkovic(at)filmuniversitaet.de
- CV: About the person: Aleksandra Miljković studied art history at the Faculty of Philosophy in Belgrade, Serbia, where she also completed her first M.A. with a focus on contemporary art and film. She obtained her second M.A. in film heritage studies at the Film University Babelsberg KONRAD WOLF. During her studies, she worked as a research assistant on the Emmy Noether Research Group's project “Cinematic Discourses of Deprivation – Analyzing the Representation of Precarity and Exclusion in European Fiction Film and Documentary.” She has also been involved in projects at the Berlinale Forum and the Oberhausen Short Film Festival. She is currently working as a research assistant in the research project “(Con)Sequential Images – An Archaeology Of Iconic Film Footage From The Nazi Era.”
- PhD Advisors: Prof. Dr. Chris Wahl
- Scientific PhD in the discipline: Media Studies