Yesterday, I watched the documentary, "The Weight of Chains." and all I can say is wow!! This film was a real eye opener. It takes a critical look at the role that the US, NATO and the EU
played in the tragic breakup of a once peaceful and prosperous European
state - Yugoslavia. Skip down to the bottom for information on this film.
I already have some poor opinions of the US Government and it's involvement in developing countries, such as Afghanistan & Iraq; but now, to see how they affected the country of Macedonia, let's just say I'm a little pissed. Yes, I am an American citizen and yes, I love my country; but, when I watched this documentary, I was appalled to realize what some of the most powerful countries in the world, including the US, are capable of.
I have been living in Macedonia for less than a year and have sadly learned, that at one time, Macedonia wasn't always like this. There wasn't unemployment, children didn't have to look for meals in a garbage container, or beg on the streets for money. Mothers didn't need to ask for money at the highway pay tolls, while holding their new born babies. This unfortunately, is what life is like now in Macedonia. I hear stories from my mother-in-law about what Yugoslavia was like. About how she worked for the same company for 30 years, had a good salary, one month paid vacation every year. She's even showed me some pictures of the places she's traveled when she was working. And every time she tells me, she tears up, with a pain in her heart, because she remembers what it was like to have a good life and she is haunted by those memories. My mother-in-law hasn't worked in over 10 years, she doesn't have a dime to her name, and what's worse, is that she had to watch her only son, my fiance, leave and go work for a US Company in Afghanistan, just to put food on the table. This is pretty common thing in Macedonia, getting a job in Afghanistan or Iraq. This "transition" is hell for her and for most people in Macedonia.
It breaks my heart to know that my country could have had any involvement in this. But up until two years ago, I didn't even know where Macedonia was. I didn't understand Communism or what it was like to live in Yugoslavia. I grew up in America and had a very good life. I never struggled for much of anything. I had a big house, good meals, a swimming pool and even a yard to play in. My father and mother ran there own business and money was never a problem. What did I need to know about the transition of Yugoslavia?
Background on the film:
"The Weight of Chains" is a creative first-hand look at why the West intervened in the Yugoslav conflict, with an impressive roster of interviews with academics, diplomats, media personalities and ordinary citizens of the former Yugoslav republics. This film will also present positive stories from the war – people helping each other regardless of their ethnic background, stories of bravery and self-sacrifice. The aim is to come up with a powerful weapon that people who are against war and hatred can use as a collection of good arguments in their favor. The disunity among peoples populating the Balkans have marked the last couple of centuries. Let’s start a new page, today, in the 21st century.
Born in Subotica, Yugoslavia in the late 1980s. In 2005, Boris immigrated to Canada and immediately gained professional recognition for his work. His film "The Canada Project" (2005) won Best Film at the First Take International Student Film Festival in Toronto, and was shown on Serbian National Television several times. His subsequent productions were showcased on several other film festivals worldwide, including the International Film Festival in Palic, Serbia, while he was still in highschool.
I already have some poor opinions of the US Government and it's involvement in developing countries, such as Afghanistan & Iraq; but now, to see how they affected the country of Macedonia, let's just say I'm a little pissed. Yes, I am an American citizen and yes, I love my country; but, when I watched this documentary, I was appalled to realize what some of the most powerful countries in the world, including the US, are capable of.
I have been living in Macedonia for less than a year and have sadly learned, that at one time, Macedonia wasn't always like this. There wasn't unemployment, children didn't have to look for meals in a garbage container, or beg on the streets for money. Mothers didn't need to ask for money at the highway pay tolls, while holding their new born babies. This unfortunately, is what life is like now in Macedonia. I hear stories from my mother-in-law about what Yugoslavia was like. About how she worked for the same company for 30 years, had a good salary, one month paid vacation every year. She's even showed me some pictures of the places she's traveled when she was working. And every time she tells me, she tears up, with a pain in her heart, because she remembers what it was like to have a good life and she is haunted by those memories. My mother-in-law hasn't worked in over 10 years, she doesn't have a dime to her name, and what's worse, is that she had to watch her only son, my fiance, leave and go work for a US Company in Afghanistan, just to put food on the table. This is pretty common thing in Macedonia, getting a job in Afghanistan or Iraq. This "transition" is hell for her and for most people in Macedonia.
It breaks my heart to know that my country could have had any involvement in this. But up until two years ago, I didn't even know where Macedonia was. I didn't understand Communism or what it was like to live in Yugoslavia. I grew up in America and had a very good life. I never struggled for much of anything. I had a big house, good meals, a swimming pool and even a yard to play in. My father and mother ran there own business and money was never a problem. What did I need to know about the transition of Yugoslavia?
Background on the film:
"The Weight of Chains" is a creative first-hand look at why the West intervened in the Yugoslav conflict, with an impressive roster of interviews with academics, diplomats, media personalities and ordinary citizens of the former Yugoslav republics. This film will also present positive stories from the war – people helping each other regardless of their ethnic background, stories of bravery and self-sacrifice. The aim is to come up with a powerful weapon that people who are against war and hatred can use as a collection of good arguments in their favor. The disunity among peoples populating the Balkans have marked the last couple of centuries. Let’s start a new page, today, in the 21st century.
Directed by BORIS MALAGURSKI (Director, Writer, Producer, Editor)"The film began with production in late 2009 in several cities throughout Canada including Ottawa, Montreal and Toronto, continued in early 2010 in the United States - Columbus, Dayton, New York and Washington, and was finalized in the Summer of 2010 in Slovenia - Ljubljana; Croatia - Vukovar, Djakovo, Jasenovac, Zagreb, Gospic, Knin; Bosnia-Herzegovina - Sarajevo, Trebinje; Serbia - Belgrade, Subotica, Kosovska Mitrovica, Trepca, Pristina, Orahovac, Prizren and Strpce. "The Weight Of Chains" was completed in October 2010." Source: http://www.weightofchains.com/about.html
Born in Subotica, Yugoslavia in the late 1980s. In 2005, Boris immigrated to Canada and immediately gained professional recognition for his work. His film "The Canada Project" (2005) won Best Film at the First Take International Student Film Festival in Toronto, and was shown on Serbian National Television several times. His subsequent productions were showcased on several other film festivals worldwide, including the International Film Festival in Palic, Serbia, while he was still in highschool.
The director of this film, Boris Malagurski, has made several films to date, the last one being “Kosovo | Can You Imagine?”, a controversial documentary exposing how remaining Serbs in Kosovo have little or no basic human rights, which won several awards on film festivals around the world and was broadcasted as well. “The Weight Of Chains” presents a Canadian perspective on Western involvement in the division of the ethnic groups within Yugoslavia and show that the war was forced from outside – regular people wanted peace. However, extreme fractions on all sides, fueled by their foreign mentors, outvoiced the moderates and even ten years after the last conflict – the hatred remains and people continue spreading myths of what really happened in the 1990s. Why did all this happen?"Kosovo: Can You Imagine?" (2009) was Malagurski's first political documentary which won him a Silver Palm at the Mexico International Film Festival, Best Film at the BC Days Documentary Film Festival in Vancouver and was broadcasted on Russia's first all-digital English-language TV channel Russia Today in over 60 countries worldwide.
Source: http://www.weightofchains.com/about.htm
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