The latest episode of the documentary series "The Story Behind the Photo," which is part of the "Sniper Alley Photo" project, focuses on Italian journalist and photographer Mario Boccia. The creator of the entire project, Dzemil Hodzic, spoke to N1 about the series' goals and the most striking elements of this episode.
“The Story Behind the Photo” is a series of mini-documentaries featuring foreign photojournalists who were present in war-torn Sarajevo, sharing the stories behind their photographs.
“The primary and most important goal is to preserve every document from being forgotten, ensuring it has its place both in education and as a warning to future generations. Some may find this series interesting from a journalism perspective, others from a photographic standpoint, while for some, it may serve as evidence of war crimes,” Hodzic said.
“It’s not difficult to photograph a killer because they’re proud of what they do”
Mario Boccia, the subject of the eighth episode, discussed encounters with Serb soldiers and fighters from Greece and Russia who, during the Siege of Sarajevo, participated in killing civilians alongside the Army of Republika Srpska.
“Some looked like recruits, while others were more convinced that what they were doing was right, especially the snipers. It’s not hard to photograph a killer because they’re proud of what they do,” Boccia added.
He recalled a conversation with a sniper just before Christmas.
“I asked him, ‘Do you shoot even during Christmas?’ He looked at me and said, ‘Of course, what kind of question is that? Of course I shoot during Christmas—they’re Muslims; they don’t celebrate it.’ I then asked, ‘Do you shoot at children too?’ He almost smiled and replied, ‘Of course, because when they grow up, they’ll become mujahideen and shoot at us. That’s why I shoot first,’” Boccia recounted in the series.
He added that one of the soldiers even offered him a chance to shoot.
“I said I didn’t want to, that I was there to photograph, not to shoot. Another soldier asked how much money I’d pay him to photograph him while he shot. I replied, ‘Nothing—I don’t want you to shoot; I don’t care about the photo of you shooting.’ He said, ‘Your TV colleagues have paid me to shoot so they could film it.’ That sent chills down my spine,” Boccia said.
“I hope to help others see the bigger picture”
Hodzic noted that people criticized journalists and photographers like Boccia for crossing the ‘line’ and interviewing VRS soldiers.
“Now we see that this too has its place in our history. Without these photographs and testimonies, far fewer people would believe what we faced daily during the war. As a child, I heard about ‘weekend Chetniks,’ but I only understood the term when I heard statements from photographer Peter Kullmann and saw his photos. I hope my work helps others see the bigger picture,” he said.
He also emphasized that the culture of remembrance is a complex process and that the importance of some episodes from this series may not be immediately apparent:
“Perhaps the true value of these photographers’ testimonies will be revealed in ten years. Maybe this very episode will expose a Greek who fought for Greater Serbia.”
“From the start, they decided we had to be killed”
For Hozic, the “Sniper Alley Photo” project is also a form of struggle and vengeance. His brother Amel was killed by a sniper during the siege in 1995.
“The most striking part of Boccia’s story for me was about the killing of children. I immediately picture Amel and see how one of these ‘heroes’ kills him while he’s playing tennis. That story about killing children at Christmas, while they’re playing or walking to school, for the purpose of forming Greater Serbia—using the excuse that we’d grow up and become mujahideen—sticks with me. From the very start, they decided we had to be killed, that we couldn’t exist. We were guilty before we were even grown. That part doesn’t leave my mind,” said Hodzic.
More Episodes to Come
This is the second episode of the series’ second season, with the next episode expected by the end of January or early February, if everything goes as planned.
“By April, we’ll likely have three more episodes. We have one more to shoot, which would make six episodes in total, marking the end of the second season. By mid-year, we hope to start the third,” Hodzic concluded.
So far, the series “The Story Behind the Photo” has featured testimonies from Enrico Dagnino, Thomas Haley, Christopher Morris, Enric Martí, Peter Kullmann, Zoran Filipovic, and Staffan Löfving.
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