Could there be an aspect of the Bosnian War, which ended 27 years ago, that has not yet come to light? Slovenian filmmaker Miran Zupanic seeks to answer with a documentary whose title alone raises questions. Sarajevo safari tackles a rumor that still circulates in parts of the former Yugoslavia: that during the siege of the Bosnian capital, foreign millionaires paid for the services of snipers who fired on civilians from windows high above the streets.
Was there a kind of macabre tourism behind these claims? The documentary does not present conclusive proof, but it does offer avenues for reflection. Two testimonies stand out. One comes from a principal narrator of Sarajevo safari, a figure whose identity remains concealed throughout the film. He recounts that after taking military training in his youth when Yugoslavia existed as a single country, a U.S. intelligence contact reached out as the war unfolded. He claims that a flight from Belgrade to Pale, with a group from Republika Srpska, brought him to Sarajevo. The account suggests that not all participants were soldiers of a single side; there were also foreigners who allegedly shot at besieged residents for money. He describes entering and leaving Sarajevo on 35 occasions between 1992 and 1994.
Operating under anonymity, the interviewer’s revelations form the most startling part of the film. He explains that the so-called safari began at the outset of the conflict, that some foreigners spent little time in the city because they were already targeting homes, and that he personally witnessed seven people struck by bullets fired by improvised snipers. He recalls seeing children, their mothers holding hands, hit by gunfire, and admits that the scene left him horrified.
Westerners and Russians
A second direct witness appears, Edin Subasic, who worked for the Bosnian army’s intelligence during the war years. In the documentary, he notes that reports about wealthy Western and Russian buyers paying fortunes to hire snipers have circulated for some time. He explains that researchers followed leads to Italy, and Italian intelligence services were contacted to gather more information. Subasic recalls a conversation with Mustafa Hajrulahović, a high-ranking Bosnian commander, in which Italian intelligence claimed they had pinpointed an exit point for these operations, which was neutralized so that such incidents would not recur.
Beyond presenting evidence, the film also explores the human dimension of those events. The documentary includes the painful testimony of the parents of a one-year-old girl who was killed by a sniper in October 1993. One participant notes that foreigners involved in these shootings could be charged more if the victim was a child. Another interviewee remains in a wheelchair after being shot in the back. These personal accounts underscore the tragedy and the moral questions associated with such violence.
Sarajevo safari received broad acclaim at the Al Jazeera Balkans documentary festival held in Sarajevo in September. The filmmaker has explained that a core aim of the project is to confront viewers with moral questions about the kinds of choices people make in war. History is layered, and the film suggests a stark moment where greed and detachment intersect with human vulnerability. The documentary director spoke with AA News Agency about the project, describing it as a probe into who can join such a hunt without remorse. It is a reminder that life in wartime can reveal the darkest sides of human behavior. The production company Arsmedia, based in Slovenia, is seeking a distributor to bring the film to theaters in 2023, allowing wider audiences to engage with these troubling questions.
The siege of Sarajevo remains one of the longest in recent history, lasting roughly four years and resulting in the deaths of about 6,000 civilians. Zupanic’s documentary presents disclosures that challenge certain media narratives and prompts viewers to consider how wealth and international connections might influence acts of violence during extreme conflict.