23.05.2019.
Premiere of documentary-feature film “War Stories from Paštrik“
The premiere of the documentary-feature film “War Stories fromPaštrik” (“Ratne priče sa Paštrika”), was organized at the Houses of the Guards at Topčideru tonight, attended by the Minister of Defense, Aleksandar Vulin, Chief of the General Staff of the Serbian Armed Forces, General Milan Mojsilović, state and military leadership, participants of the Battle of Paštrik, members of the families of the soldiers who were killed and numerous guests.
“War Stories from Paštrik” is the second film by the author Slađana Zarić, produced in the co-production of Radio Television of Serbia and the Ministry of Defense - Military Film Center “Zastava Film”, which testifies to the heroic fight of our armed forces members in the defense of the homeland at Paštrik in 1999, a battle of which very little is known.In addition to the author, the team working on the production of the documentary-featured film includes the producers Snežana Rodić Sinđelić and Lieutenant Colonel Goran Ikonić, photography directors Žarko Pekez and Petar Vujanić, expert consultant Lieutenant Colonel Perko Alimpić, editor Bojan Perišić, organizer Danko Rapajić, journalist Vesna Ilić, composer Vladimir Tošić, sound designer Bojan Mangović and masks Aleksandra Trajković and BiljanaTomić.
After the premiere of “War Stories from Paštrik”, the author of the film, Slađana Zarić, made a comparison with the previous film “War Stories from Košare”, as she was often confronted with a question whether the story of the Battle of Paštrik would be a continuation of the story from Košare.
As she points out, these stories, as well as the reactions following the viewing of the films are different, which she considers to be good.
- After the film about Košare the feeling I had was the taste of sadness, tragedy and pride. After the film “War Stories from Paštrik” I feelt proud. To witness what those guys went through there – this “carpet bombing”, when you look at archive recordings, you would think no one could survive. To have had only 26 victims after 20 days of fighting istruly fascinating, in spite of very intense attacks by terrorists and the NATO - the author of the film points out, reminding us of the significant contribution of our armed forces, that in the faithful days preceding the decision about the final format of the Kumanovo Agreement, managed to fend off the attacks of the enemy.
Director of the Military Film Center “Zastava Film” and one of the producers, Lieutenant Colonel Goran Ikonić, thanked the Public Relations Department of the Ministry of Defense, who, with the full support of the Minister of Defense, provided conditions for the implementation of this project.
He points out that the purpose of the films about Košare and Paštrikis to draw the attention of the public to the heroism and self-sacrifice of all the soldiers who fought in all the units and in every place where our country was defended in 1999.
- The Military Film Center “Zastava Film” has over several decades cooperated with RTS, and we introduced this topic in 2012 in the “Dozvolite” TV show. Thus, the co-production with the national television was a logical continuation and honoring the debt to the heroes who died, their families and all the fighters who fought in the defensive war against the NATO aggression in 1999.
Lieutenant Colonel Ikonić said that, as one of the participants in the combat operations, he was personally delighted to have been given the opportunity to participate in the screening of this film and announced that the Military Film Center “Zastava Film” would make a special series “Serbian Trilogy”, which will show the genesis of the NATO aggression and five documentary films about the war brigades decorated with the Order of the People’s Hero in 1999.
According to Lieutenant Colonel Milovan Jojić, Commander of 3 Infantry Battalion of 549 Motorized Brigade during the NATO aggression, the most impressionable memories of the Battle of Paštrik are the heroic soldiers, conscriptsdoing their military service, their exceptional courage, dedication and strong will to defend the freedom and honor of our homeland. As someone who participated in the event, he stressed that the film has left a huge impression on him and his fellow comrades.
The former reserve in 549 Motorized Brigade, Slobodan Mladenović, was highly emotional and affected after the premiere, and as the movie says, he was for a moment taken back in time to where he fought. He also estimates that the film is truthful and realistic and that he will forever remember when the medical vehicle he was in was targeted and hit, how he was helping the wounded and how he managed to save the life of Slavoljub Mitić from Vranje.
The Battle of Paštrik, in which the forces of the Yugoslav Army defended the territory of the FR of Yugoslavia from the attack of terrorists assisted by the Albanian Armed Forces, took place parallelly and simultaneously with the intensive bombing by NATO between 26 May and 14 June 1999.
Due to the courageous struggle of the Yugoslav Army’s border units, the enemy was deterredin his intention to break and destroy their defenses and open up a route for the additional infiltration of the terrorists in the territory of Kosovo and Metohija.
The Yugoslav Army remained undefeated in the Battle of Paštrik and inflicted huge losses to the enemy. In that battle, 26 members of the Yugoslav Army were killed.
In the film, the combat actions conducted in the Paštrik mountain area are told by officers, soldiers, reservists and volunteers, members of 549 Motorized Brigade. The testimonies of more than 30 participants of the battle tell stories of the events from the attack on the Gorožup border post until the withdrawal of our armed forces following the signing of the Kumanovo Agreement.
Television premiere of “War Stories from Paštrik” film is scheduled for 26 May, the start of the Battle of Paštrik, at 9 pm, on RTS1 program.
PHOTOGALLERY
VIDEOGALLERY
mp4 