18.08.2020.

Minister of Defence on the Set of Film “Corridor 92”

Minister Vulin: Battle for Corridor is as important as Košare and Paštrik

Today, Minister of Defence Aleksandar Vulin visited members of the Ministry of Defence and Serbian Armed Forces who, together with representatives of the Radio Television of Serbia and actors, participate in making the film “Corridor 92” in the surroundings of Vršac.

On that occasion, Minister Vulin underscored that there would not have been the Republic of Srpska without the battle for Corridor. He also stressed that the documentary-feature film on that battle was our way to tell the truth about the civil war in which the Serbs had been unwilling and forced participants.

- When Aleksandar Vučić, as one of the leaders of Serbian state, uttered the words “NATO aggression” for the first time, after that, no one could and no one will be able to take away from the Serbs their right to truth and their right to speak about the truth that they lived. For the entire Serbian people, the battle for Corridor is as important as the battles of Košare or Paštrik. Without the Corridor, without this great victory, there would not have been the Republic of Srpska, which we love so much and which we respect so much.

The Serbs remained quiet for a long time and they let someone else write their history – Minister Vulin reminded and added that it was the reason why Jasenovac had repeated and the reason why the Serbs lived to defend themselves from resolutions in front of the United Nations claiming that they are not genocidal nation, even though they had been victims in the two world wars.

- This is our way to tell the truth about the civil war in which the Serbs participated against their will, and in which they were forced to participate both in Bosnia and Herzegovina and in Croatia. This is our opportunity to bequeath our descendants the truth that cannot be changed. This is our way to write the truth – stated Minister Vulin, stressing that the state of Serbia and the Ministry of Defence, just like they had restored the memory of the battles of Košare and Paštrik, would not allow that the battle for Corridor, or any other battle of the Serbian people for freedom, fall into oblivion and remain forgotten and unknown, because the Serbs have the right to remember, and the state of Serbia is obliged to foster the memory of the Serbs wherever they lived.

Minister Vulin explained that he appreciated the authenticity of the events in the film, which would be contributed by appearance of participants in the very event.

- With this film, we will tell the truth. We will not try to present ourselves better than we were. We will tell the truth, and others may ponder why the truth is so kind to the Serbs. In the history of our people, the battle for Corridor was once more intentionally forgotten, because the message of the battle for Corridor is that when the Serbs are unified, when they agree and get together, there is nothing that can stand on their way. The battle for Corridor defended and created the Republic of Srpska and it must not be forgotten. Something that must not be forgotten in particular are all those who gave their lives and their health. This is an example of victory, and this is an example of soldier’s virtue and the virtue of one nation – Minister Vulin said.

The author of the film, Slađana Zarić explains that today they were filming scenes in the surroundings of Vršac that should depict the breach of Corridor.

- That corridor, which represents the survival of the Republic of Srpska, or as they often say “the road of life”, was symbolically breached by joining of two corps, the East-Bosnian Corps which came from direction of Šamac and Krajina Corps which came from Banja Luka. Once those two corps merged, it meant that the road, no matter how narrow a road it was to Serbia, the road from eastern to western part, was breached and that the Republic of Srpska had a chance to survive. Today we witnessed filming of that scene, and particularity is that everything that we have done here, and all those featured scenes are not fiction. This is not an arbitrary word of a screenwriter, playwright or director, because the script was developed on the basis of testimonies of the people who participated in the battle for Corridor - Slađana Zarić explains.

She highlights that after filming the scenes of the final battle and liberation of Corridor, the filming will start on the military training area Nikinci and on the River of Sava, and that the premiere of the film is symbolically scheduled for 9th January – Day of the Republic of Srpska, since the very battle for Corridor represents a battle of preservation, existence and survival of the Republic of Srpska.

One of participants of the breach of Corridor, President of Association of Citizens of the First Military Police Battalion of the First Krajina Corps Radenko Puzić, participates in filming of the documentary-feature film as well.

- I was present during filming of the scene for the documentary-feature film about the breach of corridor, which was the scene of very merge of the First Krajina Corps and East-Bosnian Corps. As a participant in the breach of Corridor, I feel strong emotions, and great energy that is present on the set – Puzić stresses and ads that everything on the set is very authentic: the uniforms, insignia, and the story itself.

Gavrilo Jovanović, an actor from Bijeljina does not hide his satisfaction with his participation in this documentary-feature project.

- I play the character of Milan Zubudovac, from Posavina, who due to unfortunate situation attacked his own army, thinking that it was the other army. But through some events that followed, we realised that it was not someone else’s army, but our brotherly army, and luckily enough we all sang in the end, as it is the custom with us, the Serbs, to finish everything with a song and rakija – Jovanović describes one of the scenes and reveals that he did not have any doubts whatsoever whether to accept the role in the film or not when it was offered to him. As he says, the role is small, but likable and he is satisfied with being on the set with members of the Serbian Armed Forces who are helping during the filming.

The documentary-feature film of the author Slađana Zarić about the breach of Corridor in 1992, which is done in coproduction of the Military Film Centre “Zastava Film”, Radio Television of Serbia and Radio Television of the Republic of Srpska, is being filmed in a village Laudonovac near Šabac, and the following filming will take place on the training area “Nikinci” and on the River of Sava near Šabac. The scenes were taken in a deserted barracks in Ruma, in a military facility “Brile”, and in military compounds “Manđelos“ in Sremska Mitrovica and “Pasuljanske Livade”.

The filming is divided in two phases – interviews with participants of the battle, which were filmed in Banjaluka and Belgrade, and dramatic reconstruction filmed with members of the Serbian Armed Forces in the Republic of Serbia. Apart from the participants in the battle and actors from Serbia and Republic of Srpska, members of the Serbian Armed Forces from the First, Second and Third Army Brigade have been engaged as extras, while the Training Command provides technical assistance.

The film is dedicated to the battles which liberated the passage-corridor Bijeljina – Banjaluka in 1992, and it chronologically follows the events from the moment when Croatian army crossed the River of Sava, establishment of camps, suffering of the Serbs in Odžak, Derventa and death of 32 soldiers from MPO Vranje.