As a foreigner to this country and culture, I experience the issues of today differently. It is from this vantage point that I look to the themes of this film.

I was raised in Italy, just a few hours from the former Yugoslavia, and the tragedy of Vukovar, infamously known for the cruel siege in the fall of 1991, resonated in my mind for a long time. Through the research process with Croatian refuges and when I talked with American soldiers who live with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and struggle to come back to a normal life, I realize the necessity of telling their story as well as the attention owed to the topic. In fact, this film has both a significant present day relevance and a timeless quality. As a storyteller my primary challenge will be to combine these two elements in a cinematic way.

“Vukovar” is a tale of two underdogs and I have always been interested with their stories. Exploring visually the differences in peoples’ reactions to life-changing events fascinates me. I am thrilled about the opportunity of bringing together two characters so different from each other, but with so much in common. This story is not about dueling ideologies rather about the humor and the drama that emerge from human interaction in equal measure. By studying the unusual situation that brings Tim and Davor together, I can give a powerful insight into contemporary America, its value system and contradictions.

Academy Award Nominee Cinematographer Dante Spinotti will mentor the film. Furthermore, the National Center for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and the Croatian Consulate have recognized and are counseling the project.

Paolo Borraccetti