Back to Sarajevo 1996
In the raw aftermath of the Dayton accords, filmmaker Philippe Grandrieux steps into a scarred Sarajevo alongside Sada, a Bosnian woman making her first return after years in exile.
Director: Philippe Grandrieux
Cast

Frequently Asked Questions
What is Back to Sarajevo (1996) about?
*Back to Sarajevo* follows director Philippe Grandrieux and a Bosnian woman named Sada as they return to the city just days after the Dayton accords. The film documents their journey through a landscape still raw from years of siege, blending personal stories with the broader experience of coming home after long exile.
Who directed Back to Sarajevo?
Back to Sarajevo was directed by Philippe Grandrieux, a filmmaker known for his evocative and immersive documentaries.
Who stars in Back to Sarajevo?
The film features director Philippe Grandrieux alongside Bosnian returnee Sada as the central figures navigating the city's post-war landscape.
Is Back to Sarajevo (1996) worth watching?
As a raw and poetic documentary, *Back to Sarajevo* offers a deeply human perspective on post-war recovery. While it lacks a traditional rating, its 77-minute runtime delivers a powerful, meditative experience that resonates with themes of resilience and memory.
How long is Back to Sarajevo?
Back to Sarajevo runs for 77 minutes.
About Back to Sarajevo (1996) — A poetic documentary returning to a city healing from war
In the raw aftermath of the Dayton accords, filmmaker Philippe Grandrieux steps into a scarred Sarajevo alongside Sada, a Bosnian woman making her first return after years in exile. *Back to Sarajevo (1996)* is a haunting documentary that captures the city's fragile pulse—where bullet-marked facades and half-empty streets tell stories of survival, loss, and the fragile threads of hope. Grandrieux's lens lingers on the quiet resilience of everyday life, blending intimate encounters with the broader weight of a city piecing itself back together. This is less a conventional travelogue and more a poetic meditation on memory, displacement, and the uneasy stillness of peace.
Director Philippe Grandrieux, whose intimate yet unflinching style defines the film, turns the camera on the invisible scars of war and the fragile beauty of rebirth. Through Sada's eyes, the audience witnesses a city both familiar and foreign, where the past is a shadow and the future a flickering promise. The documentary's 77-minute runtime breathes life into the moment, a snapshot of a week where time seems suspended between destruction and renewal.