A new documentary brings together statements from Serbian intellectuals, politicians, and analysts who challenge official narratives surrounding the wars of the 1990s, Kosovo’s status, the Srebrenica genocide, and the concept of the so-called “Serbian World.”
The documentary opens by emphasizing that the breakup of the former Yugoslavia was not merely a political process, but the beginning of wars, ideologies, and narratives that continue to shape politics, media, and collective memory across the region.
Its authors stress that the film does not present accusations, but rather highlights the words of public figures from Serbia itself, arguing that their statements challenge long-standing national myths.
One of the documentary’s central themes is Serbia’s role in the conflicts of the 1990s. It argues that Serbia failed to achieve its political objectives in the wars in Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Kosovo. Several Serbian citizens interviewed in the film acknowledge that Serbia did not emerge victorious from any of those conflicts.
In one televised debate featured in the documentary, a Serbian citizen confronts nationalist politician Vojislav Šešelj, stating that the “Greater Serbia” project ended in failure and that Serbia lost the wars against Croats, Bosniaks, and Albanians.
The documentary also focuses on Kosovo. Serbian writer and playwright Biljana Srbljanović argues that Serbia lost the war in Kosovo and must accept the reality on the ground.
“What Serbia needs is a responsible government and a responsible president who will come forward and tell the truth. Kosovo is an independent state, and what we should focus on is ensuring that the citizens of that state enjoy fully equal rights,” she says in the documentary.
According to the filmmakers, the debate should no longer be limited to constitutional interpretations but should also recognize the political and institutional reality that has existed since Kosovo declared independence.
Another section examines the status of Republika Srpska and statements by its president, Milorad Dodik, advocating independence.
Ivan Videnović, a professor at the University of Belgrade, argues that Republika Srpska exists solely within Bosnia and Herzegovina under the framework of the Dayton Peace Agreement.
He maintains that an independent Republika Srpska cannot exist, arguing that the entity was established through ethnic cleansing and genocide, and adds that any attempt at secession lacks a basis under the current international legal order.
The documentary also dedicates significant attention to the events of July 1995 in Srebrenica.
In one televised discussion, a participant insists that international courts have legally determined that the massacre in Srebrenica constituted genocide, emphasizing that this is an established legal fact.
Elsewhere in the film, Serbian politician Nenad Čanak states that the genocide was not committed by the Serbian people as a whole, but by specific military formations.
He argues that genocidal acts took place in Srebrenica while stressing that responsibility should not be collectively assigned to an entire nation.
The documentary also revisits the 1986 Memorandum of the Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts (SANU), arguing that it helped shape a narrative portraying Serbs as endangered and served as an ideological foundation for political mobilization during the 1990s.
In its conclusion, the film questions whether political myths continue to be used to avoid confronting the past, noting that many of the views presented come not from international actors but from Serbian public figures themselves.
Among them is Professor Ivan Videnović, who states that there are no “genocidal peoples,” but that states can pursue genocidal policies, adding that confronting the past is essential for building a different future.
The documentary closes with the message that historical truth, no matter how difficult it may be to accept, does not disappear—it simply waits to be told.
