The renowned British media outlet BBC recently published the show dedicated Krsto Đurović, a Montenegrin rear admiral of the Yugoslav People's Army (JNA) who refused to attack Dubrovnik in the 1991 war and then died under unclear circumstances.
The program entitled "The Suspicious Death of Rear Admiral Đurović" is available to the world public on the official BBC website, in the "Witness History" section. Journalist Jonathan Johnny Einson he spoke about this topic with a Montenegrin journalist Veseljko Koprivica both activist and director Mladen Ivanović.
The fate of Krsto Đurović is the subject of the feature-length documentary film "Rear Admiral", on which Ivanović has been working for years as a director and screenwriter, and thanks to that, the story ended up on the BBC.
"Contact with the BBC occurred last year during the Balkan Documentary Center (BDC) Discovery program in Sofia, where we presented the film. Among the audience was a BBC representative who approached me after the presentation and said that the story had deeply affected him. He was particularly intrigued by the combination of personal and political drama in the story of Krsto Đurović. After that, we stayed in touch, which later led to an invitation to participate in the show," Ivanović reveals to Vijesti.
The interest of journalists and editors grew as they learned more about the fate of the Montenegrin rear admiral. Ivanovic also explains to the readers of "Vijesti" why, on a global level, but also on a local level, the show is significant in terms of the legacy of Krsto Đurović, and even the film itself.
“This show represents a rare opportunity to tell a local, deeply rooted story to an international audience. The legacy of Krsto Đurović and the questions the film raises - about personal responsibility, morality and the consequences of war - are universal. For me as a director, this is confirmation that our local narratives have the power to contribute to global conversations about war trauma, dealing with the past and the need for reconciliation. At the same time, such stories demystify the dominant post-war narratives that political elites in the Yugoslav republics used to trap citizens in unprocessed traumas. These same traumas became the basis for decades of corruption and the sale of former common goods,” Ivanovic points out.
The show was produced last year, then broadcast on March 26th of this year and is available in English to all visitors to the bbc.co.uk website.
"The recording of the interview for the BBC was done online, during the fall of 2024. The interview was conducted via audio - Jonathan from London, and we from the studio in Podgorica. Despite the physical distance, the conversation was direct, thorough and conducted with great interest in the topic," Ivanovic reports.
His film “unveils a story of elusive justice in the Balkans in the 21st century and how society deals with moral decisions when humanity overcomes heroism,” the synopsis states. The project itself has already been noticed across the former Yugoslavia and Europe. Its presentation in the BDC program last year, first in Belgrade, then in Sofia, and then in Leipzig, at the 67th Dok Leipzig Festival, one of the most important documentary film festivals in Europe, contributed to the spread of interest in both the film itself and the life story of Krsto Đurović.
The selectors of BDC Discoveries 2024, a program focused on developing documentary projects with international potential, emphasized that the project "Rear Admiral" has strong potential, which was also recognized by the BBC. They expressed particular interest, Ivanovic points out, in the process and approach to working on the film.
"The BBC showed great interest in the director's approach, especially in the way we balance between documentary and dramatic expression. They were also interested in how the processes of working with actors and participants were conducted, because many of them are faced with personal or family traumas from the time we are talking about. They also paid special attention to my personal relationship with Krsto Đurović - how I interpret him, and what motivated me to deal with this particular story," says the director.
The big topic, humanity in the most difficult moments of war, consistency with the values of humanity, refusal of the task, and unsolved murder, in addition to the public and the director who has been dealing with it for years, thanks to his work, are already intriguing many who are impatiently awaiting "Rear Admiral". Ivanović reports for Vijesti some of the audience's reactions so far...
"The reactions have been very diverse. The audience and critics have recognized the authenticity and courage in the portrayal of Krst's personality, which is not black and white, but multi-layered and complex. Many have pointed out that the story successfully raises questions about morality, choices and the legacy of war, which is an important contribution to understanding our recent history. The BBC's audience is global and diverse, which means that, even before the film's premiere, we have managed to reach the most remote parts of the world, and that is precisely what one of our missions is: to make Krst and his act heard as far and wide as possible," says Ivanović.
The film is in its final stages of production, he reveals...
"Editing is underway, and in parallel, we are working on a promotion and festival placement strategy," says Ivanović.
In an earlier interview for Vijesti, he pointed out that the documentary film "Rear Admiral" will bring something that is the opposite of all the narratives that exist on all warring sides.
"They will bring us interpretations related to the very collapse of Yugoslavia, which are not popular, are not part of the narrative. Some events that are hidden from the public eye," he said, revealing on that occasion that it was difficult to obtain the material.
"The archive mysteriously disappeared and, since the Montenegrins' campaign against Dubrovnik, almost nothing officially exists from the archive today. I found everything else that exists by searching archives in Croatia, Belgrade, Novi Sad... We found some of the most important things in the private archives of people who filmed during the 90s. Most of these people are members of the Liberal Alliance, who gave it to me at a time when the authoritarian regime was at its most powerful," said Ivanovic.
At the very beginning of his work on "Rear Admiral", he assessed that this and similar topics were not talked about and not much was known.
"Montenegro from Ulcinj to Slovenia has two rear admirals, and both of them end tragically in a very short period of time. I focus on one of them, Rear Admiral Krsto Đurović, who in 1991 refused to shell Dubrovnik and to surrender to everything that happened later. A little later, under circumstances that are still unclear, he ends tragically in a helicopter crash. This is not talked about, no one mentions it, and that is exactly what served as the initial trigger for me. Although I will not deal only with that event, it is a kind of catalyst, or rather the initiator of the film," said Ivanović a few years ago.
Through his approach, themes, film, activism, and engagement, Ivanović is changing the system and society that have grown together with silence and forgetting.
The film's co-writers are Marijana Sabeva and director Ivanović himself, and the project is being produced by the Montenegrin company "Artikulacija Film" headed by producer Ivan Đurović and the Croatian production company “Restart” whose producer is Oliver Sertic, with the support of the Film Center of Montenegro and the Croatian Audiovisual Center in the category for the production of a feature-length documentary film, as well as for the development of the project. Additional support was provided by Radio and Television of Montenegro RTCG and Croatian Radio and Television HRT.
"As long as I am the commander, not a single shell will fall on Dubrovnik"
Introducing the audience to the topic, the BBC's official website reminds them of the circumstances during the 1990s...
“As Yugoslavia began to disintegrate, the Balkan conflict began - a series of brutal wars characterised by disputes over territory, identity and ethnic divisions. In 1991, the Croatian War of Independence began - the first of the great wars. One of its defining moments came in October, when the Yugoslav People's Army advanced into the south of the country, leading to the siege of Dubrovnik. One of the Yugoslav People's Army commanders in the region was Rear Admiral Krsto Đurović, a Montenegrin who had spent his life working in Croatia, married a Croatian woman and planned to retire there. An attack on Dubrovnik was unthinkable for the rear admiral, so he promised the mayor: 'As long as I am commander, not a single shell will fall on Dubrovnik'...', writes the BBC in a short text on the website where the full broadcast is available.
“Shortly after that, Đurović was killed in a suspicious helicopter crash - his superiors claimed he had been shot down, but there were no opposition forces in the area, and Croatian officials denied any involvement in the crash. No autopsy was ever conducted, nor was there a military investigation,” the text added, continuing:
“Soon after, Miodrag Jokić was appointed to Đurović’s post and a fierce bombing campaign began that would later lead to Jokić being convicted of war crimes. Johnny Ajanson speaks with Montenegrin journalist Veseljko Koprivica and documentary filmmaker Mladen Ivanović, who say that Rear Admiral Đurović’s refusal to bomb Dubrovnik may have led to his untimely death,” the show’s announcement reads.
Through the events that shaped the world, through the eyes of the people who witnessed them
The BBC's "Witness to History" series is intended for those who are fascinated by the past, it is emphasized.
“We take you through the events that shaped our world, through the eyes of the people who witnessed them. For nine minutes each day, we take you back in time and travel around the world to examine wars, coups, scientific discoveries, cultural moments and more. Recent episodes have explored topics ranging from soccer in Brazil, the history of the “Titanic of India” and the invention of the air fryer, to Public Enemy’s “Power Struggle”, subway art and the political crisis in Georgia. We look at the lives of some of history’s most famous leaders, artists, scientists and figures, including: visionary architect Antoni Gaudí and the design of the Sagrada Familia; Michael Jordan and his custom-made Nike sneakers; Princess Diana at the Taj Mahal; and Gerrell Hanser, manager of the legendary Swedish pop band ABBA, who talks about their impact on the music industry. You can learn all about fascinating and surprising stories, such as the one when an Iraqi journalist threw his shoes at the President of the United States in a sign of protests over the American occupation of Iraq; creating the Hollywood commercial that changed advertising forever; but also the rise of the first aboriginal MP", it is written in the description of the series.
"This show represents a rare opportunity to tell a local, deeply rooted story to an international audience. Krsto Đurović's legacy and the questions the film raises - about personal responsibility, morality and the consequences of war - are universal. For me as a director, this is confirmation that our local narratives have the power to contribute to global conversations about war trauma, dealing with the past and the need for reconciliation," says Ivanović
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