As If I Am Not There

Juanita Wilson’s drama offers an unflinching portrayal of the grim realities of the Bosnian War in the 1990s, drawing from real-life accounts presented at the International Criminal Tribunal in The Hague. The story follows Samira, a contemporary schoolteacher from Sarajevo, who accepts a position in a rural village just as the conflict intensifies. When Serbian forces invade, they execute the men and enslave the women, using the older ones for labor and the younger ones for sexual exploitation. Samira endures the most degrading treatment possible.