Dozens of migrants from Asia and Africa drown every year in the rivers between Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Croatia. Only a few of them get identified. An even smaller number get returned to their families in their countries of origin.
Most of them were buried in local cemeteries, without taking a sample for DNA analysis. This actually means that their families will never know what happened to them or where their graves are. If one day they appear in the Balkans looking for their relatives, due to the lack of records, the institutions will not know which grave to exhume. These are neglected graves, in remote parts of local cemeteries. They are often overgrown with grass and littered with garbage. Even the dead are not treated with respect here.
Thanks to the efforts of activists, several cases were resolved and the families got the conclusion they needed. While the procedures for identifying and returning bodies are very complicated and financially out of reach for families, institutions do not want to participate. Hope is provided by individuals in the system who knowingly violate legal procedures to help families.
This documentary was filmed with the support of Journalismfund Europe. It was filmed in 18 locations in three countries. It premiered on December 9 at the “Days of Srdjan Aleksic” festival in Banja Luka.