Brazils House

In the organizer's words:

Special documentaries with guests

The documentary film by Branko Šimić paints the portrait of a man whose personal story tells of identity, loss and friendship. "BRAZILS HAUS" was in the official selection of the 30th Sarajevo Film Festival 2024. Director Branko Šimić is a guest in Bielefeld and will present his film in person. Jörg Erber from Filmhaus Bielefeld will host the evening.

A stroke took away Goran Pavljašević's speech at the age of 40, but not his ability to communicate with those around him. Pavljašević now only speaks with two syllables. Rhythm, facial expressions and gestures become his form of expression. The former stage manager from Bosnia now lives between past and present. Memories of his life before the Bosnian war stand alongside the consequences of the stroke.

A photograph from his childhood, in which he stands next to the leader of the famous Husino miners' uprising of 1920, becomes the starting point for a personal search for traces. The Husino uprising is still regarded today as an important symbol of workers' resistance in Bosnia. Who is Goran today? A former Bosnian, a stroke survivor, an immigrant, a refugee from his own history?

Branko Šimić, born in 1968 in Tuzla in Bosnia and Herzegovina, lives and works as a theater director in Hamburg. He studied acting at the Academy of Dramatic Arts in Sarajevo and theater directing at the University of Hamburg and has realized numerous independent theater productions, including at Kampnagel. He spent many years planning and researching for this very personal film. With Brazils Haus (Brazilova Kuća), he finally succeeded in making his first documentary film.