Isola Bella 2008

Directed by Danica Dakić

This film was shot at a center for young people with mental and physical disabilities in Pazaric, near Sarajevo. There, the artist collaborates with some forty residents to create an improvised performance blending monologues, movement, and music. Against a backdrop of wallpaper depicting an ideal island, the participants—dressed simply and wearing paper masks—are both actors and spectators. Titled Isola Bella, the work evokes both the sheltered history of the place and a utopian dimension. It blends real, often difficult, stories with the residents’ imaginary projections, revealing their dreams, hopes, and realities.