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"In the Land of Blood and Honey" (2011)Angelina Jolie made her move to directing with this ambitious foreign language romance drama set against the background of the Bosnian War. Goran Kostić brings a weary vulnerability to Denijel, a solider fighting for the Bosnian Serbs, whose father happens to be the savage leader of the Yugoslav People's Army and their prison camp. To his surprise, he finds a former love suffering in confinement as a Bosniak prisoner. Ajla (Zana Marjanovic) is a sensitive young woman with envious resolve and self-assurance to spare. Their romantic reawakening passionately plays out in secret as they go to harrowing lengths to protect a history that could kill them both. "Bright Star" (2009)Jane Campion's gorgeously realized and lovingly crafted "Bright Star" keeps its protagonists — poet John Keats (Ben Whishaw) and the forward-thinking Fanny Brawne (Abbie Cornish) — apart due to seemingly surmountable issues, like wealth (he.

The drama series The Game is about a complex invisible war being fought by skilled spies who are trained in the high stakes world of covert espionage. In 1972 London, a dangerous and deadly Soviet plot has been designed to bring Britain to its knees, and MI5 agent and undercover expert Joe Lambe (Tom Hughes) must track down Soviet sleeper agents, one by one, before they carry out their plan. Created by Toby Whithouse (Being Human), the six-part thriller also stars Brian Cox, Paul Ritter, Victoria Hamilton, Jonathan Aris, Shaun Dooley, Chloe Pirrie, Marcel Iuers, Jevgenij Sitochin and Zana Marjanovic. During this exclusive interview with Collider, executive producer Toby Whithouse talked about how the idea for this show came about, how much research he did to make this feel accurate, writing characters that are implying and suggesting instead of stating, that this story demands attention, how amazing it was to see...

Slipping Down Life: Norris’ Debut Steeps Notable Performances in Melodrama

Famed theater director Rufus Norris makes his cinematic directorial debut with an adaptation of Daniel Clay’s novel, Broken, which features a highly enjoyable lead performance from newcomer Eloise Laurence. A first rating supporting cast is also responsible for some quietly observed moments, though none of the performers are able to mask the increasing hysterical elements of the film’s overly dramatic narrative, which reachs fever pitch by the final frames, reducing the intricate power of its first half. Despite these noticeable shortcomings, Norris’ film isn’t without notable merit, and manages to sustain a certain level of interest.

In the suburbs of North London, Skunk (Eloise Laurence) a spunky pre-adolescent resides in a cozy cul-de-sac with her solicitor father Archie (Tim Roth) and older brother, Jed (Bill Milner). Mom flew the coop some time ago, so a live-in nanny,...

There is a difference between a kitchen sink drama and a drama that includes everything but the kitchen sink, and unfortunately for "Broken," it's more of the latter than the former. Marking the feature debut by theatre director Rufus Norris and with Tim Roth, Cillian Murphy and Rory Kinnear among the ensemble, this is the kind of movie that mistakes adding a new plot twist every fifteen minutes for narrative momentum and drama. The story revolves around three families who occupy a cul-de-sac that could be Anywhere In England. In one house we have the 11-year-old diabetic Skunk (Eloise Laurence) who lives with her brother Jed (Bill Milner) and her stepmom Kasia (Zana Marjanovic), who is dating Mike (Murphy). But stopping by most evenings is Archie (Roth), who maintains a close relationship with his ex, Kasia. Why this familial relationship needs to be this complicated is not quite clear. To...

★★★★☆ Rufus Norris' terrific debut feature, Broken (2012), is about the rites of passage of Skunk (Eloise Lawrence), an 11-year girl growing up in a London cul-de-sac with her father Archie (Tim Roth) and brother Jed (Bill Milner). Three things trouble Skunk: her mother's desertion, her diabetes and their unpredictable neighbours. Sweet, curious and naive, Skunk tries to get on with everyone including next door's slow-witted son, Rick (Robert Emms), who evidently has learning difficulties. Rick is terrorised by the unruly Oswald girls who live opposite. Their mother has recently died and their father, Bob, (Rory Kinnear) has a violent streak.

When Bob is falsely led to believe that Rick has raped his eldest daughter, he brutally assaults him, witnessed by a horrified Skunk. This terrifying act of violence leaves Rick dangerously unstable. Meanwhile, Skunk enjoys a tentative first love with a local lad, Dillon (George Sargeant) and starts secondary school.

The quality of the acting can't salvage a self-conscious family drama about a lonely 11-year-old

Since its debut in the Critics' Week section of last year's Cannes film festival, Rufus Norris's movie Broken has enjoyed a strong festival run, culminating in two British independent film awards before Christmas. In light of this, my personal critical response stands out like a sore thumb, but having now watched Broken a second time, I can only honestly repeat the reservations I expressed at Cannes. Despite a blue-chip cast, some tremendous cinematography by Rob Hardy and a lovely newcomer performance from Eloise Laurence, Broken is a strained, self-conscious and unconvincing drama, with some unsatisfyingly histrionic emotional crises, in which violence is a shortcut to emotional truth. Laurence plays Skunk, a lonely 11-year-old girl, about to go up to secondary school; she is the daughter of Archie (Tim Roth), the divorced solicitor who works way too hard,...

Director: Rufus Norris; Screenwriter: Mark O'Rowe; Starring: Eloise Laurence, Tim Roth, Cillian Murphy, Rory Kinnear, Robert Emms; Running time: 91 mins; Certificate: 15

Children making false accusations of sexual abuse has become a weirdly common trope in big-screen drama, with last year's remarkable The Hunt sketching out a high watermark. Rufus Norris uses such an accusation to kick-start the disturbing action of his feature debut, which follows the overlapping stories of three families living on the same unremarkable North London street.

Eleven-year-old Skunk (newcomer Eloise Laurence) witnesses her brutish neighbour Bob (Rory Kinnear) beating up the sweet but unstable boy next door, Rick (Robert Emms), an attack which sets in motion a chain of unfortunate events. Her father Archie (Tim Roth) is adjusting to life as a single dad, while their housekeeper Kasia (Zana Marjanovic) is in a troubled relationship with local schoolteacher Mike (Cillian Murphy), who in turn is struggling to discipline Bob's Asbo-courting daughters.

★★★☆☆ Rufus Norris' debut feature Broken (2012), an adaptation of the Daniel Clay novel of the same name, presents a portrait of three families living in a British cul-de-sac as seen from the point of view of a young girl, Skunk (Eloise Laurence). British actor Tim Roth heads up the first family as Skunk's father Archie, a gently-mannered attorney single-handedly bringing up his daughter and son Jed (Bill Milner) with help from the Polish au pair Kasia (Zana Marjanovic).

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Mental disability, divorce, first boyfriends, teen pregnancy, bullying....yes, there is a lot going on in "Broken." And while the first trailer for the film does at least highlight the strong performances from the cast, it's too bad it's in service of a picture that doesn't quite do their work justice. Directed by Rufus Norris, and based on the novel by Mark O'Rowe, the story centers on 11-year-old diabetic Skunk (Eloise Laurence) who is facing a lot of changes in her life. Her stepmom, Kasia (Zana Marjanovic), is dating Mike (Cillian Murphy) who also happens to be Skunk's schoolteacher, though her father Archie (Tim Roth) still stops by almost every night. Skunk is starting a relationship with her first boyfriend, is being threatened by a mean-spirited neighbor, and there is even more drama happening outside her orbit, with a few plot threads that will wind up connecting in the end.

Today we have a trailer for the upcoming "Broken" drama, starring Cillian Murphy (Batman Begins), Tim Roth (The Incredible Hulk), Rory Kinnear (Skyfall) and Zana Marjanovic (In the Land of Blood and Honey). Check it out below. Plot: The story of a young girl in North London whose life changes after witnessing a violent attack. It is based on a novel by Daniel Clay, which was inspired by Harper Lee's classic "To Kill a Mockingbird." The new movie is directed by Rufus Norris, who made his helming debut. It premiered at the Cannes Film Festival and will hit theaters in France later this month. A UK or Us release dates have yet to be set. Trailer:...

"Everything always goes wrong...! Why do only bad things happen?" Today's worth watching trailer is a British coming-of-age drama called Broken, starring the esteemed actors Tim Roth and Cillian Murphy with Rory Kinnear and Zana Marjanovic, but they're not actually the main focus of this film. Broken is the story of a young girl, played by newcomer Eloise Laurence, in North London whose life changes after witnessing a violent attack. The trailer lays out most of the story and world in which this occurs. It gets a bit odd when a car drops in the background, plus the guy dancing in the parking lot, but it doesn't look too bad. Watch the first international trailer for Rufus Norris' Broken, on YouTube found via TheMovieBox: The story, based on English author Daniel Clay's novel (which was inspired by Harper Lee's classic "To Kill a Mockingbird"), revolves around a...

Rufus Norris's drama of dysfunction and pain is often strained and self-conscious, but newcomer Eloise Laurence is a real find

There are some good ideas, strong moments and a blue-chip cast in Broken, the feature-film debut from award-winning theatre and opera director Rufus Norris. But they somehow don't come together successfully in this drama of dysfunction and pain, which too often looks strained, desperately self-conscious and replete with unconvincing and unearned emotional crises.

The star is newcomer Eloise Laurence, playing an artless, intelligent and likable 11-year-old girl called Skunk. She is the movie's real find, a natural screen performer. Skunk is the daughter of Archie (Tim Roth), whose wife has left him. He is developing feelings for his child minder, Kasia (Zana Marjanovic), whose boyfriend Mike (Cillian Murphy) is one of Skunk's teachers. They live in a suburban close which is turning into an emotional minefield because of the resident problem family.

There is a difference between a kitchen sink drama and a drama that includes everything but the kitchen sink, and unfortunately for "Broken," it's more of the latter than the former. Marking the feature debut by theater director Rufus Norris and with Tim Roth, Cillian Murphy and Rory Kinnear among the ensemble, this is the kind of movie that mistakes adding a new plot twist every fifteen minutes for narrative momentum and drama.

The story revolves around three families who occupy a cul-de-sac that could be Anywhere In England. In one house we have the young 11 year-old diabetic Skunk (Eloise Laurence) who lives with her brother Jed (Bill Milner) and her stepmom Kasia (Zana Marjanovic), who is dating Mike (Murphy). But stopping by most evenings is Archie (Roth), who maintains a close relationship with his ex, Kasia. Why this familial relationship needs to be this complicated is not quite clear.

Chicago – Cinema is one of the most powerful tools of communication that mankind can utilize to shed light on gravely overlooked areas on our planet. Yet good intentions are not enough to achieve success with this art form. If the scripted drama rings false, the message, however vital, gets lost in a sea of disinterest.

Like Julian Schnabel’s superior passion project, “Miral,” “In the Land of Blood and Honey” stages a bland two-dimensional human story against a riveting three-dimensional backdrop. It marks the directorial debut of Angelina Jolie, whose travels around the world and mounting rage at the crimes against women led her to pen a screenplay set during the Bosnian War of the mid-’90s. Though the subject matter is obviously worthy of cinematic treatment, Jolie’s attempt to symbolize the tragedy of warring neighbors with an epic love story falls flat. The results are deeply unsatisfying.

Blu-ray...

The morass of ancient ethnic hatreds and the legacy of centuries of internecine warfare in the Balkans is, to most Americans -- perhaps to many people outside the region -- little more than a confusing story on the news about yet another faraway place that always seems to be at war with itself. This ruthless movie -- a fictional tale set amidst the collapse of Sarajevo in the Bosnia civil strife of 1992-5 -- puts a human face on a conflict that was all but ignored by the rest of the world even as it encompassed the worst genocide in Europe since the Nazis and horrific war crimes from mass systematic rape to the use of civilians as human shields. Astonishingly, though it is written and directed by actress Angelina Jolie -- who has been a Un goodwill ambassador to Bosnia and Herzegovina -- there is nothing “Hollywood” about this...

Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie followed up her Paris premiere of In the Land of Blood and Honey with dinner at the city's Tour D'Argent restaurant. She was still decked out in a one-shouldered gown from designers Ralph & Russo, paired with Lorraine Schwartz jewels and Jimmy Choo shoes. They were joined at the famous spot, which was founded in the 1500s, with some members of her cast, like actresses Vanesa Glodjo and Zana Marjanovic. Angelina has been spending a great deal of time with her leading ladies, as they're in the midst of a European press tour. They kicked things off last weekend at the Berlin International Film Festival, and also stopped in Sarajevo for a special premiere in the city where much of the action in her film takes place. The traveling will continue today for the Jolie-Pitts, as Angelina's attending the Croatian premiere tonight. View Slideshow ›...

Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie wrapped up a whirlwind stay in Sarajevo today. They were ready to board a private jet, but first, Angelina thrilled some of the airport's workers by saying hello, signing autographs, and posing for photos. She and Brad arrived in Bosnia yesterday ahead of last night's In the Land of Blood and Honey premiere. Angelina, who directed the picture, joined stars Zana Marjanovic, Goran Kostic, Vanessa Glodjo, and Rade Serbedzija. It was an extra special event, as 50,000 were in the audience. Angelina Jolie got a standing ovation after the screening, and she was touched by the reaction. Angelina spoke about Bosnians watching the film, saying, "It has proven what is happening in the country. It has reminded people of the complications of the region, of the way people view each other. And also many people have risen up like these people who are doing private screenings...

The talents invited to participate in The Hollywood Reporter’s first Berlinale Actors Roundtable represent three generations and are in Berlin with films illustrating the broad range of genres and styles that typify Germany’s biggest film festival: Max von Sydow, 82, as the silent man suffering from great tragedy in Stephen Daldry’s Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close; Charlotte Rampling, 66, as a femme fatale in I, Anna, the directorial debut of her son, Barnaby Southcombe; Martina Gedeck, 50, in a wrenching performance as a troubled woman in Julian Pölsler’s The Wall; Zana Marjanovic, 28, as a Bosnian woman caught in the Serbian

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Taking her new overseas, Angelina Jolie took center stage at the "In The Land Of Blood And Honey" photocall during day three of the 62nd Berlin International Film Festival on Saturday (February 11).

Held at the Grand Hyatt, the 36-year-old joined alongside actors Goran Kostic and Zana Marjanovic ahead of the Bosnian based film's screening.

Of the movie's debut, Miss Jolie told press, "I'm nervous and I'm excited. I'll probably cry through the entire thing."

Ang added, "I'll be very, very moved because, of course, a lot of the people coming are the victims of war so it's going to be heavy."...

In the Land of Blood and Honey

Directed by Angelina Jolie

Written by Angelina Jolie

U.S.A., 2011

It is no secret that Hollywood darling Angelina Jolie invests time and energy in far more than just her film roles. She is also a humanitarian and spokesperson for a variety of major issues in conflict plagued countries around the globe. Luckily, her fame has awarded so much clout that her efforts as a Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees have led to more people being made aware of those same issues than otherwise would have been the case. With that knowledge in mind, it should come as no surprise that when given the opportunity to direct her first feature length film, In the Land of Blood and Honey, she opted for a story well suited to her interests, namely, humanitarian atrocities in a war-torn country,

As a...

Washington, Jan 18: Angelina Jolie has said that she discussed her directorial debut with Barack Obama, when she and Brad Pitt met the Us president at the White House on January 11.

Escorted into the White House by several security guards, the couple met with Obama during a break from promoting Jolie's 'In the Land of Blood and Honey', and the actress says the movie came up over the course of their one-on-one discussion.

Travelling with Zana Marjanovic, who appears in a lead role in the Bosnian love story, Jolie chatted with Obama "about Sarajevo and our concerns with things going on," Us magazine quoted Jolie as telling.

In the Land of Blood and Honey

Directed by: Angelina Jolie

Cast: Zana Marjanovic, Goran Kostic, Rade Serbedzija

Running Time: 2 hrs 7 mins

Rating: R

Release Date: January 6, 2012 (Chicago)

Plot: A Serbian soldier (Kostic) fighting in the Bosnia War takes captive a Bosnian woman (Marjanovic) he knew from his peaceful past.

Who’S It For? If you’re looking for a romance story that will leave you colder than freezing January weather, here’s a foreign film just for you. Although it is directed by Angelina Jolie, the star-power ends there. Expect much more blood than honey.

Overall

As far as an actor-turned-director debut goes, Jolie certainly has not taken the easy route. Featuring no actor at least immediately recognizable to American filmgoers, In the Land of Blood and Honey goes deep into the chaos of the Bosnian War, and strictly uses Bosnian and Serbian dialogue (at least, in the print...

FilmDistrict is proud to present Angelina Jolie in a live online Q&A Thursday, January 12th, at 8 Pm Est/5 Pm Pst to discuss her writing & directorial debut, In the Land of Blood and Honey. This exciting and interactive event gives fans the chance to ask Ms. Jolie questions about the film live!

In the Land of Blood and Honey is currently playing in New York City, Chicago, Philadelphia, Boston, San Francisco, and Seattle. The drama expands on January 13, and will be playing in Washington DC, Dallas, Palm Springs, Amherst, Ma, Berkeley, Charlotte, Denver, Monterey, Phoenix, Mountain View, CA, Marin County, Phoenix, San Jose, and Sausalito.

In the Land of Blood and Honey has been nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Foreign Language Film. Set against the backdrop of the Bosnian War that tore the Balkan region apart in the 1990s, the film tells the story of Danijel (Goran Kostic...

Interracial love rules! Humanity sucks! Women usually get the shaft in Hollywood, so it's refreshing to see that both Angelina Jolie's In the Land of Blood and Honey and Todd Graff's Joyful Noise present their stories from the perspective of strong female characters. In the Land of Blood and Honey, Jolie's debut as a narrative director -- she also wrote and shared in producing -- follows Ajla (Zana Marjanovic) as she struggles to survive the atrocities committed from 1992-1995 during the Bosnian war. She's Bosnian, but also a Muslim, and thus has been imprisoned along with thousands of other Muslim women in prison camps run by the Serbians, who are carrying out a program of "ethnic cleansing" (i.e. genocide). Conditions are horrendous; the woman are...

Chicago – The sorrows of war has been played out too many times in our so-called modern age. The excessively cruel Bosnian war – a three year conflict that introduced the vile term “ethnic cleansing” – is the background of Angelina Jolie’s directorial debut, “In the Land of Blood and Honey.”

Rating: 3.5/5.0

The Bosnian War began in 1992 and in three short years displaced two million people and killed over 100,000 more. The Serbian army was especially cruel to the Muslim population, and Jolie symbolizes this by showing a split between a Serb and Muslim who were lovers before the war. The camera doesn’t blink in this film, as rape, murder and abject human atrocities are played out in a war that was useless, ideological waste of time. Jolie works from her own very literate script, exposing a horror that happened a relatively short time ago.

Danijel (Goran Kostic) and Ajla (Zana Marjanovic...

On the surface, In the Land of Blood and Honey seems like a vanity project of sorts for its maker, Angelina Jolie. After all, the actress/humanitarian/super-mom is one of the few figures in Hollywood who could strive to make a Bosnian War-set Romeo and Juliet with subtitles and actually get it done. Yet the finished project suggests that we might have found a new director to watch. Jolie brings a sincere, serious vision to this ambitious enterprise. Crafted with a veteran’s skill, the film ably traverses a range of emotions, from the intimate warmth of bedside scenes to the cold, calculated brutality of war at its most horrific. Shooting mostly in Hungary but working with an all-Bosnian cast, Jolie brings alive the terrible, destructive ethnic conflict that erupted between 1992 and 1995, after the former Yugoslavia split apart. Her narrative imparts the conflict’s heartaches through its focus on the forbidden, strife-ridden...

"The challenges of making a film about historical atrocity are notoriously knotty," writes Andrew Schenker in Slant. "The director must convey the full force of horrific action without lapsing into either prurience or numbing repetition, while the film needs not only depict these terrible acts, but provide some kind of larger understanding as to why they were perpetrated. While Angelina Jolie's Bosnian War-set In the Land of Blood and Honey can't claim to fulfill either of these conditions, it deserves credit for one thing: It refuses to soft pedal the horrors committed by Bosnian Serbs against their Muslim neighbors in the early-to-mid-90s."

Nick Schager, writing for Box Office, agrees: "If there's a redeeming quality to In the Land of Blood and Honey's treatment of its subject matter it's that, unlike weak-kneed films such as Hotel Rwanda, it refuses to shy away from the true, vile reality of the Bosnian war.

Some directors might play it safe for their first feature-length film, but Angelina Jolie has rarely played by the rules. Jolie's directorial debut, "In the Land of Blood and Honey," was controversial before it even started filming, and it's certain to be just as talked-about once it opens on December 23.

"Blood and Honey" is a love story of sorts, set against the backdrop of the Bosnian War. While some lovers are simply star-crossed, Ajla (Zana Marjanovic) and Danijel (Goran Kostic) face insurmountable odds. A bomb's explosion rocks the dance hall where they're enjoying their first date, and a few months later, the Bosnian War is in full swing.

Also Check Out: Angelina's "Blood and Honey" Lawsuit

The next time they meet, Ajla is at a camp for Bosnian Muslim women, and Danijel is one of the top soldiers in charge. The Serbian soldiers are methodically raping the Bosnian female prisoners,...

In the Land of Blood and Honey marks a violent, promising directorial debut for mega-star Angelina Jolie. This is a hard-r look at a hopeful relationship that’s challenged to suffocating lengths against the backdrop of the Bosnian War. Danijel (Goran Kostić), fighting for the Serbs under the fierce guardianship of Nebojsa (Rade Serbedzija), finds his camp infiltrated one afternoon with opposing hostages who are then raped one by one by the remorseless Serb soldiers. Danijel recognizes Ajla (Zana Marjanovic), whom he met at a party that’s shown in the flooring opening sequence, as one of the captive women, and keeps her from being violated.

This is the initial nature of their association. Danijel, high up on the Serb command chain, quietly watches over the goings-on in his camp and makes sure that Ajla isn’t on the receiving end of the vile behavior of his cohorts. Danijel is...

'No one should be surprised that Angelina Jolie is as capable behind the camera as in front of it,' one critic says of globetrotting Oscar winner.

By Kara Warner

Zana Marjanovic in "In the Land of Blood and Honey"

Photo: Gk Films

For her directorial debut, "In the Land of Blood and Honey," Angelina Jolie chose to helm a harrowing, unrelenting drama set against the backdrop of the Bosnian War that highlights the horrors of the ethnic conflict that ravaged the region in the 1990s. To say that it is not a feel-good film is an understatement.

The critics are almost completely divided on whether Jolie's effort, which scored a Golden Globe nomination for Best Foreign Film, is a success. Read on as we sift through the reviews of "In the Land of Blood and Honey."

The Story

"Eight years ago Jolie starred in a film, 'Beyond Borders,...

'No one should be surprised that Angelina Jolie is as capable behind the camera as in front of it,' one critic says of globetrotting Oscar winner.

By Kara Warner

Zana Marjanovic in "In the Land of Blood and Honey"

Photo: Gk Films

For her directorial debut, "In the Land of Blood and Honey," Angelina Jolie chose to helm a harrowing, unrelenting drama set against the backdrop of the Bosnian War that highlights the horrors of the ethnic conflict that ravaged the region in the 1990s. To say that it is not a feel-good film is an understatement.

The critics are almost completely divided on whether Jolie's effort, which scored a Golden Globe nomination for Best Foreign Film, is a success. Read on as we sift through the reviews of "In the Land of Blood and Honey."

The Story

"Eight years ago Jolie starred in a film, 'Beyond Borders,...

'It isn't just a political film, it isn't just Bosnia,' director of 'In the Land of Blood and Honey' tells MTV News.

By Kara Warner

Angelina Jolie on the set of "In the Land of Blood and Honey"

Photo: Ken Regan / Gk Films

Although Angelina Jolie's directorial debut, "In the Land of Blood and Honey," is a harrowing, unrelenting drama set around the atrocities experienced and committed during the Bosnian War, Jolie swears that her goal in making the film and telling this story is not to teach anything or promote any agenda.

"I hope for the audience watching that it isn't just a history lesson, it isn't just a political film, it isn't just Bosnia," she told MTV News recently. "We tried to tell a dramatic story, we tried to make a good film with great actors, we tried to just give traditional dramatic storytelling,...

'It isn't just a political film, it isn't just Bosnia,' director of 'In the Land of Blood and Honey' tells MTV News.

By Kara Warner

Angelina Jolie on the set of "In the Land of Blood and Honey"

Photo: Ken Regan / Gk Films

Although Angelina Jolie's directorial debut, "In the Land of Blood and Honey," is a harrowing, unrelenting drama set around the atrocities experienced and committed during the Bosnian War, Jolie swears that her goal in making the film and telling this story is not to teach anything or promote any agenda.

"I hope for the audience watching that it isn't just a history lesson, it isn't just a political film, it isn't just Bosnia," she told MTV News recently. "We tried to tell a dramatic story, we tried to make a good film with great actors, we tried to just give traditional dramatic storytelling,...

Here's a preview of what's opening in theaters this holiday weekend, starting with Wednesday's premieres: the tense crime drama "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" and the animated thrill ride "The Adventures of Tintin," along with the expanded release of "Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol."

Opening on Friday is the delightful dramedy "We Bought a Zoo," starring Matt Damon," and the limited release of Angelina Jolie's directorial debut, "In the Land of Blood and Honey.

Angelina Jolie's directorial debut In the Land of Blood and Honey, a love story set during the Bosnian War in the '90s, opens here in the Us on Friday. She was in NYC earlier this month doing press for the film and joined her cast for a press conference at the Waldorf Astoria. Leading ladies Zana Marjanovic and Vanessa Glodjo, as well as actors Goran Kostic and Rade Serbedzija, sat with Angelina on a panel moderated by NPR's Tom Gjelten. The conversation was all about the movie, with Angelina speaking about the process of creating the script with input from survivors. She also touched on the directors she has learned from and the challenges of making a movie in a foreign language. Angelina said: On learning about directing: "You learn from everybody. Clint Eastwood taught me a lot about working with people that you love, that you think are great people,...

Angelina Jolie's dramatic directorial debut In the Land of Blood and Honey , a film she wrote as well as directed, tells the love story between Serbian soldier Danijel (Goran Kostic) and a Muslim woman named Ajla (Zana Marjanovic) and how the war between their two people makes it impossible for that love to flourish. It's an incredibly mature film for a first-time narrative filmmaker, one that shows you some of the worst horrors of the war in Bosnia, a war that's mainly been overlooked and overshadowed in this country, one in which Muslim women were raped and used as human shields. ComingSoon.net attended the press conference for Jolie's new movie, where the actress-turned-filmmaker was joined by Kostic, Marjanovic, Rade Serbedzija, Vanessa Glodjo, Alma Terzic, Nikola Djuricko...

In the war drama In the Land of Blood and Honey, which marks the writing and directorial debut of Angelina Jolie, Danijel (Goran Kostic) is a Bosnian Serb police officer and Ajla (Zana Marjanovic) is a Bosnian Muslim artist. Together before the Bosnian War that tore the Balkan region apart in the 1990's, their relationship quickly changes, as violence engulfs the country. When Ajla is taken from the apartment that she shares with her sister, Lejla (Vanesa Glodjo) and Lejla’s infant child, she comes face-to-face with Danijel and his troops, under the command of Danijel’s father, General Nebojsa Vukojevish (Rade Serbedzija). As the conflict takes hold, their connection to one another grows uncertain, and the war takes a physical and emotional toll that neither of them will ever recover from. At the film’s press day, co-stars Goran Kostic and Zana Marjanovic talked about revisiting this war for...

Set against the backdrop of the Bosnian War in the 1990's, In the Land of Blood and Honey tells the story of Danijel (Goran Kostic) and Ajla (Zana Marjanovic), who are on very different sides of the brutal ethnic conflict. As that conflict takes hold of their lives and their relationship changes, their connection to one another becomes strained and their allegiances grow uncertain. Portraying the incredible emotional and physical toll that the war takes on individuals, the unrelenting brutality is intended to make audiences question why it took so long for anyone to intervene in a society plagued by such horrific acts. At the film’s press day, Angelina Jolie talked about making her writing and directorial debut with this war drama, what led her to tell this particular story, cutting the film down from the initial four-and-a-half-hour version that was way more brutal, deciding to shoot the film...

by Scott Mendelson

HollywoodNews.com: Angelina Jolie’s director debut is caught between two very specific goals. On one hand, it wants to be a thoughtful, adult romantic drama that happens to be set during a period of rather ghastly civil war. On the other, because there really hasn’t been a major motion picture set during the Bosnian war that raged primarily from 1992-1995, writer/director Jolie feels a need to craft a somewhat definitive account of the conflict. As a result, much of the picture feels like a glorified book report, with characters ham-fistedly explaining the nature of the conflict, the living conditions of the victims, and character arcs. The film constantly violates the ‘show-don’t-tell’ rule, with lead characters explicitly stating their emotions and their character arc. Like Atom Egoyan’s Ararat (which dealt with the 1915 Armenian genocide), the film spends much time feeling less like a...

Angelina Jolie's presence in "In the Land of Blood and Honey," a film she directed but wisely chose not to star in, is both a gift and a curse. On the gift end, it's a megawatt star bringing some serious attention to an incident in our recent history that has either been glossed over, underreported, barely acknowledged or forgotten about completely – the atrocities in Bosnia and Herzegovina that brought ethnic cleansing back to Europe for the first time since World War II. Conversely, there will be those who claim, since Jolie is fabulous and wealthy and drop-dead sexy (besides being a U.N. ambassador and outspoken human rights advocate), that she has no business portraying what is still an incredibly raw part of the very recent past. For the most part, though, Jolie tells a compelling, tragic story, framed inside of an unlikely romance, and pulls it off without pulling any punches.

The actress's directorial debut, an unflinching portrayal of the genocide in Bosnia, has sent shockwaves through the Balkans – and may mark the start of a career behind the camera

• Feature: 'Angelina Jolie touched our souls' – Bosnia's rape victims have their say

Angelina Jolie's name has remained a byword for sex appeal for longer than most film stars could hope, but the 36-year-old Oscar-winner's status as one of the most compelling women in Hollywood is about to change. Her harrowing directorial debut, In the Land of Blood and Honey, has been met with such unexpected critical acclaim that a future for the actress behind the camera, as well as on screen, now looks certain.

The film, which premiered in New York this month, has already been recognised with a Stanley Kramer award for work in the cinema that draws attention to injustice and social issues. Last week it also received a Golden Globe nomination.

Arguably the most famous actress working today, Angelina Jolie has made third-world advocacy a major part of her brand. For the topic of her feature writing-directing debut, she choose the devastation of the nineties-era Bosnian War, an incursion largely forgotten in the West but still reverberating in the nightmares of the Bosnians who suffered through it. Certainly it matches her actor-activist interests and she can afford to put a camera wherever she wants. But does she know what to do with it? It turns out the answer is, basically, yes. "In the Land of Blood and Honey" breaks no fresh ground in the tradition of staid, grim war dramas from which it hails, but Jolie successfully capitalizes on a juicy premise that finds Bosnia woman Ajla (Zana Marjanovic) falling into an affair with Danijel (Goran Kostic), the Serbian head of a prison camp where she's held captive. Working from her own screenplay,...

Zana Marjanovic, Ermin Sijamija, In the Land of Blood and Honey

Some Serbians may be furious at Angelina Jolie and her first directorial effort, the Bosnian War drama In the Land of Blood and Honey, but the Producers Guild of America feels differently. Jolie's socially conscious film has been named the recipient of this year's Stanley Kramer Award given to "a motion picture, producer or other individual, whose achievement or contribution illuminates provocative social issues in an accessible and elevating fashion." In In the Land of Blood and Honey, a Bosnian woman is held captive — and used as a sex slave — at a Serbian prison camp while her former lover is fighting on the side of the Serbs.

As per PGA co-presidents Hawk Koch and Mark Gordon, quoted in a press release, In the Land of Blood and Honey "is an extraordinary film that portrays a complex love story set...

Angelina Jolie has described her relationship to the cast and crew of In the Land of Blood and Honey as being "like a family". The film, which was written and directed by Jolie, follows a love story that takes place during the Bosnian Civil War in the '90s and stars local actors Zana Marjanovic, Goran Kostic and Rade Serbedzija. Talking to MTV News, Jolie expressed her pride in the project and the intensely emotional process of bringing the film to life. "When we were in New York [at the premiere], and we were all together presenting something that we felt represented history and (more)...

Actress Sandra Bullock is excited about celebrating Christmas with her son Louis, who will be 2 in January -- and yes, he thinks Santa Claus exists.

"He's met Santa," Bullock laughed with "Extra's" Aj Calloway. "He's already in with Santa... because Santa is very real."

Bullock said having a small child has reminded her how fun life can be. "If you let a child into your life, you get a second chance at a childhood and...

'We were all together presenting something that we felt represented a part of history,' first-time director/screenwriter tells MTV News.

By Kara Warner

Angelina Jolie on the set of "In the Land of Blood and Honey"

Photo: Ken Regan / Gk Films

In selecting a subject for her screenwriting and directorial debut, Angelina Jolie did not choose an easy one. While some first-time directors might have gone with a romantic comedy, small-scale film or mainstream subject to tackle, Jolie's "In the Land of Blood and Honey" is a harrowing, unrelenting drama set against the backdrop of the Bosnian War that highlights the horrors of the ethnic conflict that has occurred far too often throughout history.

The film revolves around the relationship between two Bosnians on opposite sides of the conflict, Danijel (Goran Kostic) and Ajla (Zana Marjanovic) and the devastating toll the war has on their lives. When MTV News caught up with Jolie,...

'We were all together presenting something that we felt represented a part of history,' first-time director/screenwriter tells MTV News.

By Kara Warner

Angelina Jolie on the set of "In the Land of Blood and Honey"

Photo: Ken Regan / Gk Films

In selecting a subject for her screenwriting and directorial debut, Angelina Jolie did not choose an easy one. While some first-time directors might have gone with a romantic comedy, small-scale film or mainstream subject to tackle, Jolie's "In the Land of Blood and Honey" is a harrowing, unrelenting drama set against the backdrop of the Bosnian War that highlights the horrors of the ethnic conflict that has occurred far too often throughout history.

The film revolves around the relationship between two Bosnians on opposite sides of the conflict, Danijel (Goran Kostic) and Ajla (Zana Marjanovic) and the devastating toll the war has on their lives. When MTV News caught up with Jolie,...

Interviews with Angelina Jolie and more for In the Land of Blood and Honey. After adding new movie clips last week, we are pleased to give you interviews from the FilmDistrict drama which opens on December 23rd. Get feedback about In the Land of Blood and Honey from director Angelina Jolie, stars Zana Marjanovic (2 parts), Goran Kostic, Boris Ler, Vanesa Glodjo, Nikola Djuricko, Faruk Pruti, Branko Duric, Ermin Bravo, production designer Jon Hutman, Producer Graham King, Director of Photography Dean Semler, Composer Gabriel Yared and Costume Designer Gabriele Binder. In the Land of Blood and Honey is set against the backdrop of the Bosnian War that tore the Balkan region apart in the 1990s and tells the story of Danijel (Goran Kostic) and Ajla (Zana Marjanovic), two people from different sides of a brutal ethnic conflict. Danijel, a soldier fighting for the Serbs, and Ajla, a Bosnian held captive in the camp he oversees,...

Interviews with Angelina Jolie and more for In the Land of Blood and Honey. After adding new movie clips last week, we are pleased to give you interviews from the FilmDistrict drama which opens on December 23rd. Get feedback about In the Land of Blood and Honey from director Angelina Jolie, stars Zana Marjanovic (2 parts), Goran Kostic, Boris Ler, Vanesa Glodjo, Nikola Djuricko, Faruk Pruti, Branko Duric, Ermin Bravo, production designer Jon Hutman, Producer Graham King, Director of Photography Dean Semler, Composer Gabriel Yared and Costume Designer Gabriele Binder. In the Land of Blood and Honey is set against the backdrop of the Bosnian War that tore the Balkan region apart in the 1990s and tells the story of Danijel (Goran Kostic) and Ajla (Zana Marjanovic), two people from different sides of a brutal ethnic conflict. Danijel, a soldier fighting for the Serbs, and Ajla, a Bosnian held captive in the camp he oversees,...

Interviews with Angelina Jolie and more for In the Land of Blood and Honey. After adding new movie clips last week, we are pleased to give you interviews from the FilmDistrict drama which opens on December 23rd. Get feedback about In the Land of Blood and Honey from director Angelina Jolie, stars Zana Marjanovic (2 parts), Goran Kostic, Boris Ler, Vanesa Glodjo, Nikola Djuricko, Faruk Pruti, Branko Duric, Ermin Bravo, production designer Jon Hutman, Producer Graham King, Director of Photography Dean Semler, Composer Gabriel Yared and Costume Designer Gabriele Binder. In the Land of Blood and Honey is set against the backdrop of the Bosnian War that tore the Balkan region apart in the 1990s and tells the story of Danijel (Goran Kostic) and Ajla (Zana Marjanovic), two people from different sides of a brutal ethnic conflict. Danijel, a soldier fighting for the Serbs, and Ajla, a Bosnian held captive in the camp he oversees,...