DOCUMENTARY ON GORAN ZEKIĆ SCREENED

SREBRENICA, September 5 /SRNA/ - The documentary film "The First of Us - Goran Zekić" by author Ljubiša Milutinović was screened this evening at the Cultural Center in Srebrenica, marking Zekić's birthday.

The film was shown before a large audience, mostly Zekić's contemporaries from the Birač region, as well as several former and current municipal mayors from the Birač and Romanija areas.

Goran Zekić was a judge and lawyer in Srebrenica, and the organizer of the founding assembly of the Serb Democratic Party on August 19, 1990, in Srebrenica, where he served as its first president.

His son, Nemanja, said on this occasion that his father, according to the testimonies of many, left an indelible mark on this region.

"It was a time when it took extraordinary courage, which leaders showed because their ideas were stronger than the possible sacrifice - which, unfortunately, became my father’s fate," Nemanja Zekić said.

He emphasized the importance of filming documentaries and writing books about significant historical figures and events and their importance for Serb history and the people.

Author Ljubiša Milutinović said he did not personally know Goran Zekić, but had heard much about him – his abilities and determination to organize, care for, and protect his Serb people.

He stressed that Zekić meant a great deal to the Serb people of the entire Birač region and was also highly respected by the Muslim side.

"The documentary 'The First of Us - Goran Zekić' is a contribution to the culture of remembrance and one way to rescue our heroes from oblivion," Milutinović noted.

He explained that he made the film on his own initiative, with the consent of Zekić's family, based on documentation, stories he heard about Zekić before the war, and conversations with those who knew him best.

Before the screening, Milutinović told the audience that this was his tenth documentary film, but that he was especially moved tonight as it was the first time he was presenting a film in Srebrenica.

He announced that next year he plans to make documentaries about the late priest from Krnjići, Boban Lazarević, and Boško Nešković "Crveni," an exceptional fighter credited with the defense of Bratunac, who was killed in 1995 on the Bihać battlefield.

Goran Zekić was a member of parliament in the multi-party Assembly of BiH, and later in the Assembly of the Serb People in BiH, until he was killed in an ambush on May 8, 1992, on the local Srebrenica-Sase road.