Picture Me An Enemy, a new documentary filmed both in Philadelphia and in the former Yugoslavia, tells the stories of two Penn students affected by the war in Yugoslavia.
In its debut at International House, the documentary was presented to a full auditorium on Thursday evening.
Natasa Borcanin, a Croatian woman pursuing a master's degree in International Relations at Penn, came to Philadelphia during her senior year of high school and was made a refugee by the eruption of war.
Tahija Vikalo, a Serbian Penn alumnus with a master's degree in anthropology, lived in Sarajevo for two and a half years during the violence.
The film's directors and producers -- Temple graduates Nathalie Applewhite, who currently works at Penn's Literacy Research Center, and Ren‚ Lego -- found their subjects' stories compelling enough to make a film.
Upon meeting Borcanin through her and Lego's mutual friend, Applewhite became fascinated by Borcanin's story.
"Natasa broke all images of what I had seen of refugees," Applewhite said.
Neither Applewhite nor Lego had any connection to the war in Yugoslavia prior to compiling their footage.
"I thought the film was excellent," local resident Matt Schell said. "But it felt like there was a 600-pound gorilla in the room which would be the whole U.S. thing."
Applewhite hoped that by showing the film free of charge at International House, high school and college students would be more likely to attend.
A panel followed the film showing to respond to questions concerning the roots of hatred and the creation of enemies.
The project's motivation was to put a "human face on conflict," Applewhite said. "Many people expect a war torn country to look a certain way. Sarajevo is another Paris."
Applewhite's employment at Penn producing educational media gave her some of the experience necessary for her film.
With the completion of Picture Me An Enemy, Applewhite and Lego are preparing to distribute their documentary to film festivals.
Applewhite said the two are considering producing a television show that will focus on "contemporary issues with a human face."
After viewing U.S. news coverage of the war in Yugoslavia and realizing "the stories didn't fit with the pictures," Applewhite said she hopes her efforts will help make "media a positive tool."
"We want to make people more conscious," Applewhite said. "Maybe then they would do something about it."
