A father’s last recordings before genocide
A forgotten VHS tape found in a Belgrade second-hand shop became the starting point for an intimate and deeply human story about war, memory and loss. In The Srebrenica Tape – From Dad, for Alisa, director Chiara Sambuchi follows a daughter’s journey to reconnect with the father she lost during the Bosnian War, while confronting the silences and traumas that still shape lives three decades after the genocide.
June 22, 2026 -
JP O'Malley
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Issue 4 2026MagazineStories and ideas
Chiara Sambuchi did not intentionally set out to make a documentary about the Bosnian War (1992-1995). “But this intimate story about a daughter looking for her father was hard to ignore,” the 51-year-old Italian documentarian explained from her home in Berlin. Sambuchi first heard about it via Jaap Verdenius. A few years ago, the Dutch journalist stumbled upon a collection of old VHS tapes in second-hand shop in Belgrade. “Initially, Jaap couldn’t understand the content of those tapes,” Sambuchi explained. “But he became fascinated by this man behind the camera, talking to his daughter. With the help of a translator, Jaap was able to piece together a basic outline of this tragic family story.”
That original footage ran to four hours and three minutes. It begins in 1991, in the town of Srebrenica, in eastern Bosnia-Herzegovina – then still part of Yugoslavia. In the opening shot, an eight-year-old girl, Alisa Smajlović, stands in her backyard, seemingly carefree and happy. She has received a birthday gift from her father, Sejfo. “You put the toy together,” she tells Dad with heartfelt gratitude. In the following scene, Sejfo addresses the camera directly. But the mood has darkened. He looks hopeless and helpless. “Alisa,” he says. “I got a camera. I’ve captured lots of material from the war. But I’ve also filmed around the house, the old neighbours, the refugees. To show you how it is now. Don’t worry. We will see each other soon. Don’t ever forget your father.”
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