Directed by Lidija Zelović, ‘Home Game’ portrays her life and that of her displaced family after fleeing Sarajevo in 1993. Amid increasing migration restrictions and political polarization, this documentary is becoming more relevant each day. In the lead-up to the Dutch General Elections on October 29, HUMAN will broadcast ‘Home Game’ on television.
Displacement
Zelović has been filming her family since 1993, when they had to escape their war-torn home in Sarajevo. The film explores the challenges of building a new life in the Netherlands, the limitations of the ‘refugee’ label, and the longing for pre-war Yugoslavia. These themes reveal the deep sense of displacement experienced by many migrants. As Zelović searches for a sense of home that no longer exists, her focus shifts to societal and political issues in the Netherlands - issues she recognizes from her homeland.
Using her family archive, Zelović alternates between scenes at home - Sunday discussions with her parents and brother about politics and football, her son's upbringing, holidays in Bosnia - and reflections on Dutch political events, including political assassinations, scandals involving structural government discrimination, growing societal polarization, unrest, and the normalisation of far-right ideas. With keen insight, Zelović offers a sometimes humorous, often confronting, yet always sincere view of her life, serving as a mirror to the changing political climate in the Netherlands.
Political Relevance
‘Home Game’ has been screened internationally and in the Netherlands at prominent filmfestivals such as IDFA and Movies that Matter, where it received the Audience Award and Dutch Focus Award. HUMAN has chosen to broadcast this urgent documentary ahead of the upcoming Dutch General Elections, when political debates are in full swing.
‘Home Game’ is a production by Conijn Film, in co-production with Zelovic Film and HUMAN.
About the Filmmaker
Born in 1970 in Yugoslavia, Lidija studied Yugoslav literature and Serbo-Croatian language at the University of Sarajevo. She began working at Bosnian Television at age 19. In 1993, a year after the outbreak of the Bosnian War, she moved to the Netherlands, where she has lived ever since. Her work as a documentary filmmaker focuses on ordinary people in extraordinary circumstances, often involving war. Prior to "Home Game," she created prizewinning personal film essays such as "My Friends" (2006) and "My Own Private War" (2012).
Trailer Home Game
Awards and Nominations
- Movies That Matter 2025- Winnaar Audience Award
- Movies That Matter 2025 - Winnaar Dutch focus award
- Luxembourg City Film Festival - Youth Jury Award
- ZagrebDox 2025 - Winnaar Audience Award
- Ethnocineca Int. Documentary Film Festival Vienna - Best international film
- Biografilm Festival 2025 - Young Critics Award
- Biografilm Festival 2025 - Special Mention
- Docs Against Gravity - Special Mention
- Young Critics Award+ Special Mention jeugdjury
- Gouden Kalf 2025 - nomination 'Best long documentary'