When I agreed to be a participant in this documentary my only hope was to tell a story that is bigger than my own experience. A story that would have a message that reaches primarily those who were fortunate enough never to have experienced conflict. And therefore, should realize the power and advantage they have of preventing it from ever happening. I am hoping it reaches those that will recognize intolerance when it peaks its ugly head and preclude it from ever taking sway.

-Natasa Borcanin

"Beyond our ideas of right-doing and wrong-doing,
there is a field. I'll meet you there."

The whole process of working on this documentary emulated this field that Rumi spoke about. During the filming I freed most of my imprisoned memories and emotions and let them be recorded. All of this was done with the hope that this film gives a voice not just to me as an individual, but also to other Bosnians, Muslims, youth and women. Most of all I hope that anyone who sees this film understands the absurdity of war and conflict and at the same time perceives the intensity of human suffering caused by it.

"When the soul lies down in that grass,
the world is too full to talk about.
Ideas, language, even the phrase 'each other'
doesn't make sense any more."
Jelaluddin Rumi

-Tahija VIkalo

The process of making this documentary has been a long and challenging experience. We set out to put a human face on a situation that was in most people's mind's just a distant conflict that had little to do with their daily lives. How many times did people ask us "but why do this now, isn't it outdated?" Yet, what we hoped to present was a timeless and universal story that relates to each and every one of us. We hoped to make people aware of the common threads that tie all conflicts to one another, so that we could all be more aware of the danger of creating a faceless enemy, at home and abroad. In our post September 11th reality, with the US launching a "war on terror" and with prejudice and hate crimes against Muslims and Arabs still on the rise, the documentary has become more timely than we could have ever imagined.

None of this would have happened had we not been blessed with the participation of two young women who opened their homes and hearts to us with a degree of trust that no maker could ever expect. And as much as we may be seen as the "creators" of this documentary, there is no question that Tahija and Natasa and their beautiful wisdom, are what shaped "Picture Me an Enemy" into the documentary it is today.

-Nathalie Applewhite and Rene Lego of vis à vis productions

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