On May 27, 1995, Serbian forces disguised as UN peacekeepers took French soldiers hostage on the Vrbanja Bridge, at the entrance to Sarajevo. If the bridge fell, the Serbs could capture the Bosnian capital, which had been under siege for more than three years. Despite the UN mandate prohibiting them from using force, the French peacekeepers—mostly from the 3rd RIMa and the RICM in Vannes—decided to retake the bridge. The assault, with bayonets fixed in the trenches, lasted 23 minutes. Thirty years later, they look back on an act of defiance and daring that marked a turning point in the Bosnian War.
Technical Specifications
A film written by Benjamin Poincenet and François-Xavier Destors
Directed by: Benjamin Poincenet
Editing: Marie Thomas-Penette
Cinematography: Jean-Gabriel Leynaud, Sébastien Bergé, Hervé Glabeck, François-Xavier Destors
Sound: Eric Menard, César Lambilliotte
Color Grading: Lionel Dalban
Sound Editing and Mixing: Jérôme Alexandre
Music: Thierry Doublon
A Saule Productions production
with the participation of France Télévisions and ICI Bretagne
in co-production with Pictanovo and with support from the Hauts-de-France region and Telo Martius Productions, and with support from the CNC—National Center for Cinema and the Moving Image—and the Ministry of the Armed Forces — Directorate of Memory, Culture, and Archives / ONaCVG & Le Bleuet de France / Solidarm / Gueules Cassées UBFT / Carac Foundation / Anopex / Escale Association for Support of the Wounded / André Maginot National Federation / Allianz Defense and Security
Watch the movie on VOD
Specifications
2026 | Runtime: 52 minutes
Original Language: French
Available Versions: French
