International movie star Angelina Jolie’s directorial debut — a drama set during the Bosnian war, in which a Muslim character falls in love with the Serbian who raped her — had its shooting permits revoked by Bosnia’s culture minster earlier this week after complaints from a victim’s group. But Jolie isn’t giving up that easily: A rep for the actress says the crew is shooting in Budapest right now before moving to Bosnia as planned, and that the permit cancellation was “a purely technical matter.†Jolie herself directly addressed the controversy over the fictional love affair, saying, “Obviously, any dramatic interpretation will always fail those who have had a real experience … There are many twists in the plot that address the sensitive nature of the relationship between the main characters and that will be revealed once the film is released. My hope is that people will hold judgment until they have seen the film.†Well, we got ourselves a filming permit showdown! So will the well-documented charm, globally renowned beauty, and sheer will of Angelina Jolie be enough to sway the suddenly very influential Bosnian culture minister? Or will a few free passes for a Kung Fu Panda 2: The Kaboom of Doom screening need to be thrown in to sweeten the deal?
Jolie hopes fans will “hold judgment†on Bosnia film [Reuters via ArtsBeat/NYT]