Premiere of the movie "Jedini", about a hero of the Defense-Patriotic War, will take place on February 11 in Banja Luka.

The premiere of the documentary film "Jedini," dedicated to Velinko Trbić, a hero and the most severely disabled war veteran of the Republic of Srpska, will be held on February 11, starting at 6:00 PM at the "Palas" cinema in Banja Luka. Denis Bojić, the multi-award-winning documentary filmmaker, wrote the screenplay and directed the movie.

The documentary "Jedini" brings a poignant and true story of Velinko Trbić, a hero of the Defense-Patriotic War. A man who, faced with the gravest of life's trials, became a symbol of indestructible will, dignity, and the struggle for life, as well as the creation of the Republic of Srpska.

In June 1992, in Slavonski Brod, he was kidnapped and taken to a detention camp at the "Polet" stadium in the occupied Brod. He spent over two months in the camp, during which he was subjected to the most severe forms of torture and abuse. After his release, he went to the front lines.

As a member of the Army of the Republic of Srpska, on February 11, 1995., the final year of the war, he was critically wounded by a sniper shot in the head, on the Krupa na Uni front in western Krajina. Upon waking from a coma with a diagnosis of spastic quadriplegia, he became one of the most severely disabled veterans of the Army of the Republic of Srpska. Velinko’s body has remained in the exact same position from the moment the sniper bullet struck him until the present day.

"It wasn't an easy decision to make, whether or not to get into the filming of the movie, but the desire to record and preserve a piece of the Serbian people's history through my life story, and to leave a lasting memory for my children and grandchildren, was stronger than any dilemma. It is necessary for younger generations to know the hardships we endured to obtain our Republic of Srpska and what we are leaving behind as a legacy. It is impossible to recount or fully represent what I have gone through in these 31 years since being wounded, but I hope the film will at least partially illuminate that path", said Velinko Trbić.

The author of the film, Denis Bojić, has stated:
“For me, and for all of us who created this film, the film about Velinko Trbić is not only a national or artistic story, but a deep human and moral obligation. His fate represents one of the hardest, yet also one of the quietest stories of the war — the story of a man who lost everything that makes physical freedom possible, but did not lose his dignity, love, or will to live. Velinko Trbić is an inspiration in every sense of the word. He was a hero in the war, but an even greater hero after the war, because for thirty full years he has shown what it means to be unbreakable, what family, love, and homeland truly mean. This film does not aim to deliver a political message nor to pursue sensationalism. My intention was to tell the story of a man we must know about, of a family that endured everything, and of a love that alone has the strength to overcome complete physical helplessness. Velinko’s life testifies that true strength is often invisible and that the greatest battles are fought far from the eyes of the public. This is a film about the strength of the spirit, about a will of steel, and about the creation of Republika Srpska — but above all, it is a film about a man who, although unable to move, stands more upright than many others.”

The premiere will take place exactly 31 years to the day since Velinko Trbić was wounded.

The film was produced by the Memorial Center of the Republic of Srpska, with the support of the Audio-Visual Center of the Republic of Srpska.

Screenplay and Direction: Denis Bojić; Directors of Photography: Dejan Račić, Ljubomir Tešinić; Editing: Ognjen Bogdanović, Uroš Mlađenović; Sound Recordist: Mario Paljević; Sound Design: Vladimir Vladetić; Graphic Design: Zorana Pilipović, Ognjen Bogdanović; Promotion: Margareta Zlatunić; Music: David Mastikosa.