An Episode in the Life of an Iron Picker

Episode in the Life of an Iron Picker
Episode in the Life of an Iron Picker
	Film poster
Directed by	Danis Tanović
Written by	Danis Tanović
Produced by	Amra Bakšić Čamo; Čedomir Kolar; Danijel Hočevar
Starring	Nazif Mujić
Cinematography	Erol Zubčević
Edited by	Timur Makarević
Release dates	13 February 2013 (Berlin); 16 August 2013 (Sarajevo FF);
Running time	75 minutes
Countries	Bosnia and Herzegovina; France; Slovenia
Languages	Bosnian; Roma

Episode in the Life of an Iron Picker (Bosnian: Epizoda u životu berača željeza) is 2013 Bosnian drama film written and directed by Danis Tanović. The film premiered in competition at the 63rd Berlin International Film Festival^[1]^[2] where it won the Jury Grand Prix and Nazif Mujić won the Silver Bear for Best Actor.^[3] It was screened in the Contemporary World Cinema section at the 2013 Toronto International Film Festival.^[4]^[5] The film was selected as the Bosnian entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 86th Academy Awards,^[6] making the January shortlist.^[7]

Plot

A Roma family lives in the Bosnia-Herzegovina countryside. Nazif salvages metal from old cars, selling it to a scrapmetal-dealer. His partner, Senada, is a housewife who looks after their two small daughters. One day, she feels an acute stomach pain. At the hospital, she is told her unborn child has died and, to prevent septicaemia, she should have an operation urgently. However, without funds or insurance, they cannot afford treatment. The couple seek desperately to raise the necessary funds before it is too late.

The film is played by a cast of non-professional actors re-enacting an episode from their own lives.