DEADLINE [Main Title]

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  • Title: DEADLINE [Main Title]
  • Film Number: UNT 789
  • Other titles: DEADLINE - SARAJEVO [Alternative Title] UNITED NATIONS TELEVISION (UNTV) ZAGREB COLLECTION, YUGOSLAVIA [Allocated Series Title]
  • Summary: A behind the scenes look at the work necessary to restore utilities to the Bosnian capital of Sarajevo in time for the ceasefire to take effect.
  • Description: Interview with two children, standing in front of a green wall, who are looking forward to the return of electricity, gas and water to the city. They are excited about the prospect of running water and watching television. The boy says ‘turn on the lights, no more candles, no more dark’. Once the gas is back on they will not be cold any more. Panning shot across Sarajevo. The engineers have five days to reconnect utilities to the city. This film follows them on their last three days. Interview with John Fawcett, Special Adviser to the Special Co-ordinator in Sarajevo, who says that this will be a challenge because many of the electricity supply lines cross confrontation lines and power generators for the city are in both Federation and Bosnian Serb-held territory. Footage of the demining operation in the area between Kiseljak and Sarajevo that had to be demined on Sunday before electricity lines could be reconnected. Interview with Lieutenant Colonel Dominguez, French Engineers, who describes demining two kilometres of land. UNPROFOR engineers found two mines in the course of their work. Interview with Captain Tauro of the HVO, who says that this morning they finished the demining and the electricians are now at work. He predicts that Sarajevo will have electricity tonight. He thanks Captain Paquet for his assistance. Shot of HVO and UNPROFOR soldiers talking to one another. Captain Paquet, CANBAT 4, says that they have worked with HVO soldiers without any problems. General Bachelet, Commander Sector Sarajevo, says that he visited the Serb sides and noted only a few technical problems so he thinks that the work will be finished tonight. He says that on this side, the Croat and Bosniak side, all that remains is to connect and charge the broken cable. Footage of the electricians at work. At the UN compound, Major Rodriguez, French Engineers, explains that their task during the ceasefire is to help Bosnian and Serb teams resupply Sarajevo with electricity, water and gas. Major Rodriguez describes the moment on Monday night that the electricity supply was reconnected. Shot of Sarajevo in the dark, suddenly lit by pinpricks of electric light. Footage of a press conference given by Ambassador Antonio Pedauye, Chief of Mission UNPROFOR, Bosnia-Herzegovina, who announces the progress made on re-connecting electricity across Sarajevo but says that gas is still to be resupplied. On Tuesday, John Fawcett, Special Adviser to the Special Co-ordinator in Sarajevo, describes the challenges of restoring gas to the city because the gas line criss-crosses Bosnian government and Bosnian-Serb territory. The Russian company that supplies the gas was also demanding payment from the Bosnian company and were refusing to delay this in the interests in the ceasefire agreement. During the night, an agreement was made and the gas valve in Hungary was reopened. The UNTV interview is interrupted. John Fawcett has to take a call from American President Bill Clinton, who asks whether Sarajevo has gas yet. As he is on the phone, a Sarajevo resident stands on his balcony with a gas lit fire. He grins at the camera. John Fawcett says that this shows that gas has reached the city. Footage of another press conference given by Ambassador Antonio Pedauye, who announces that gas has been restored to the city. Although water was not part of the agreement, residents of Sarajevo want to know when they will have running water again. Shots of people collecting water from the river. The boy, standing in front of the green wall, says that water has not yet been reconnected and so he has to go and collect water to help his mother. He says when water returns, both he and his mother will have an easier life. Major Rodriguez says that eighty percent of Sarajevo’s water comes from the pumping station at Baševo and now that electricity has been reconnected, the pump can start working and the reservoirs can be filled up. He says that ‘water will come to Sarajevo’. John Fawcett, Special Adviser to the Special Co-ordinator in Sarajevo, says that the ceasefire will help improve the services in the months after they have been restored. The boy describes excitedly a life with power, where he can have a bath, listen to music and watch movies.
  • Alternative Title: DEADLINE - SARAJEVO [Alternative Title] UNITED NATIONS TELEVISION (UNTV) ZAGREB COLLECTION, YUGOSLAVIA [Allocated Series Title]
  • Colour: English (Tape Code A)
  • Digitised:
  • Object_Number: UNT 789
  • Sound: Bosnian (Tape Code B)
  • Access Conditions:
  • Featured Period: 1990-2000
  • Production Date: 1995-10 1995-10-18
  • Production Country: UN
  • Production Details: Foster, Henrietta (Production individual)
  • Personalities, Units and Organisations:
  • Keywords: Bosnia-Herzegovina & Sarajevo (geography)
  • Physical Characteristics: Colour format: English (Tape Code A) Sound format: Bosnian (Tape Code B) Soundtrack language: Croatian (Tape Code C) Title language: Serbian (Tape D)
  • Technical Details: Format: Beta-SP Number of items/reels/tapes: 1 Running time: 1 min 34 secs
  • HD Media:
  • Link to IWM Collections page:

    UNT 789

  • Related IWM Collections Objects:

    UNT 791 (UNTV PROGRAMME NO 128 [Main Title]) UNT 789 X (DEADLINE (UNEDITED RUSHES) [Allocated Title])
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