GOOD HOSTS [Main Title]

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  • Title: GOOD HOSTS [Main Title]
  • Film Number: UNT 399
  • Other titles: HOST FAMILIES [Alternative Title] UNITED NATIONS TELEVISION (UNTV) ZAGREB COLLECTION, YUGOSLAVIA [Allocated Series Title]
  • Summary: Serbia and Montenegro have absorbed more than half a million displaced persons since 1991. In Belgrade, ninrty-five percent of the refugees are lodged with host families. UNTV explores life in the city for the host family and those that have come to stay with them.
  • Description: Panning shot of Belgrade’s rooftops. Since 1991 this city alone has absorbed 150,000 refugees. The local community has shouldered a major burden in caring for and sheltering these people. Ninety-five percent of these refugees are lodged with host families. Street shots of Belgrade. Duro Pvatch (sp?) is a host and lives with his wife and daughter in Belgrade. He describes taking in the family of first, his younger brother, and then his older brother as well. He says that he does not resent taking in his brothers; they are family without a home. Shots of Duro buying cheese in the market. Two thirds of hosts are related to the refugees lodging with them. Interior shots of another house in Belgrade. A woman prepares a bottle of milk for a baby. She carries it through to a small room and gives it to the baby. This woman, Mariana, was taken in with her small children by the Pvatch (sp?) family. She explains that refugees needed a guarantee from a resident of Belgrade that they would house them. Shots of Mariana hanging up the washing to dry in the small back yard. One of the challenges for aid agencies is to deliver the appropriate aid to refugees lodged with host families as well as those lodged in collective centres. Interview with Joe Hegenauer, Senior Programme Officer for UNHCR in Belgrade. He explains that last winter the refugees in collective centres had heating where as those living with host families only had heating a couple of hours a day when the grid was turned on. He said that this made it very difficult for host families and refugees who had little money to spare. Shots of a crowded market place. Economic sanctions have had a major effect of Serbia’s economy and salaries are now a quarter of what they were before the war. Half of the refugees are unemployed. Most host families have to make their salaries stretch to cover the living costs of refugees as well as their own families. Duro Pvatch (sp?) explains that they live off his salary and his wife’s salary. His brother is a butcher who is only able to find occasional work. He says that they no longer spend money on clothes; they only have enough to cover the cost of food. Shots of the young children playing in the main room with Duro’s brother and his wife. Another problem for all concerned is a lack of privacy and the doubts associated with not knowing when the refugees will be able to return home. Duro Pvatch (sp?) admits that however close they are to one another, they are beginning to be a burden to each other. He says that the longer this goes on, the harder it is for them. Before last summer, some host families received fuel, electricity and food allowances but after the economic downturn these allowances had to be scaled down. More recently though, international aid organisations have recognised the help that host families need to continue. Duro Pvatch (sp?) visits a Red Cross centre to collect an aid package. Interview with Brana Lazić, Secretary at the Red Cross Centre at Savski Venac, Belgrade, who says that the Red Cross now offers support to host families as well as refugees living in centres. She says that this is possible thanks to the European Union, which has set up the European Community Humanitarian Programme. Shots showing the bag of food and humanitarian aid given to host families at the local Red Cross centre. Shots of the family gathered around the table for a meal. The number of refugees in Serbia and Montenegro has dropped by fifty percent and so for some host families their task is over. However an estimated 255,000 refugees remain in the territories and families like the Pvatch (sp?) continue to play an important role in housing them. Joe Hegenauer, Senior Programme Officer for UNHCR in Belgrade believes that family bonds are strong enough for these arrangements to continue. Duro Pvatch (sp?) says that he has told more relatives that they are welcome to come. He is prepared to fight for them by looking after them as he does not think this situation can last forever. Shot of the family at dinner. Exterior shot of the house, windows bright with light.
  • Alternative Title: HOST FAMILIES [Alternative Title] UNITED NATIONS TELEVISION (UNTV) ZAGREB COLLECTION, YUGOSLAVIA [Allocated Series Title]
  • Colour: English
  • Digitised:
  • Object_Number: UNT 399
  • Sound: Croatian (Tape Code C)
  • Access Conditions:
  • Featured Period: 1990-2000
  • Production Date: 1994-08 1994-08-23
  • Production Country: UN
  • Production Details: Pharey, Mike (Production individual) Warner, Simon (Production individual) Thurnau, Karen (Production individual) Currie, Mary (Production individual)
  • Personalities, Units and Organisations:
  • Keywords: Serbia & Belgrade (geography)
  • Physical Characteristics: Colour format: English
  • Technical Details: Format: Beta-SP Number of items/reels/tapes: 1 Footage: 6 minutes 20 secs
  • HD Media:
  • Link to IWM Collections page:

    UNT 399

  • Related IWM Collections Objects:

    UNT 463 (UNTV PROGRAMME NO 16 [Main Title]) UNT 399 X (GOOD HOSTS (UNEDITED RUSHES) [Allocated Title])
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