Movies Similar to I Believe the Portrait Saved Me

War Photographer(2001)

Documentary about war photographer James Nachtwey, considered by many the greatest war photographer ever.

Draussen bleiben(2007)

Gora(2017)

Gorani people live in Gora, in the south of Kosovo. They are Muslims who speak a Slavic language. Throughout the years they were always used for political games of power between the surrounding nations (Serbs, Macedonians, Bulgarians, Albanians, Bosnians...). This is the first film that deals with the way these people are, not who they are or who they belong to. The film observes their everyday life, diverse culture, rich herds of cows, sheep and shepherd dogs. They work, talk, dance, play music, discuss, preach, pray, walk and sing as the mountains above remind them how ephemeral their existence is.

Blush: An Extraordinary Voyage(2022)

For 18-year-old Finnish–Kosovan Fatu, a simple visit to the grocery store feels as nerve-racking as a lunar expedition: for the first time in his life, he’s wearing makeup in public. Luckily his best friend Rai, a young woman on the spectrum of autism, is there to ferociously support him through the voyage.

Fragments of Humanity(2022)

In the Kosovo War, human dignity was shattered by the terrors of the Serbian government and the Albanian liberation army. Truths about the victims’ fates faded away, which is why a Finnish forensic research group led by Helena Ranta got a mission to act as an unbiased agent and investigate the real course of events.

The Agreement(2013)

'History is always made in the middle of the night. And when it happens, you are so damned tired, that you couldn't care less,' says Robert Cooper, an EU peace negotiator whose job it is to get Serbia and Kosovo to reach an agreement about peaceful coexistence. National pride and compromise are on everyone's lips, and much is at stake: Kosovo wants to come closer to independence, the Serbs have been promised EU membership if they can reach an agreement, and the EU tries to strengthen its credibility. But how far is each party willing to go? It is the unique characters that make this fascinating film about a delicate political game so vivid and loveable. The stoic, Serbian negotiator has a great passion for rock music, his colleague from Kosovo does not want to miss out on his daily visit to the hairdresser, and Cooper himself has a closet full of ties - one for every conceivable occasion.

Kosovar Diary(2009)

Three ordinary people from Serbia go on a journey to Kosovo. A student, an actor and a journalist decide to explore this troubled place for themselves. The camera follows them during their journey and discovers the reality of Kosovo through their eyes. Each of them has different motivations: the journalist writes an article, the photographer takes pictures for an exhibition and the actor records his video diary.

In Between(2019)

In rural Kosovo, identical houses are built for family members working abroad, in the hope that they will one day return to settle in their old homeland.

Stolen Kosovo(2008)

Stolen Kosovo is a Czech language documentary by director Václav Dvořák (b. 1948), about the Serbian–Albanian conflict in Kosovo. The documentary describes the situation, first in a short overview of the history of the area, followed by the 1990s conflicts and bombing of Serbia by NATO forces in 1999 and ending with the situation after the Kosovo War. The documentary focuses on the 1990s in the time of Slobodan Milošević's rule as well as on numerous interviews of Serbian civilians and, less, of Albanian insurgents against the Milošević regime.

A Single Frame(2015)

The journey of A SINGLE FRAME weaves an exploration of the impact of photography from both sides of the shutter. The fascinating post-war culture of Kosovo serves as backdrop.

Cheers Kosovo, Hang in There!(2017)

There will be no 2018 World Cup in Russia for the new small nation of Kosovo. Only three goals scored, one point earned and last place in their qualifying group. In Kosovo, there is talk of crisis and disaster. But in Sweden, life goes on as usual for the NT stars Arber Zeneli and Albert Bunjaku.

Boll Mo: Sexism in Kosova(2023)

A documentary exploring sexism and patriarchy in Kosova.

You Leave, I Won't!(2015)

Story about the suffering of the Serbian people on Kosovo and Metohija based on Metropolitan Amfilohio's book "The Chronicle of the New Kosovo Crucifixion".

The Goddess on the Throne

Blending archival footage, haunting melodies, and digital reconstructions, Hyjnesha në Fron traces the echo of loss across Kosovo's turbulent history, from forgotten rural struggles to national aspirations erased by war. A musical, visual essay shaped by absence, which resurrects physical memory through 3D reconstruction, showing how history persists even when its material proof has vanished.

Giorgio Mattia: From Kosovo to Iraq(2014)

Giorgio Mattia describes his experiences during the second attack on the Italian Army in Nasiriya, Iraq 2006.

Stories of the Kosovo War(2019)

A documentary unraveling the untold stories and brutal experiences of the Kosovo War in the late 1990s.

The Actors of Cannes(2023)

"The Actors of Cannes" is a documentary film project that showcases a painful part of Kosovo’s history – the spring 1990 school poising of 8400 students by the Serbian government. The mass poisoning of Albanian Kosovars targeted students, teachers, citizens, even young children in preschools.

Besko(2022)

The extraordinary story of Swiss rapper Besijan Kacorraj, whose biggest problem is not having a Swiss passport. Besijan is deported to Kosovo after several armed robberies, although he has grown up in Zurich since the age of one.

The Unidentified(2015)

The Unidentified is a feature-length documentary which reveals who were the commanders responsible for some of the most brutal attacks of the Kosovo war. The result of a two-year-long investigation, the documentary names the officers who ordered attacks on villages in the area around the town of Pec during the 1999 war and those who were involved in the removal of victims’ bodies to mass graves at the Batajnica police centre near Belgrade in Serbia. Sixteen years after they committed the crimes, they live peacefully in the Serbian capital, and despite the evidence that exists, they have not been prosecuted.

Flotel Europa(2015)

When this film’s director was still a boy, he stood in front of “Flotel Europa“ and was hugely excited about the prospect of this gigantic ship moored in the port of Copenhagen becoming a new home for him, his mother and his older brother. Together with about 1000 other refugees from the former Yugoslavia, they started life anew on the ship.