Submarine Channel

Town Ruled by Animals is a short film that portrays the Bosnian town of Srebrenica from the perspective of the many stray cats and dogs that roam its empty streets.

In July 1995, more than 8,000 Bosniaks were massacred by the Bosnian Serb Army in and around the town of Srebrenica, once a renowned touristic center in the Balkans. The United Nations described the events as “the worst crime on European soil since the Second World War.”

25 years later, people have fled the area but animals such as stray cats and dogs abound. Town Ruled by Animals tells the story of Srebrenica’s present from this unusual perspective.

Crowdfunding teaser:

Submarine Channel produced Town Ruled by Animals as part of the talent development program De Ontmoeting (‘the meeting’, in Dutch). The short film premiered at the Netherlands Film Festival in 2019.

Over 2019 and 2020, it will tour festivals around the world. Afterwards, it will be released online.

About De Ontmoeting

De Ontmoeting is an initiative that connects up-and-coming filmmakers with the film industry in the Netherlands. In 2018, the fourth open call for short film proposals resulted in over 80 submissions. Four production studios and broadcasters, including Submarine Channel, selected one project. Each creator of said project received € 5,000 from their respective producers, provided they could successfully raise an additional € 5,000 or more through a crowdfunding platform.