In Part 1 of this conversation, I sit down with filmmaker, photographer and Sarajevo siege survivor Harun Mehmedinović to explore what survival teaches us about life, memory and meaning.

We talk about Harun’s childhood in Sarajevo before the war, the moment survival replaced innocence, and how those early experiences shaped his inner world. Together, we reflect on family, ritual, fireflies, migration and the emotional numbness that followed resettlement in the United States.

This episode is about how trauma lives in the body, how creativity becomes a form of testimony, and how survival does not end when the war does. Harun shares his perspective on memory, identity and the responsibility of witness, and we explore the quiet ways the past continues to shape who we become.

This is a deeply human conversation about memory, culture and the wisdom that comes from lived experience.

Growing up in Sarajevo before the war

The moment childhood shifted into survival

Family, memory and early rituals

Fireflies and vivid childhood symbolism

Life after war and emotional numbness

Migration and identity in a new country

Creativity as a form of testimony

What survival teaches us beyond endurance

Harun Mehmedinović is a Bosnian filmmaker, photographer and survivor of the Siege of Sarajevo. His work has appeared in National Geographic, TIME and BBC, and he has collaborated with artists including The Rolling Stones, Roger Waters, Paul Simon and John Mayer. He is the creator of the SKYGLOW project and the director of the upcoming documentary The Acts of Reburial. Harun is also the co-producer and cinematographer of Leonardo DiCaprio’s Ice on Fire.

Website and portfolio

https://www.bloodhoney.com

SKYGLOW project

https://www.bloodhoney.com/skyglow-project

The Acts of Reburial

https://theactsofreburial.com

IMDb

https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1175698

Wikipedia

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harun_Mehmedinović

I’m Ivana Alfonso, host of the Balkan Sis Podcast, where I hold space for conversations about identity, culture, memory, creativity and the lived experiences of the Balkan diaspora. Through this podcast, I explore what it means to honour where we come from while living fully in the present.

Podcast

Balkan Sis Podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and all major platforms

Instagram

https://www.instagram.com/balkansispodcast

My Instagram

https://www.instagram.com/ivanastrbacalfonso