The Sky Above Zenica

In Zenica, a medium-sized Bosnian town, frequent occurrences of cancers, childhood diabetes, and respiratory disease have become the norm. Air pollution, in general, is high in Bosnia, but the citizens look with suspicion towards a giant steel and coking plant which occupies a quarter of the city and is the largest employer in the area. They want the factory's emissions to be monitored, as the environmental permit requires, but nothing happens. In the hardest hit neighborhood, the citizens do not feel heard at all and instead join forces in the citizens organisation Eko Forum to demand change. But like a Greek tragedy, the conflict of interests is bigger than everyone involved. Citizens worry about their health and their livelihood, politicians need to deliver jobs and attract foreign investments to get re-elected, while EBRD (The European Bank of Reconstruction and Development) provides a loan to a new power plant running on the emissions from the coking plant, as well as bicycle lanes that are to help brand Zenica a Green City project. Over 7 years (2017-2024), the film follows Eko Forum's fight for data and accountability. Through the eyes of the citizens who suffer the consequences, the film gives voice to the voiceless and uncovers the complex mechanisms that stand in the way of common-sense measures and sustainability in the town, like in so many other places around the world.