Born with water on the brain, abandoned at birth and given just months to live, Oggi Tomic did not get the best start in life…
Twenty-seven years on however against the odds and through the kindness of strangers, he is alive and well and living happily married in the UK. After a childhood plagued by near starvation, shelling and continuous suffering it seems like everything is finally falling into place until one day he receives a phone call. His long lost family have finally tracked him down.
It’s the moment every orphan waits their entire life for – there’s just one thing. It turns out that some members of Oggi’s family could actually have been those shooting at him during the siege of Sarajevo. They’re keen to meet up and make up for lost time – all except for his mother, who still won’t even mention his name or acknowledge his existence…
Finding Family is a powerful and profound person narrative that captures Oggi’s journey back to Bosnia for this extraordinary family reunion. This is a story of identity and belonging on an individual and national level that combines over 15 years of film and photography archive with stunning observational footage as this fascinating story unfolds.
Film by
Chris Leslie | Oggi Tomic
Directed by
Chris Leslie
Broadcast by
Al Jazeera
Producer
Carol Cooke | Garret Kelly
Film Location
Sarajevo, Bosnia-Herz | Cambridge, UK
Services
Location Filming | Timelapse Photography | Broadcast Output | Post Production
Awards
BAFTA Scotland – Best Factual & Best New Work
BHFF NYC Festival – Audience Award | BHFF NYC Festival – Best Documentary