Jolie receives threats after 'In the Land of Blood and Honey' premier

London, Feb 16 (ANI): Angelina Jolie and members of the cast of 'In The Land of Blood and Honey' have reported receiving online threats after the film premiered before 5,000 people in Sarajevo.

The 36-year-old actress' directorial debut was intended to remind the world of the horrors of the Bosnian war which began 20 years ago, and trigger a debate among Bosnians over what happened and why.

However, it has succeeded most in exposing the depth of the rifts in a country that many fear is moving away from reconciliation and drifting once more towards dangerous instability.

Since the film opened, with a peace award at the Berlin film festival on Monday and a premiere before 5,000 people in Sarajevo on Tuesday night, Jolie and several Serbian members of the cast have received threats.

"There were things sent to me, there were things posted online," the Guardian quoted Jolie as saying.

"The cast ... have never complained to me about these threats but I've heard through other people it was happening ... one of them did have their windows smashed in on their cars and someone else had an issue when their phone was hacked and emails were sent out saying they were from them and saying they had been hurt.

"It was a scary thought that someone was thinking along those lines," she said.

Jolie also added that she had given the multiethnic cast the option to leave the region, where 'In the Land of Blood and Honey' is being shown for the first time this week, but that none of them took up the offer.

The 'Cyborg 2' star has abandoned a plan to attend a premiere of the film in the Serbian capital, Belgrade, but denied it was a direct result of the threats.

"The physical threats are not what most bothered me because I have been to so many different countries where there are different kinds of threats, being in Afghanistan and other places as an outspoken American woman.

"It was more that ... with a film like this, you don't want it to be used as a tool ... especially in an election year, where people are deciding to label it without having seen it, and try to incite aggression and violence,' she said.

The film depicts the pre-war romance between a Muslim artist, Ajla, and a Serbian police officer, Danijel, which becomes progressively more twisted and degraded by the conflict.

The lead male role is played by Goran Kostic, who, like Danijel, is a Bosnian Serb from Sarajevo and the son of a senior Serbian officer.

'In the Land of Blood and Honey' is a stark, brutal and often shocking portrayal of the war. It shows summary executions and the systematic rape of Muslim and Croat women by Serbian officers at one of the many camps set up around the country.

After being separated by the outbreak of war, Ajla is brought to a camp where Danijel is the commanding officer. (ANI)

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