Debris of War

A Postmodern Productions Film
Documentary | 47 minutes

The War Ended for Some — But for Others, It Never Will.

Debris of War is a haunting and deeply human documentary that explores the invisible wounds left behind by the war in the former Yugoslavia — the emotional and psychological trauma carried by its survivors. With millions displaced and hundreds of thousands dead or missing, the conflict has created a generation of refugees who are not only homeless but shattered in body and spirit.

The film follows the lives of several survivors whose stories reflect the unimaginable horrors of war:

• Cherim Sebanovits, who lived through World War II, believes this war is worse. He and his family, crammed into a barracks with 21 others, move from camp to camp in search of stability.
• Hasanic Nasar, a former internee, sings to suppress the nightmares. He hasn’t seen his wife and child in over two years.
• Dzevad Alispahic, an artist, channels his trauma into haunting drawings inspired by his time in the camps.
• Sajra Cekic, separated from her husband and children, clings to hope of reuniting her family and rebuilding their modest, middle-class life.
• Mehmet Puskar, who survived torture and starvation, dies of a heart attack the day after being told he’d be relocated to Sweden — a tragic twist that leaves his young family in mourning.

Through their stories, Debris of War confronts the psychological legacy of conflict — a wound that lingers long after the last bullet is fired.

The film also follows Diane Paul, a clinical psychologist and former director of the Holocaust and War Victims Tracing Centre with the American Red Cross. Leaving behind a secure life in Baltimore, she dedicates herself to helping these forgotten survivors across 73 refugee camps, where the ratio of mental health workers to refugees is a staggering 1 to 620. Her tireless work is a call to action, a reminder that trauma is one of war’s most devastating and enduring casualties.

“One of the decisions I made to myself clearly and consciously was that if something like the Holocaust would ever happen in my lifetime, I would not be a bystander.”
— Diane Paul

Debris of War is a powerful and sobering film that exposes the emotional cost of Europe’s bloodiest conflict since World War II — and the brave efforts to begin healing.