arts_culture
Bill Carter’s Documentary Reveals U2’s Heroic Aid to Sarajevo
Bill Carter, an author, filmmaker, and activist, is currently a faculty member at Northern Arizona University. He has a remarkable backstory that traces back to the mid-1990s when he joined a unique group called the Serious Road Trip to enter the war-torn city of Sarajevo. Carter’s firsthand experiences in Sarajevo are chronicled in his book “Fools Rush In,” where he explores a thriving underground music scene and his collaboration with U2’s Bono to bring global attention to the plight of the city’s residents. This connection ultimately led to a U2 concert in Sarajevo after the siege, as well as a documentary titled “Miss Sarajevo,” produced by Bono himself. Last year, Carter adapted his book into a screenplay for the film “Kiss the Future.”
On Saturday, March 15, at 5 p.m., Carter will screen “Kiss the Future” at Pidgin Palace Arts, located at 1110 S. Sixth Ave. Additionally, he will participate in two panels during the Tucson Festival of Books: “From Memoir to Silver Screen” at 10 a.m. Sunday and “Lights! Camera! Publish!” at 2:30 p.m. Sunday.
In a recent Q&A session, Carter reflected on the emotional landscape of revisiting his past while filming. He noted, “I’ve spent a lot of time talking about this topic for three decades.” Recollections from that era remain challenging but critical for both him and the Bosnians he sought to include in the film. Many found it too painful to relive, yet through shared recollections and Q&As, moments of joy and cultural survival emerged amidst the ongoing strife.
Carter’s journey into Sarajevo began unexpectedly while he was in Croatia, aiming to work as an aid worker. He met Graeme Bint from Serious Road Trip, who invited him to join their mission to deliver food. “I basically joined the circus,” he recalled, emphasizing the unlikely yet meaningful way he became involved.
Describing his initial experiences in a war zone, he stated, “War is kind of like a fog that extends for hundreds of miles.” He soon learned that the atmosphere shifted dramatically once he entered Bosnia. The stark reality of devastation became apparent, pushing Carter into a sense of disorientation amidst the chaos. Despite the fear, relationships with locals developed. Trust formed not from shared backgrounds but from collective resilience in the face of danger.
Carter’s story illustrates a broader theme—that during life’s most challenging moments, people often turn to art for comfort. “You can take away my food source, you can kill my family, but I’m gonna sit here and play punk music and tell you to fuck off,” he expressed, highlighting the resilience that art can inspire.
A pivotal moment for Carter came when he reached out to Bono for an interview. Despite his initial inexperience, he successfully shifted the conversation towards Bosnia, discussing how U2 could amplify the voices of Sarajevo residents. This insight led to the innovative idea of allowing Sarajevo’s people to share their stories during U2 concerts, projecting their humanity to audiences worldwide.
“We wanted to have people, the 100,000 people, look up and think, ‘That girl looks like she’s laughing,’” Carter recalled, aiming to humanize the residents of a besieged city. He emphasized the importance of empathy, stating that personal connections garnered from shared humanity could lead to greater understanding and compassion.
