On May 28, 2024, one of the participants of the training “Hard topics”, organized a workshop in Zagreb, titled “Dialogue Meetings: Exploring History in Cinema and Literature”.
After a brief introduction, the participants were divided into pairs through the web-application, and engaged in structured dialogue with someone holding different or even opposing views on how history is represented in film and literature. The dialogues touched on a wide range of topics — from the portrayal of war in cinema, to narratives of national identity in literature, to the ethics of historical fiction.
Some of the questions addressed by the participants included: Should historical fiction/movies prioritise compelling narrative over strict adherence to historical facts?; Should different races and minorities be represented in the historical fiction/historical films even if it is considered by society that they weren’t present back then?…
Participants were mostly young people and students, who reported to be interested in the format which allowed them to engage in deep conversations.
