About the film

Can environmental awareness and profit coexist? For the residents of Zenica in Bosnia, this is not a theoretical question, but the crux of their daily struggle against environmental pollution. The air in Zenica is heavily polluted, and conditions such as cancer, childhood diabetes and respiratory illnesses are strikingly common. The link to a massive metal factory seems obvious, but little data is available and political support is limited, given the factory’s importance for employment in the region. Compounding the complexity is the fact that the region falls outside the European Union and its environmental regulations. Nonetheless, the EU is heavily involved in environmental policy-making and provides funding for sustainable transport, energy, climate policy, etc. In the 2024 documentary The Sky Above Zenica, Nanna Frank Møller and Zlatko Pranjic confront the audience with the difficult quest for environmental justice in Zenica.

Earth Day

This screening of The Sky Above Zenica on 29 April takes place as part of Earth Day 2026. Earth Day originated in April 1970, when millions of people took to the streets to demand radical environmental reforms. The fight against industrial pollution was high on the agenda. Decades of unprecedented economic growth had led to oil spills, heavily polluted soil and rivers devoid of any sign of life. Even back in 1970, environmental pollution was not evenly distributed: disadvantaged neighbourhoods and ethnic groups were disproportionately affected. Collective action forced the clean-up of the most polluted areas, but at the same time, production was relocated to parts of the world where regulations were less strict and labour was cheaper. Today, the central message of both Earth Day and The Sky Above Zenica is more relevant than ever.

Roundtable discussion

The screening will be followed by a roundtable discussion in which experts from various disciplines, together with the film directors, will reflect on the issues raised in the documentary:

• Nanna Frank Møller and Zlatko Pranjic, directors of The Sky Above Zenica
• Bossissi Nkuba, Institute of Development Policy, Royal Museum for Central Africa and UCBukavu
• Gerlinde Verbist, Centre for Social Policy, University of Antwerp
• Wout Saelens, Centre for Urban History, University of Antwerp
• Tim Soens and Marnix Beyen, University of Antwerp (moderators)

The film screening and debate are co-organised by the Faculty of Arts, the Department of History and AIPRIL– the Antwerp Interdisciplinary Platform for Research into Inequality.

Practical information

Wednesday 29 April 2026, 17:00 – 20:30

UAntwerp City Campus, Building R, Room R.230, Rodestraat 14, 2000 Antwerp (Stadscampus map, pdf)

Language: English

Participation is free of charge; you can register via the button below