CONTROVERSIAL

Angelina Jolie Defends Bosnia Film

After actress' directorial debut draws fire.

Angelina Jolie is asking critics to pipe down until they've seen her movie. An interracial love story set on the eve of the 1992-'95 Balkans conflict, Jolie's directorial debut has drawn fire from every corner of Bosnia and suffered legal setbacks to filming. Victims of sexual violence during the ‘90s conflict have written to the United Nations saying Jolie doesn't know enough about the conflict to be a "goodwill ambassador" to Bosnia. A group of female war victims met with Jolie and objected to details of the plot. A Bosnian minister canceled the film's permit to shoot in Sarajevo, forcing production to move to Budapest, Hungary. But Jolie counters: "The absolute majority of the people, population, the cast, prime minister, president have been extremely supportive.” She assured critics in a letter that "There are many twists in the plot that address the sensitive nature of the relationship between the main characters."