Angelina Jolie has cut short the shooting of her first film in Bosnia after rumours that it portrayed a relationship between a rapist and his victim sparked protests from women who were raped during the civil war.
Jolie had originally planned to spend 10 days shooting scenes in Bosnia, but now filming will be completed in just three or four days, said Edin Sarkic, her Bosnian producer. Jolie herself will only briefly visit the set, he said.
The change of plans came after rumours about the movie's storyline angered an association of women raped during the war in Bosnia who heard the film was about a rape victim falling in love with her rapist. They pressured officials to withdraw Jolie's filming permit in October.
The rumours proved to be untrue, but still cast a shadow over the project. Jolie's permit was reissued three days later, but Sarkic said she had decided to film some of the scenes planned for Bosnia in Hungary.
The actress said she had great respect for the work of the women's association and would "like the opportunity to speak to them to personally clear up any misunderstandings about this project".
The film is about a Serb man and a Bosnian Muslim woman who fall in love during the war. Mass rape was a taboo topic when the war ended, but since then victims have formed a powerful lobby group.
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