While many people would probably have taken on a lighter topic for their first stab at directing, Jolie said that this topic was important to her.
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“This is our generation's war,” Jolie said in interview with Christiane Amanpour that will air on both Good Morning America and Nightline. “This was, you know, the worst genocide since World War II in Europe.”
The film, which is set to open in theaters on Dec. 23, stars Zana Marjanovic (Snow), Goran Kostic and Rade Serbedzija (In the Rain). Jolie worked with a completely local cast.
"We did it because we felt this is a war that isn't talked about enough," Jolie said. "I know it's a hard film to sit through, but it's two hours to sit through something that's very hard, and these people lived through it for many, many years, and it was many, many times worse than any reenactment could possibly be.
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Set during the Bosnian War, the film follows Danijel (Kostic), a soldier fighting for the Serbs who re-encounters Ajla (Marjanovic), a Bosnian who's now a captive in his camp he oversees.
Jolie also talked about raising a family with Brad Pitt. She said they homeschool their brood “especially when it comes to history, to make sure it’s not one country’s point-of-view of their country.”
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Amanpour also asked the actress if she and Pitt have plans to get married.
"The kids asked me the other day and I asked them if it was just because they wanted to have a 'big cake,'" Jolie said. "They see movies that have the people getting married in the movies or somebody's, you know, the happily ever after. Shrek and Fiona are married."
"We've explained to them that our commitment when we decided to start a family was the greatest commitment you could possibly have.
