Mike Downey

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Buick Rivera

Buick Rivera

Hasan Hujdur is a 42-year-old Muslim from Bosnia living in North Dakota, who finds refuge and contentment behind the wheel of his 1965 Buick Riviera.

Surrounding everything that Hasan loves is a prejudiced world afraid of a culture they cannot understand and a religion they cannot comprehend. Hasan is a quiet man who stands distant from his beliefs, however it is these beliefs that inevitably lead to his untimely death.

On the way to pick up his wife from work at the local hospital, he falls asleep at the wheel of his Buick and runs it off the road, getting stuck in the snow. He is discovered by Vuko Salipur, who stops to help him. They both immediately recognise that they are from the same country and both understand the irony of a Bosnian stopping to help another Bosnian in a country full of all different races and colours.

Despite their similar background it soon becomes clear that Muslim Hasan and non-Muslim Vuko are very different. Their continuing interaction results in ever increasing tension between them, ultimately with tragic consequences.

Awards

  • From A to A Award, Motovun Film Festival, Motovun, Croatia, 2009
  • Golden Area – Best Screenplay, Pula Film Festival, Pula, Croatia, 2008
  • Heart of Sarajevo and Best Actor, Sarajevo Film Festival, Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, 2008
Buick Rivera