U2 frontman Bono recently released his new memoir “Surrender: 40 Songs, One Story” this week. He is currently promoting it with a rare 14-night solo tour. During a recent interview with the German publication Welt, the longtime U2 frontman revealed that Ben Affleck and Matt Damon have produced a new documentary about the band’s involvement in the Bosnian War. Titled “Kiss the Future,” the film will cover U2’s 1993 satellite performance in Sarajevo during the darkest days of the Bosnian War and 1997 live concert after the war had concluded.
Bono opens up on the documentary
He explained that the idea for the documentary stemmed from a trip to Kyiv to support Ukraine’s war efforts against Russia:
“In the texts of U2, this topic has always occupied us, to show solidarity with people who are oppressed, who are victims of violence,” Bono said. “When Edge and I took the train to Kyiv, I hadn’t thought about Sarajevo at first. But gradually the memories of it came back to life. Matt Damon and Ben Affleck have now produced a documentary on the subject which, like you, links the attacks in Sarajevo to those in Kyiv. The film is called ‘Kiss the Future,’ Nenad Cicin-Sain is the name of the director. It’s also about the role art can play in uplifting the souls of people living under such a threat.”
He continued:
“For two hours, the film shows people who had to live with the shelling of Sarajevo for several years. Excerpts from our later concert there will also be shown. I recently watched the film with my son John. He told me, ‘You’ve put yourself in such difficult situations your whole life, haven’t you?’”
Bono stated his ambition for the film is to provide hope for Ukrainians both during the war and throughout the nation’s rebuilding process after the conflict ends.
“The message of the film is: what the people of Sarajevo had to endure is only just beginning for the residents of Kiev,” he said. “And then the situation of the people in Ukraine is shown. It’s not over for her. It is inspiring to see that in Ukraine there is an army of 60 million people, the whole population is part of it. Because everyone knows the value of freedom, because they all defend freedom. It’s the most heroic fight ever.”
