Freedom for Liberland: Mel Films Releases Anniversary Conference Video

It is a few months since the rather unorthodox Liberland Conference in a small village north of Osijek, an event finally recorded for posterity on August 17, 2016 with the release of a documentary of the only crew to film the event.

It will remain one of the most surreal experiences of my life, but one I feel privileged to have taken part in.

Picture the scene.

A quiet village close to Osijek deep in north-eastern Croatia, close to the Serbian border. A village rarely visited by foreigners, but this weekend overrun by foreigners from all corners of the globe. In the background, Croatian police of the visible – and not so visible – kind. And somewhere a few kilometres away sat a President in exile, barred from joining the party, despite being the organiser for the reason for the gathering – the first Liberland Conference on the occasion of the first anniversary that a Czech national placed a flag in a piece of land on the Danube just a short distance from the village, claiming it as his own and proclaiming the Free Republic of Liberland.

It was a story which made global headlines, and attracted the displeasure of the Croatian authorities, who arrested the self-proclaimed President Vit Jedlicka as he tried to enter the unclaimed territory at his next attempt.

Much has been written about both him and Liberland. Many have dismissed him and the project as a joke, a publicity stunt. Perhaps it was, which is why I decided to attend the conference in April, to judge for myself. It was a very unorthodox weekend on so many levels – you can read my report here.

The Croatian authorities also banned the President’s film crew from entering, leaving the sole filming task to an American video crew called Mel Films. Their video of the weekend, and the project has just been released, and you can see it below. It makes interesting viewing, and if I had known that I was going to be on film that much I would have shaved. They were an enthusiastic crew, new to the Liberland project and gave a pretty good portrayal. There are just two caveats that I would intersperse before watching the film.

1. The choice of music as President Jedlicka planted the flag was unfortunate – and unintentional.

2. The village where we interviewed locals is called Kendjija, and is on the Serbian side of the Danube but falls under Croatian territory according to the 19th century catastar. It is claimed by both sides, not neither, as the documentary suggests. To learn more about life in this unusual village, read the TCN report from the time.

As the depopulation of the neighbouring region of Slavonia continues at an alarming rate, the Liberland project is moving quietly forward. Seven Polish MPs have tabled a motion in Parliament that Poland officially recognise Liberland, and the Chicago Journal of International Law has provided a detailed assessment of Liberland’s claim to the land – it makes interesting reading.