Silvertown Paws

Silvertown Paws
A Documentary by David Verbeek & Prisca van der Mullen
Crowdfunding teaser: 
funded project
donated of €5.000
days to go

Project Information

About the project
LOCKLINEAnimals are guiding us through the streets of Srebrenica, while we hear about the current situation of the town.

Silvertown paws will turn into a documentary about Srebrenica. The film will visually focus on the dogs and cats that live in this very special town. They are guiding us through the streets of Srebrenica, while we hear stories about life in the town.  

During the war in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Srebrenica suffered enormously. Since the war ended, the town has never returned to its old state. Right now, she is mostly remembered as the place where gruesome things took place during the war.

This is not a movie about the war-history of Srebrenica. With this film we want to create a window into Srebrenica of today. 

How is Srebrenica doing today?

It is a complex case with many factors that influence the society in the city. One of the factors, that is both cause and effect, is that the city is running empty. Often more stray animals are on the streets than there are people. Day and night, packs of dogs are ruling the streets, and many deserted buildings are inhabited by cats. It seems as if the population of stray animals continues to grow, while the human population continues to decrease.

Why are people leaving?

Multiple causes make it very challenging to live in Srebrenica. Some of the (young) people in Srebrenica are trying to make their hometown as the flourishing town that it once was. They are organizing cultural events, setting up projects for youth or are starting up companies in order to create jobs and jack up the economy of the town. Despite numerous attempts, the situation in Srebrenica barely improves. A complex and bizarre combination of circumstances lead to stagnation. In many respects it seems to be a vicious circle - like a dog running at its tail.

Prisca: When I visited Srebrenica for the first time, I thought it was beautiful. And I still think it's beautiful. In fact, I fell in love with the town and the nature that's surrounding it. The life pace there is slower than in most western societies, people live closer in touch with nature, and the hospitality of the people is heartwarming. But on the other hand, there is something particular about the place. After three years of visiting Srebrenica several times, I got the inspiration to paint a picture about Srebrenica. 

So why the animals?

The society of animals teaches us a lot about the human society. The animals on the streets of Srebrenica have great freedom. They don't have homes, or a boss that decides when they eat or go outside. They are living closer to nature than domestic animals do. But they are bound to social dynamics; the hierarchy and fights in the groups are controlling a big deal of their lives. The same applies for human beings. In societies, people are always influenced by the cultural and social dynamics around them. In Srebrenica, these dynamics are present in a more extreme and complex way.  

The stray animals have inspired us to tell the story of the city, by filming them. In a poetic and symbolic way, we will depict the life in Srebrenica. The visual focus is on the animals, while we hear citizens tell about how they experience reality there. 


We need your help to fund this film. Click the donate button today! With the support of donations we will be able to travel to Srebrenica, use the needed equipment, feed and film the animals, and have interviews with the people.

If many people contribute even just a bit, we will all contribute to telling the story of the Srebrenica of today.

If you want to contribute to the film in any other way, or via other transfer means, please contact us via


Quote that inspired the maker

We have more to learn from animals than animals have to learn from us.     
Anthony Douglas Williams