Born: 3 December 1980, Bosnia and Herzegovina
Died: NA
Country most active: Ireland
Also known as: NA
From 1991 to 1993, Zlata Filipović wrote in her diary, Mimmy, about the horrors of living through the siege of Sarajevo during the Bosnian War as a child. Later published as “Zlata’s Diary,” the book became a bestseller and elicited comparisons to the diary of Anne Frank.
Filipović and her family survived, escaping to Paris in 1993 with the help of the United Nations. She has lived in Dublin, Ireland since October 1995, where she has continued to write and work on films and as an international activist. In 2011, Filipović produced the short film Stand Up! for BeLonG To, an LGBTQ youth service organisation in Ireland. The film, advocating against homophobic bullying in schools, has been viewed more than 1.6 million times on YouTube.
Filipović served on the Executive Committee of Amnesty International Ireland from 2007 to 2013 and is a founding member of NYPAW (Network of Young People Affected by War). She has spoken at schools and universities around the world on the topic of children in conflict.