Cinema Komunisto: A History of Yugoslavia Told Through Film
Cinema Komunisto is a meticulously researched documentary depicting Yugoslavian cinema between 1946 and 1991. Already a film festival favourite, Serbian director Mila Turajlic’s debut is a captivating and spellbinding documentary delving deep into the history of Yugoslav cinema.
As the film’s opening titles proclaim, Cinema Komunisto is ‘a history of a country that no longer exists… except in movies.’ An intriguing start to an engaging true-life tale of intrigue, passion, war and Hollywood stars.
Mila has been successfully touring her debut documentary at film festivals worldwide, picking up awards and plaudits as she goes. Most recently she gained praise at New York’s prestigious Tribeca Film Festival. Cinema Komunisto was screened in London as part of this week’s (Post) Yugoslav Film Festival at UCL.
Is The Road to Europe Clear For Serbia After Mladić Arrest ?
Much has been written about Serbia’s entry into the EU being apparently conditional on handing over alleged war criminal Ratko Mladić.
The Netherlands in particular has led the public onslaught, blocking Serbia’s options with arms crossed until President Tadić up-scaked the search for Mladić.The stakes were clearly high for Tadić and even the most charitable voice must see curious convenience in Serbia pulling Mladić out of the bag at the very time when pressure is increased and EU hot-shots visit Belgrade to discuss Serbia’s candidate status.
Media Calls In Experts And Former Adversaries To Evaluate Mladić Arrest
The modern media landscape is primed for major news developments like the arrest of Mladić. No longer is something just a development, it has to prompt a ‘breaking news’ announcement and all the bells and whistles that come along with it.
The unravelling of major news stories provide perfect material for back-to-back reports on the 24-hour news channels, encouraging reports to camera from outside non-descript buildings and reason to raid the archives for footage to loop over interviews with a seemingly endless list of commentators and experts.
Channel hopping in recent days has thrown up interesting analyses and reactions to the arrest. Commentators and experts all want to have their say. Authors, politicians, state leaders, NGOs, lecturers, Balkan regional ‘experts’ and former military commanders have all been cropping up on TV.
Constantine’s Crossing by Dejan Stojiljković: Book Review
Nazis, Roman emperors and the quest for a holy relic, Dejan Stojiljković’s novel Constantine’s Crossing has all the elements you could expect from a Dan Brown-wannabe. Throw in some vampires and any writer worth his salt might just hit the jackpot.
What this does not say is that, while Constantine’s Crossing is a pacey mish-mash of touchstones from the horror thriller genre, it is not just a bandwagon-jumper riding the vampire wave. This story, with one foot in fact and another in fantasy, has far darker tones than the current glut of teenage bloodlust re-treads.
Rather than revelling in blood and gore, Constantine’s Crossing tackles themes of individual responsibility in war, the root of human evil, and a people’s duty to resist occupation. As well as ancient legend, it confronts some more modern beliefs about how people reacted to occupation by the German army.
