Cinema of the Balkans

[Mario Gaborovic]

Notable directors (allocated to country of production mainly associated to):

ALBANIA:
Dhimitër Anagnosti, Kujtim Çashku, Kristaq Dhamo, Hysen Hakani, Xhanfize Keko, Piro Milkani, Ibrahim Muçaj, Gjergj Xhuvani

BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA:
Aida Begić, Bahrudin 'Bato' Čengić, Toma Janić, Ademir Kenović, Dane Komljen, Hajrudin Krvavac, Emir Kusturica, Ivica Matić, Danis Tanović, Pjer Žalica, Jasmila Žbanić

BULGARIA:
Metodi Andonov, Christo Christov, Donyo Donev, Georgi Djulgerov, Yavor Gardev, Zako Heskija, Kamen Kalev, Stephan Komandarev, Nikola Korabov, Vulo Radev, Eduard Sachariev, Borislav Sharaliev, Lyubomir Sharlandzhiev, Ludmil Staikov, Ivan Terziev, Petar B. Vasilev, Rangel Vulchanov, Vladimir Yanchev, Binka Zhelyazkova

CROATIA:
Ante Babaja, Branko Bauer, Zvonimir Berković, Veljko Bulajić, Borivoj Dovniković-Bordo, Nedeljko Dragić, Eduard Galić, Krešimir Golik, Rajko Grlić, Vlado Kristl, Ivan Martinac, Dalibor Matanić, Vatroslav Mimica, Tomislav Radić, Nikola Tanhofer, Zoran Tadić, Antun Vrdoljak, Dušan Vukotić, Lordan Zafranović

GREECE:
Alekos Alexandrakis, Theo Angelopoulos, Tassos Boulmetis, Giannis Dallanidis, Alexis Damianos, Jules Dassin, Dinos Dimopoulos, Vasilis Georgiadis, Mihalis Kakogiannis, Takis Kanellopoulos, Dinos Katsouridis, Nikos Koundouros, Yorgos Lanthimos, Kostas Manoussakis, Roviros Manthoulis, Nikos Nikolaidis, Nikos Papatakis, Maria Plyta, Alekos Sakellarios, Errikos Thalassinos, Athina Rachel Tsangari, Yorgos Tzavellas, Pantelis Voulgaris

KOSOVO:
Ekrem Kryeziu, Isa Qosja, Agim Sopi, Lendita Zeqiraj

MONTENEGRO:
Živko Nikolić, Ivan Salatić, Velimir Stojanović, Zdravko Velimirović

NORTH MACEDONIA:
Nikola 'Kole' Angelovski, Kiril Cenevski, Branko Gapo, Ljubisha Georgievski, Janaki Manaki, Milton Manaki, Milcho Manchevski, Darko Mitrevski, Stole Popov, Trajche Popov, Svetozar Ristovski, Teona Strugar Mitevska

ROMANIA:
Nae Caranfil, Liviu Ciulei, Mircea Daneliuc, Jean Georgescu, Stere Gulea, Victor Iliu, Radu Jude, Iulian Mihu, Cătălin Mitulescu, Cristian Mungiu, Radu Muntean, Călin Peter Netzer, Sergiu Nicolaescu, Lucian Pintilie, Dan Pița, Corneliu Porumboiu, Mircea Saucan, Florin Șerban, Adrian Sitaru, Alexandru Tatos

SERBIA:
Mladomir 'Puriša' Đorđević, Srđan Dragojević, Vlatko Gilić, Đorđe Kadijević, Srđan Karanović, Petar Lalović, Dušan Makavejev, Goran Marković, Živorad 'Žika' Mitrović, Goran Paskaljević, Živojin Pavlović, Aleksandar Petrović, Vladimir Pogačić, Vojislav 'Kokan' Rakonjac, Slobodan Šijan, Želimir Žilnik, Jovan Živanović

SLOVENIA:
Karpo Aćimović-Godina, František Čáp, Jan Cvitkovič, Boštjan Hladnik, Matjaž Klopčič, Metod Pevec, Igor Pretnar, Vlado Škafar, France Štiglic

[Mario Gaborovic]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=avaas3e37T4
Od 3 do 22 / From 3 to 22 (Krešimir Golik, 1966)

I'll ocasionally post some recs of mine, starting with this short about a female textile worker named Smilja Glavaš, aged 22, a married mother of one child. Here we see her getting up every day at 3am and going to bed at 10pm.
Krešimir Golik's best known feature film is also the most commercially successful film in Croatia, titled "One Song a Day Takes Mischief Away", a charming period comedy released in 1970.

No subs are needed here.

[sally]

I'll ocasionally post some recs of mine,

excellent!

have you looked over the doubling the canon nominees mario? any balkan ones on there? i've spotted a greek one i haven't seen (the four seasons of the law), the romanian filantropica, and who's singing over there (plus it rains in my village, which i've seen) but is that it? anything else you've noticed?

[Mario Gaborovic]

I'll ocasionally post some recs of mine,

excellent!

have you looked over the doubling the canon nominees mario? any balkan ones on there? i've spotted a greek one i haven't seen (the four seasons of the law), the romanian filantropica, and who's singing over there (plus it rains in my village, which i've seen) but is that it? anything else you've noticed?

I have spotted Dance in the Rain and Three there. You must know that DtC entries largely benefit from the national canon lists, such as best Greek or best Romanian films list, as most voters actually watch those films to get official checks at icm. Since Yugoslavian, Bulgarian and Albanian canon lists ain't adopted, or don't even exist, their films are heavily underrepresented and each time films like the above two make the DtC is considered a tremendous success. Even more so because people tend to focus on post-2000 or newer films, and not those made so long ago unless they are Oscar nominees. I mean just look at the Silga's recommendations about any region - does he refuses to watch 20th century films, or what?

[sally]

Even more so because people tend to focus on post-2000 or newer films

honestly, don't i know it. i did see a few ballots where most of the nominees were around like the 1950's tho. (oh! H-8 was nominated, but i've seen that already) - i think this is because most of the pre-2000 ones people would like to nominate are maybe in official lists? or...perhaps people thought it wasn't worth nominating something no one would vote for? baffles me a bit why some people would nominate an eric rohmer for instance when virtually all his films are on the lists already, but who knows why people nominate the films they do, i wish they came with explanations...

anyway, let me know if you come across any other balkan nominees for this year's exercise and i'll try to watch them before i submit my votes to angel...

[Mario Gaborovic]

Even more so because people tend to focus on post-2000 or newer films

honestly, don't i know it. i did see a few ballots where most of the nominees were around like the 1950's tho. (oh! H-8 was nominated, but i've seen that already) - i think this is because most of the pre-2000 ones people would like to nominate are maybe in official lists? or...perhaps people thought it wasn't worth nominating something no one would vote for? baffles me a bit why some people would nominate an eric rohmer for instance when virtually all his films are on the lists already, but who knows why people nominate the films they do, i wish they came with explanations...

anyway, let me know if you come across any other balkan nominees for this year's exercise and i'll try to watch them before i submit my votes to angel...

Ok then. But keep in mind there's some films that are just tragically underseen, and I'm not sure how long could be their way of making the DtC.

Or something that I can assure you it's great, even though it may not seem to you (because of your despise of children, for example).

[Mario Gaborovic]

Mojster Plečnik / Maestro Plecnik (1953)


I just finished the subs for this UNESCO short (13min) which is about the work of famous architect Jože Plečnik. Not a very good copy, though.

https://www.mediafire.com/file/b07dcrvr ... k.mp4/file
https://titlovi.com/titlovi/mojster-ple ... ik-327387/

[sally]

thanks mario!

[niminy-piminy]

ha, i adore Plečnik.
it is however nothing unusual in Bohemia.
he is held in high esteem here.
mainly for his numerous (super exquisite) contributions to Prague Castle.
and also due to his "Church of the Most Sacred Heart of Our Lord"... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Church_of ... f_Our_Lord

i still didn't describe my (hitchhiking) trip (in the other thread) to (Italy through) Slovenia (in the early 1990s).
but i was heading to Slovenia (Ljubljana) just to see anything and everything by Plečnik.
i was in his "hiša", have seen all the main landmarks (including the gorgeous library), walked to the outskirts of the city to see the church in Črna vas, etc., etc. (i might elaborate while describing the trip).

in the early 1990s, i was also highly interested in Otto Wagner (Plečnik's tutor) and have seen (during two weeks stay in Vienna) most of his buildings.
and while "touring" Otto Wagner, i also saw Plečnik's Zacherl house... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zacherlhaus

so, despite not a very good copy, it still brings fine memories — highly appreciated!

[Mario Gaborovic]

Kičma / Backbone aka Gasp! aka The Spine (1975)






Vlatko Gilić's debut feature (and one of only two he directed, alongside numerous shorts) is an overwhelmingly depressive take on ecology and air pollution. However there's plenty of misanthropic characters here, which indicates rotting of human morale just like bodies do on a physical level.

It was featured in Cannes competitive program in 1977.

[Mario Gaborovic]

Newest Update:

Survey of the best Croatian films in three categories: Feature, Documentary, and Animation. Conducted in 2020 with 38 participants.

I haven't found the full Top 100 for features or Top 50 for documentaries or Top 50 for animated films, so this list is incomplete and only contains the films I've located a mention.

1-20: Top 20 Feature Films
21-40: Top 20 Documentaries
41-60: Top 20 Animated Films

Top Tens were found in the main source, and Top Twenties were located in this article.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
01. H-8... (1958)
02. Rondo (1966)
03. Tko pjeva zlo ne misli (1970)
04. Lisice (1970)
05. Breza (1967)
06. Ritam zločina (1981)
07. Ne okreći se sine (1956)
08. Kaja, ubit ću te! (1967)
09. Koncert (1954)
10. Što je Iva snimila 21. listopada 2003. (2005)
11. Samo jednom se ljubi (1981)
12. Deveti krug (1960)
13. Događaj (1969)
14. Kako je počeo rat na mom otoku (1998)
15. Oprosti za kung fu (2004)
16. Zvizdan (2015)
17. Izgubljeni zavičaj (1980)
18. Glembajevi (1988)
19. Slučajni život (1969)
20. Ponedjeljak ili utorak (1966)
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
21. Od 3 do 22 (1966)
22. Mala seoska priredba (1971)
23. Druge (1972)
24. Specijalni vlakovi (1972)
25. Recital (1972)
26. Kad te moja čakija ubode (1968)
27. Srbenka (2018)
28. Dobro jutro (2007)
29. Tijelo (1968)
30. Skoplje '63 (1964)
31, Tunolovci (1948)
32. Dečko kojem se žurilo (2002)
33. Majči (2018)
34. Autofokus (2013)
35. Što sa sobom preko dana (2006)
36. Novo, novo vrijeme (2001)
37. Plašitelj kormorana (1998)
38. Na vodi (2018)
39. Nek se čuje i naš glas (1971)
40. Dum spiro spero (2016)
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
41. Surogat (1961)
42. Satiemania (1978)
43. Tup Tup (1972)
44. Idu dani (1969)
45. Don Kihot (1968)
46. Profesor Baltazar (1968) - TV series
47. Samac (1959)
48. Riblje oko (1980)
49. Mačka (1971)
50. Maska crvene smrti (1969)
51. Inspektor se vratio kući (1959)
52. Dnevnik (1974)
53. Igra (1962)
54. Muha (1967)
55. Škola hodanja (1967)
56. Šagrenska koža (1960)
57. Krek (1968)
58. Znatiželja (1967)
59. Čudesna šuma (1986)
60. Kauboj Jimmy (1957)
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WjPzKqsmW-E

[sally]

restored albanian 1992 classic the death of a horse (until 26/05/21)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W60Z-8duFKc

[wba]

restored albanian 1992 classic the death of a horse (until 26/05/21)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W60Z-8duFKc

Thanks for the info! Started watching today and hope to finish the film tomorrow.

Where does it say how long the individual films will be online?

[sally]

who's seen a bulgarian silent film? of course not, well, now you canx2 (plus with the 2 from 1940 my bulgarian movies seen count has magically doubled)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eiZEAjY2qm0

[Mario Gaborovic]

who's seen a bulgarian silent film? of course not, well, now you canx2 (plus with the 2 from 1940 my bulgarian movies seen count has magically doubled)

I've seen 20+ but never a silent.

Don't forget to watch Knight Without Armor (1966) anytimes in the future. Also ANYTHING where Apostol Karamitev is featured because that guy was eating up each scene he appeared in.

What a loss that must have been when he died of liver cancer in 1973.

[sally]

and now slovenian cinema!

https://twitter.com/acefilmeu/status/14 ... 6737266689

[Mario Gaborovic]

Nacionalna klasa (1979) RESTORED in 2018 & SUBS IMPROVED
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xKqt5-dEuLs

This legendary comedy is now available fully restored. I did my best at improving the subs; this comedy has a cult status across the whole Serbo-Croatian speaking region, and not only among car enthusiasts. I guess it could be called a 'situation comedy', as we follow the protagonist who does everything to take no responsibility or consequences for his actions.