I do remember, however, two other movies from the Balkan region ― and they have stuck with me. I saw them at the Thessaloniki International Film Festival (the best showcase for Balkan cinema enthusiasts).

Common history and fun

One is Croatian and it’s called Marshal Tito’s Spirit, directed by Vinko Bresan. The idea of having Josip Broz Tito’s spirit visit the island in the Adriatic where the marshal was born, and creating a craze of mysticism and marketing of communist memorabilia, was ― certainly ― crazy enough back in 1999 and ― arguably ― went on to inspire the German box-office wonder Goodbye, Lenin! in 2003. My own recollection of Bresan’s movie is that I laughed loudly through most of it. I liked it for what it was: a small, funny joke about history ― which is a big, unfunny joke. Having Tito as a medal-bedecked Old Hamlet walk through the streets of post-communist Croatia was a bonus.

The other movie I liked was made in 2001 and is Albanian. It’s called Tirana Year Zero, directed by Fatmir Koci. I think it won the Golden Alexander in Thessaloniki, which is not the reason I liked it; I was only happy that it did. I remember being stunned and stirred by the vision of a city and group of people I knew nothing about. For me, Tirana ― the capital of Albania ― was no more terra cognita than Ulan Bator, the capital of Mongolia. Director Koci’s bravura succeeded in showing me the ordinary life of some citizens of Tirana and making it extraordinary. What’s more, the pathos and bathos of this mix of magical and social realism ― with glimpses of Emir Kusturica and Tengiz Abuladze ― was not so dissimilar to that of our own Lucian Pintilie. With Tirana Year Zero, I was on familiar territory; the movie might have been called Bucharest Year Zero…

Let’s talk about cinema

The main problem with all these titles from the Balkans is that they are not seen outside their countries and Thessaloniki’s International Film Festival. Or very rarely ― like when there’s a European film festival and the respective bureacrats are clicking the Balkan column on the list. There hasn’t been a Balkan movie on the big screen in Romania for years ― and, when I say ‘years,’ think of Ceausescu. The only movies which have seen national release were some of Kusturica’s. The TV channels (there are so many of them now) have never heard of Balkan cinema; I seriously doubt they believe movies are made in this part of Europe. ‘This part of Europe’ is present exclusively in news items, and it concerns politics. Cinema is not an issue.

I think everything needs to be reconsidered, distribution-wise. We are more familiar with American lifestyles than with those of our own neighbors. And I think (and I know I am not the only one) that cinema is the great unifier. Show people one good Balkan movie and they’ll ask for more. Don’t ― and nobody knows what to ask for. It’s as simple as that. Before talking politics, let’s talk cinema. It’s much more fun.

By Alex Leo Serban
Alex Leo Serban is a film critic from Romania.