Cinema Komunisto

Cinema Komunisto (2010)

Run Time - 100 min.  |   Countries - Serbia, United States  |   MPAA Rating - NR
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Synopsis by Mark Deming

Josip Broz Tito became prime minister of Yugoslavia in 1936 when the nation was a Communist state aligned with the Soviet Union, and while his title changed several times, he was the nation's leader until 1980, as Yugoslavia remained Communist but had thrown off the control of the Soviets. In addition to being a recognized and respected leader around the world, Tito was also a serious film fan; he realized the importance of the cinema in terms of shaping public opinion, but he also loved movies of all sorts, and sought to make Yugoslavia an international center of film production. Filmmaker Mila Turajlic offers a witty look at Tito's efforts to make Yugoslavia the Hollywood of Eastern Europe in the documentary Cinema Komunisto. The film offers an overview of Yugoslavian films from the Soviet era which were crafted in the manner of American films but followed the polemic pattern of Russian cinema, as well as the post-Soviet Yugoslavian cinema, after Tito spearheaded construction of one of the world's largest movie studios and lured American producers to Eastern Europe with unheard-of levels of official cooperation. Cinema Komunisto also includes an interview with Tito's official projectionist and a tour at the remnants of the former nation's once glorious studio.