Croatian Cinema. 1.

This evening marks the debut of a 20-day festival of 25 films from Croatia: eleven recent examples (including Armin (site), the movie Croatia is submitting to qualify for this year's Best Foreign Film), 13 more that span the past five decades, and a compilation of some of the best shorts from the world-class "Zagreb school of animation." Half a century of cinema from a land that was only a part of what most of us beyond the age of 20 used to call Yugoslavia. Who knew?

Beyond Boundaries: The Emergence of Croatian Cinema is the title given to the series by the Film Society of Lincoln Center, and it turns out that this is just the beginning: the first of a four-part look at the national cinemas of the former Yugoslavia that the FSLC will host over the coming years. Richard Peña, program director at the FSLC calls Croatia "an extraordinary crossroads between east and west, north and south, and for many years the entry point for new waves and modes of filmmaking while part of the former Yugoslavia. Its long-standing tradition of innovation has helped a vibrant, critical cinema emerge, making Croatian films popular not only at home but increasingly with international audiences."

Three Croatian directors, representing three generations of filmmakers, will appear at the festival to introduce their films: Krsto Papic (whose 1973 A Village Performance of Hamlet screens Sat, Oct 27 and Sunday, Oct 28); Dejan Sorak (Two Players from the Bench, 2005, Saturday, Oct 27 and Monday, Oct 29); and Ognjen Svilicic (Armin, 2007, Sunday, Oct 28 and Monday, Oct 29). An interview with the three directors, along with reviews of their films, will appear soon.

In a surprise move that may encourage more viewers to take a chance on a cinema that is probably quite new to them, FSLC is issuing an unusual series pass ($40; $30 for Film Society members) for Beyond Boundaries, which admits one person to five titles in the series and is available for purchase (cash only) at the Walter Reade Theater box office, a savings of $3 off the single ticket price ($11) for non-Film Society members and $2 off the $7 single ticket price for members.

Posted by dwhudson at October 26, 2007 10:04 AM