The Makavejev Case or Trial in a Movie Theater

Goran Radovanovic / Serbia / 2019 / International Premiere / 73 min.

synopsis

In 1971, the film WR: Mysteries of the Organism, an outstanding example of the Yugoslav Black Wave, was enthusiastically received at the Cannes Film Festival. Back home, however, this radical and ironic exploration of sexuality and communism was banned by the Yugoslav regime, and director Dušan Makavejev subsequently emigrated. The ban was decided during the film’s premiere screening, which turned into an unofficial trial. The Makavejev Case plays a newly discovered audio record of the debate in its entirety, accompanied by images of the incredulous faces of people listening to the audiotape recording: actors from Makavejev’s film, random passers-by on the street, and monkeys in a cage.

„Makavejev - is my favorite Serbian director. WR: Mysteries of the Organism became a symbol of Makavejev’s heritage: a film language as a play game and an everlasting experiment in in directing." G. Radovanovic

biography

Former film critic Goran Radovanović (1957) has since the 1980s focused primarily on short- and medium-length documentaries, including Casting (2003), in which he called attention to the difficult economic situation of people in eastern Europe; Pileci izbori (2005), a look at life in the Serbian countryside; and his portrait of contemporary Cuba titled With Fidel Whatever Happens (2011). He also directed the fiction film Enclave (2015).

more about film

director:	Goran Radovanovic
cast:	Svetozar Cvetkovic, Milena Dravic
producer:	Goran Radovanovic
script:	Boris Trbic, Goran Radovanovic
photography:	Dragan Djordjevic
editing:	Maja Kokic
music:	Ognjan Milosevic
sound:	Ognjan Milosevic