Želimir Žilnik Shorts I

The first program of short films presents films made in Yugoslavia that criticize the socialist regime and refute official narratives. The Uprising in Jazak identifies the unfounded expectations of World War II participants when the Soviets arrived, while Little Pioneers shows abandoned street children who officially do not exist in the Soviet Union. Žilnik’s cinematic techniques are already evident in his early films: dramatic elements, expressive camera work, and an engaging double game created by actors playing their own lives. The social space of the city and the countryside, such as a bar, a protest square, or a city fair, becomes the stage for the actors. These films were made during the Prague Spring events and student demonstrations in Europe. The contradictions of the socialist system, inequality, and unemployment are themes that Žilnik has consistently explored throughout his career.

Newsreel on Village Youth, in Winter
Zurnal o omladini na selu zimi

This documentary was shot in villages at the outskirts of Novi Sad – Bukovac, Krčedin and Futog. The camera is focused on young people, their leisure time in wine cellars, at dances, in village streets, in pubs. The participants are witty, energetic young men and women; they are having fun but would rather be somewhere else.

Little Pioneers
Pioniri maleni, mi smo vojska prava, svakog dana nicemo ko zelena trava

Žilnik met the children from Little Pioneers while filming another film. He was intrigued by their resourcefulness, courage, and resilience—living in ruins, having experienced violence or committed violence themselves, they make a living by selling newspapers and flowers. During filming, Žilnik was detained for several days and asked to reveal the children’s crimes. The film shocked the audience, as socialist Yugoslavia proclaimed that the state took care of the poor.

Market People

Šabac Fair – the biggest of the sort in Yugoslavia – is a Balkans festival which lasts for three days and three nights. Buying and selling cattle, cars, clothes, wine and rakia in the chaotic atmosphere created by music bands, singers and trumpet players. Here you can see a circus with lions and elephants, illusionists and conmen. The documentary tells a story about the Fair employees, who mark lots to tradesmen and funfair shop owners and observe order during the fair.

Uprising in Jazak
Ustanak u Jasku

People from the Jazak village in Fruška Gora Mountain show how they fought undercover against the occupation forces during the WWII. They speak about the dramatic events – of how they helped to hide partisans and how young people joined partisan units in Bosnia.Rejecting the then-popular war rhetoric and grandiose imagery, Žilnik listens to the mourning and horrors of war, while connecting the traces of the memories of the people who fought with their present lives.

June Turmoil
Lipanjska gibanja

The film documents student demonstrations in Belgrade in June 1968, which criticized the “red bourgeoisie” – Tito and other representatives of the communist government. It was shot for the most part in the court of the Faculty of Philosophy, where students gathered and where famous artists participated, thus showing solidarity with the students. The film is unique in Žilnik’s decision to include a professional actor, Steve Zigano, who performs Robespierre’s monologue from Georg Büchner’s Danton’s Death.