Cinema Komunisto takes us on a journey through the rise and fall of a nation as told through the decaying remains of its film industry.
Marshall Tito gave form to the post-WWII federal state of Yugoslavia and established there a vibrant film industry. An avid film buff, Tito’s had his own in-house cinema and projectionist. Leka Konstantinovic provided and projected a film for Tito and his wife every night of the year for 30 years. A shrewd politician, Tito saw the power of cinema and one of his greatest successes was to sell Yugoslavs his vision of brotherhood and fraternity. A vision that today gets very contradictory interpretations. Tito created an illusion and film was his tool.
After his contentious break with the Soviet Union, Tito invited Hollywood stars to come to Yugoslavia, and soon Richard Burton, Yul Brynner, Orson Welles and Sophia Loren were commissioned to participate in massive productions.
Using rare footage from dozens of forgotten Yugoslav films, as well as never-seen-before archive from film sets and Tito's private screenings, the documentary recreates the narrative of a country, the stories told on screen and the ones hidden behind it.56 and 70 minutes. www.cinemakomunisto.com