Avala Film, the former Yugoslavia’s oldest film studio – which was at the
heart of Mila Turajlic’s internationally acclaimed documentary CINEMA
KOMUNISTO (2010) – is to be sold by
the Serbian government for the value of the terrain that the “film city”
stands on. Adding to that, the entire catalogue of films produced by Avala
has been included in the sale, which is scheduled for April 22nd, 2015.
As a countdown to the sale, the team behind CINEMA KOMUNISTO have started a
campaign (“The final screening”) meant to raise awareness and stop the sale,
thus avoiding the loss of a significant share of the cinematic heritage of
the former Yugoslavia. This is a very sad moment for Avala and for all those
aware of the complex ways in which the film studios of the former communist
Eastern and Central Europe have shared both the turbulent pasts and the
uncertain presents of their respective countries.
“Between 1947, when it made the first post-war Yugoslav film “Slavica” to
today, Avala Film produced a staggering 200 feature fiction films, and over
400 documentaries and short films, as well as numerous co-productions,
starring Sofia Loren, Alain Delon, Orson Welles, Omar Sharif, Anthony
Hopkins. No book has ever been published on the history of the studios, nor
is there an archive. There are almost no scripts, production documents,
stills, or evidence of any kind of this cinematic heritage.”
More information can be found here.
You can sign the petition here (scroll for English)