Balkans Challenge - Official January 2020

[sol]

The Balkan Spy

1. One Point O (2004) Romania
2. Alps / Alpeis (2011) Greece
3. Class Enemy (2013) Slovenia
4. Bullet Head (2017) Bulgaria
5. Philanthropy (2002) Romania
6. Katalin Varga (2009) Romania
7. The Magic City (1954) Greece
8. The Balkan Spy (1984) Yugoslavia
9. Miss Violence (2013) Greece
10. Domestic (2012) Romania
11. Antigone (1961) Greece
12. O Drakos (1956) Greece
13. Variola Vera (1982) Yugoslavia
14. The Barrier (1979) Bulgaria
15. Face to Face (1966) Greece
16. A Girl's Tears (1980) Romania
17. A Film for Friends (2011) Romania
18. The Snails' Senator (1995) Romania
19. Tomka and His Friends (1977) Albania
20. Goodbye, 20TH Century (1998) Macedonia
21. The Childhood of Icarus (2009) Romania
22. The Forgiveness of Blood (2011) Albania
23. Cursa / The Long Drive (1975) Romania
24. Croaziera / The Cruise (1981) Romania
25. A Dance in the Rain. (1961) Yugoslavia
26. Microphone Testing (1980) Romania
27. The Trojan Women (1971) Greece
28. Thalassa, Thalassa (1994) Romania
29. Bucuresti NonStop (2015) Romania
30. Chasing Rainbows (2012) Romania
31. Sundays on Leave (1993) Romania
32. Young Aphrodites (1963) Greece
33. Evridiki B.A. 2037 (1975) Greece
34. Vampire Journals (1997) Romania
35. Stuff and Dough (2001) Romania
36. Singapore Sling (1990) Greece

37. Sterne (1959) Bulgaria



Set in 1943 occupied Bulgaria, this film wears its heart on its sleeve with both the Nazi and Jewess protagonists telling their friends at different points that the other side are still human beings; the fact that the protagonist is a failed painter just like Hitler is on-the-nose too. The tale here is quite powerful though and less a doomed romance story and more a look at someone simply trying to do something good while a part of something evil.

[Mario Gaborović]

43. Senatorul melcilor (1995) - Romania
44. 100 (1973) - Romania
45. Marți, după Crăciun (2010) - Romania
46. Mitch: The Diary of the Schizophrenic Patient (2014) - Croatia
47. Mala kronika (1962) + Off Fuck Off (1998)* + Arabeska (2004)* + Grad na nišanu (2007)* + La petite mort (2007)* + Lučonoša (2009)* + Sky Spirits (2010)* + Dota (2016) + Ništa se ne može vratiti (2017) - Croatia
48. Čas brez pravljic (1986) - Slovenia

Spoiler

01. Vdekja e kalit - Albania
02. Glykia symmoria (1983) - Greece
03. Ratni reporter (2011) - Croatia
04. Politiki kouzina (2003) - Greece
05. Beogradska trilogija (2018) - Serbia
06. Maska (2007) - Serbia
07. Chia e tazi pesen? (2003) - Bulgaria
08. Stoichkov (2012) - Bulgaria
09. Cu mâinile curate (1972) - Romania
10. Vrijeme šutnje (1971) + I Love You, Too... (1991) + Paranoja (1993) + Film with a Girl (2000) + Odvajanje (2015) + Rainy Afternoon (2015) + Stakleni čovjek (2015) + Trip (2017) + Zašto (2017)* + Dokument Parakozmik (2018)* Croatia
11. Stari majstor (2011) + The Fridge Factory and Clear Waters (2011) + Dvorišta (2015) + Vanja Radovanović: Inje (2018) - Montenegro
12. Nebeska tema (2019) - Serbia
13. Šumanović - komedija umetnika (1987) - Serbia
14. Opasen char (1984) - Bulgaria
15. Baseynat (1977) - Bulgaria
16. Volio bih da sam golub (1990) - Bosnia and Herzegovina
17. Azemi (2014) - Kosovo
18. Kje je železna zavesa (1961)* + Mariborski teden (1961)* + Strupi (1964)* + Turnir pri Šumiku (1965)* + Muzej zahteva (1967)* + Plamen v dvonožcu (1968)* + Slavica exception (1971)* + Promiskuiteta (1974) - Slovenia
19. Skopje Remixed (2012) - North Macedonia
20. Samit na shamanite (2006)* - North Macedonia
21. Barierata (1979) - Bulgaria
22. Toplo (1978) - Bulgaria
23. Da nije ljubavi, ne bi svita bilo (2004) - Serbia
24. Đorđe Vajfert - Georg Weifert (2012) - Serbia
25. Bota - Albania
26. Bugarski zarobljenici u beogradskom Donjem gradu (1913)* + Dolazak IV konjičkog puka u Beograd i doček na železničkoj stanici (1913)* + Grambergova bolnica pri radu (1913)* + Srpska armija u polju (1913)* + Srpska konjica i avijacija na Trupalskom polju kod Niša 1913. godine (1913)* + Polaganje temelja Bogosloviji svetog Save, 27. aprila 1914. godine (1914)* + Mašinica (2012) - Serbia
27. Proslava 1600-godišnjice Milanskog edikta u Nišu 1913. godine (1913)* + Dolazak regruta (1914)* + Život srpske vojske u logoru na Banjici (1914)* + Scene iz života Kralja Aleksandra (1934)* + Spomenik češkim vojnicima (1934)* + Kosta (1962) - Serbia
28. Proslava 10-godišnjice Topličkog ustanka (1917)* + Ulazak Srpske vojske u Skopje (1918)* + Proslava proboja Solunskog fronta 7.i 8. oktobra 1928. (1928)* + Proslava ratnika Južne Srbije u Skoplju (1932)* + Manifesto to the Barbarians of Spirit and Thought on All Continents (2015) + Time (2018)* + Nightmare (2019)* - Serbia
29. Reži (2019) - Serbia
30. Osânda (1976) - Romania
31. Mali (2018) - Croatia
32. Honeyland (2019) - North Macedonia
33. Apokatastatis (1980)* + Na izgrejsonce (2009) + Materijal za audicija (2013) + Shekspirova 9/1 (2014) + Chevli (2016) - North Macedonia
34. Blokada (2012) - Croatia
35. Šavovi (2019) - Serbia
36. The Lobster (2015) - Greece
37. Ti ekanes ston polemo Thanasi (1971) - Greece
38. Ljetnikovac (2018) - Croatia
39. 12. konjička divizija (1913)* + Linija života (2014) + Quiero decirte (2017) - Serbia
40. Srećan put, komšija (2019) - Bosnia and Herzegovina
41. Tifa (2019)* - Bosnia and Herzegovina
42. Petak 13. II (2019) - Serbia

* not on IMDB

[ororama]

9. 12:08 East of Bucharest (2006) * 85 min. (Romania)

Spoiler

1. Once Upon a Time There Was One Country : Episode #1.1 (1995) 54 min. (Federal Republic of Yugoslavia)
2. Once Upon a Time There Was One Country : Episode #1.2 (1995) 55 min. (Federal Republic of Yugoslavia)
3. Once Upon a Time There Was One Country : Episode #1.3 (1995) 55 min. (Federal Republic of Yugoslavia)
4. Once Upon a Time There Was One Country : Episode #1.4 (1995) * 55 min. (Federal Republic of Yugoslavia)
5. Once Upon a Time There Was One Country : Episode #1.5 (1995) * 55 min. (Federal Republic of Yugoslavia)
6. Once Upon a Time There Was One Country : Episode #1.6 (1995) * 53 min. (Federal Republic of Yugoslavia)
7. Suntan (2016) * 100 min. (Greece)
8. Muzikalno prase/ The Musical Pig (1966) * 9 min. (Yugoslavia)
Maska crvene smrti/ Masque of the Red Death (1969) * 10 min. (Yugoslavia)
Riblje oko/ Fisheye (1980) 9 min. (Yugoslavia)
Osvetnik/ The Avenger (1958) 13 min. (Yugoslavia)
Covjek koji je morao pjevati/ The Man Who Had to Sing (1971) * 9 min. (Yugoslavia)
Mala kronika/ Everyday Chronicle (1962) * 11 min. (Yugoslavia)

*First time viewing.

[maxwelldeux]

I need some soap for this Greece

1. Infinite Football (2018, Romania)
2. One Fine Day (1962, Yugoslavia)
3. Wild Growth (1963, Yugoslavia)
4. Nymph (2014, Serbia)
5. The Show Must Go On (2010, Croatia)

6. Touch Me Not (2018, Romania)
Another random MUBI find, but this one won the Golden Bear? I didn't get it - but I did appreciate it. It's all about sex and intimacy and becoming comfortable not just with others, but with yourself as well. Tons of nudity, but real-person nudity - not as much sexy as it was about sex. If that makes sense. I can't say I liked it, but I didn't dislike it either. Long. Slow. But it made me think about sex and intimacy and people in a different way, so in that respect it was pretty successful.

[nimimerkillinen]

1. No Man's Land (2001, Bosnia and Herzegovina)
2. Ilektra (1961, Greece)
3. O Fovos (1966, Greece)

[Mario Gaborović]

49. Šiška Deluxe (2015) - Slovenia
50. Dvostruki obruč (1963) - Croatia
51. Rakijaški dnevnik (2015) - Croatia
52. O lacrimă de fată (1980) - Romania

Spoiler

01. Vdekja e kalit - Albania
02. Glykia symmoria (1983) - Greece
03. Ratni reporter (2011) - Croatia
04. Politiki kouzina (2003) - Greece
05. Beogradska trilogija (2018) - Serbia
06. Maska (2007) - Serbia
07. Chia e tazi pesen? (2003) - Bulgaria
08. Stoichkov (2012) - Bulgaria
09. Cu mâinile curate (1972) - Romania
10. Vrijeme šutnje (1971) + I Love You, Too... (1991) + Paranoja (1993) + Film with a Girl (2000) + Odvajanje (2015) + Rainy Afternoon (2015) + Stakleni čovjek (2015) + Trip (2017) + Zašto (2017)* + Dokument Parakozmik (2018)* Croatia
11. Stari majstor (2011) + The Fridge Factory and Clear Waters (2011) + Dvorišta (2015) + Vanja Radovanović: Inje (2018) - Montenegro
12. Nebeska tema (2019) - Serbia
13. Šumanović - komedija umetnika (1987) - Serbia
14. Opasen char (1984) - Bulgaria
15. Baseynat (1977) - Bulgaria
16. Volio bih da sam golub (1990) - Bosnia and Herzegovina
17. Azemi (2014) - Kosovo
18. Kje je železna zavesa (1961)* + Mariborski teden (1961)* + Strupi (1964)* + Turnir pri Šumiku (1965)* + Muzej zahteva (1967)* + Plamen v dvonožcu (1968)* + Slavica exception (1971)* + Promiskuiteta (1974) - Slovenia
19. Skopje Remixed (2012) - North Macedonia
20. Samit na shamanite (2006)* - North Macedonia
21. Barierata (1979) - Bulgaria
22. Toplo (1978) - Bulgaria
23. Da nije ljubavi, ne bi svita bilo (2004) - Serbia
24. Đorđe Vajfert - Georg Weifert (2012) - Serbia
25. Bota - Albania
26. Bugarski zarobljenici u beogradskom Donjem gradu (1913)* + Dolazak IV konjičkog puka u Beograd i doček na železničkoj stanici (1913)* + Grambergova bolnica pri radu (1913)* + Srpska armija u polju (1913)* + Srpska konjica i avijacija na Trupalskom polju kod Niša 1913. godine (1913)* + Polaganje temelja Bogosloviji svetog Save, 27. aprila 1914. godine (1914)* + Mašinica (2012) - Serbia
27. Proslava 1600-godišnjice Milanskog edikta u Nišu 1913. godine (1913)* + Dolazak regruta (1914)* + Život srpske vojske u logoru na Banjici (1914)* + Scene iz života Kralja Aleksandra (1934)* + Spomenik češkim vojnicima (1934)* + Kosta (1962) - Serbia
28. Proslava 10-godišnjice Topličkog ustanka (1917)* + Ulazak Srpske vojske u Skopje (1918)* + Proslava proboja Solunskog fronta 7.i 8. oktobra 1928. (1928)* + Proslava ratnika Južne Srbije u Skoplju (1932)* + Manifesto to the Barbarians of Spirit and Thought on All Continents (2015) + Time (2018)* + Nightmare (2019)* - Serbia
29. Reži (2019) - Serbia
30. Osânda (1976) - Romania
31. Mali (2018) - Croatia
32. Honeyland (2019) - North Macedonia
33. Apokatastatis (1980)* + Na izgrejsonce (2009) + Materijal za audicija (2013) + Shekspirova 9/1 (2014) + Chevli (2016) - North Macedonia
34. Blokada (2012) - Croatia
35. Šavovi (2019) - Serbia
36. The Lobster (2015) - Greece
37. Ti ekanes ston polemo Thanasi (1971) - Greece
38. Ljetnikovac (2018) - Croatia
39. 12. konjička divizija (1913)* + Linija života (2014) + Quiero decirte (2017) - Serbia
40. Srećan put, komšija (2019) - Bosnia and Herzegovina
41. Tifa (2019)* - Bosnia and Herzegovina
42. Petak 13. II (2019) - Serbia
43. Senatorul melcilor (1995) - Romania
44. 100 (1973) - Romania
45. Marți, după Crăciun (2010) - Romania
46. Mitch: The Diary of the Schizophrenic Patient (2014) - Croatia
47. Mala kronika (1962) + Off Fuck Off (1998)* + Arabeska (2004)* + Grad na nišanu (2007)* + La petite mort (2007)* + Lučonoša (2009)* + Sky Spirits (2010)* + Dota (2016) + Ništa se ne može vratiti (2017) - Croatia
48. Čas brez pravljic (1986) - Slovenia


* not on IMDB

[OldAle1]

It's (just about) all Greek to me

1. Alexis Zorbas / Zorba the Greek (Michael Cacoyannis, 1964, GREECE)
2. Dafnis Hai Hloi / Daphnis and Chloe (Orestis Laskos, 1931, GREECE)
3. Prosopa lismonimena / Forgotten Faces (Yorgos Tzavellas, 1946, GREECE)
4. Magiki polis / Magic City (Nikos Koundouros, 1954, GREECE)
5. Stella (Michael Cacoyannis, 1955, GREECE)
6. Istoria mias kalpikis liras / The Counterfeit Coin (Yorgos Tzavellas, 1955, GREECE)
7. O drakos / The Ogre of Athens (Nikos Koundouros, 1956, GREECE)
8. To koritsi me ta mavra / A Girl in Black (Michael Cacoyannis, 1956, GREECE)
9. To teleftaio psemma / A Matter of Dignity (Michael Cacoyannis, 1958, GREECE)

10. Ilektra (Michael Cacoyannis, 1962, GREECE)

I may have read the Euripedes play back in college - certainly some bits of this fine adaptation seemed familiar - but I can't say for sure. Hard for me to say too much about this, I'm not really familiar enough with Greek tragedy and it's conventions, and I found some of the dialogue and the overtly stagy acting in this story of spurned daughter of a murdered king seeking revenge on her mother and stepfather a little dense and strange; however Irene Papas as Ilektra burns through the staginess like a fire through silk, and the desolate settings are beautifully captured by Walter Lassally's camera, and the modernist but folk-inflected score by Mikis Theodorakis is great as well.

11. Meandre (Mircea Saucan, 1966, ROMANIA)

Another film most notable for it's photography - also b/w like every film I've watched for this challenge, but also full of odd angles and weird stagings of events, and repetitions. Maybe I was too tired or wasn't concentrating that well but this story of an architect and his struggles with his wife (??) and a younger man - son? - mostly lost me, but it's definitely something I'll come back to for the beauty of the imagery and some great long takes and deep focus shots.

12. O fovos / The Fear (Kostas Manoussakis, 1966, GREECE)

This will probably tie with O drakos as the best film of this challenge for me, an intense murder-drama about a wealthy farm family - a heavy-drinking and gambling father, long suffering mother, virginal and angry and perhaps rather slow son, beautiful daughter who is mostly away in the big city, and an adopted deaf-mute daughter who seems to have something of the saint in her - at least according to the local village people. The son is mad with desire and can find nobody to be with --- the father unknowingly is showing him the way of force and brutality --- and it all goes in a direction that isn't going to surprise but remains compelling through excellent performances and camerawork that really makes us feel a part of this isolated rural area. And another film with an excellent modern score that reflects older musics, by Yannis Markopoulos.

[jdidaco]

29. Îmi este indiferent daca în istorie vom intra ca barbari (I Do Not Care If We Go Down in History as Barbarians, Radu Jude, 2018) 8.5/10 (Romania/Bulgaria)
30. Touch Me Not (Adina Pintilie, 2018) 8/10 (Romania/Bulgaria)



That's it for me! Thanks again for hosting, max!

!seen 30

Spoiler

1. Oh Babylon (Costas Ferris, 1989) 9/10 (Greece)
2. Sabirni centar (The Meeting Point, Goran Markovic, 1989) 8.5/10 (Yugoslavia (Serbia))
3. Urnebesna tragedija (The Tragic Burlesque, Goran Markovic, 1995) 7/10 (Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (Serbia)/Bulgaria)
4. Oi ores: Mia tetragoni tainia (The Hours: A Square Film, Antouanetta Angelidi, 1995) 8/10 (Greece)
5. Barierata (The Barrier, Christo Christov, 1979) 8.5/10 (Bulgaria)
6. Dumbrava minunata (The Enchanted Grove, Gheorghe Naghi, 1981) 7/10 (Romania)
7. Neka cudna zemlja (The Bizarre Country, Dragan Marinkovic, 1988) 8/10 (Yugoslavia (Serbia))
8. Vizantijsko plavo (Byzantine Blue, Dragan Marinkovic, 1993) 7/10 (Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (Serbia)
9. Veronica (Elisabeta Bostan, 1973) 7.5/10 (Romania)
10. Pacala (Geo Saizescu, 1974) 8/10 (Romania)
11. Blind Date (Nico Mastorakis, 1984) 7/10 (Greece)
12. The Next One (Nico Mastorakis, 1984) 5/10 (Greece)
13. Magic in the Mirror (Ted Nicolaou, 1996) 6.5/10 (Romania)
14. Vampire Journals (Ted Nicolaou, 1997) 7/10 (Romania)
15. Technotise - Edit i ja (Technotise: Edit & I, Aleksa Gajic & Nebojsa Andric & Stevan Djordjevic, 2009) 7/10 (Serbia)
16. Na mlečnom putu/On the Milky Road (Emir Kusturica, 2016) 7.5/10 (Serbia)
17. Alloimono stous neous (Alas for the Youth, Alekos Sakellarios, 1961) 8/10 (Greece)
18. ...Otan ta psaria vgikan sti steria!/The Day the Fish Came Out (Michael Cacoyannis, 1967) 9/10 (Greece) (RV)
19. O lipotaktis (The Deserter, Christos Kefalas, 1970) 7/10 (Greece)
20. Arhangelos tou pathous (Potlatch, Nikos Vergitsis, 1987) 6.5/10 (Greece)
21. Planetata na sakrovishtata (The Treasure Planet, Rumen Petkov, 1982) 7/10 (Bulgaria)
22. Marti, dupã Crãciun (Tuesday, After Christmas, Radu Muntean, 2010) 8/10 (Romania)
23-24. Tifusari (Typhoid Sufferers, Vatroslav Mimica, 1963) 7.5/10 (13 min) (Yugoslavia (Croatia)), Per Aspera Ad Astra (Nedeljko Dragic, 1969) 7/10 (1 min) (Yugoslavia (Croatia)), Raka (Hand, Darko Markovic, 1980) 6/10 (9 min) (Yugoslavia (Republic of Macedonia)), The Capsule (Athina Rachel Tsangari, 2012) 7.5/10 (37 min) (Greece), O umbra de nor (Shadow of a Cloud, Radu Jude, 2013) 8/10 (30 min) (Romania), Éclair (Marko Gjokovik, 2016) 8/10 (30 min) (Republic of Macedonia) (Total: 120 min)
25. Mi nismo andjeli (We Are Not Angels, Srdjan Dragojevic, 1992) 5/10 (Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (Serbia))
26. Dad Made Dirty Movies (Jordan Todorov, 2011) 7/10 (Bulgaria)
27. Prikazka za borovoto klonche (Tale About the Pine Twig, Todor Dinov, 1960) 7/10 (10 min), Gramootvodat (Lighting Rod, Todor Dinov, 1962) 6/10 (5 min), Revnost (Jealousy, Todor Dinov, 1963) 7.5/10 (7 min), Prometey (Prometheus XX, Todor Dinov, 1970) 7.5/10 (6 min), Tapanat (The Kettle-Drum, Todor Dinov, 1973) 8/10 (7 min), Parizhkiyat duzhd (The Rain of Paris, Todor Dinov, 1980) 8/10 (10 min), Samozhertva (Self-Sacrifice, Velislav Kazakov, 1981) 6/10 (2 min), Jenitba (Marriage, Rumen Petkov & Slav Bakalov, 1985) 8.5/10 (5 min), Libido (Velislav Kazakov, 1988) 7/10 (8 min) (Total: 60 min) (9xBulgaria)
28. Man: The Polluter (Dusan Vukotic, Ante Zaninovic, Milan Blazekovic, Zlatko Bourek, Nedeljko Dragic, Boris Kolar, Vladimir Jutrisa & Aleksandar Marks, Don Arioli, Hugh Foulds, Wolf Koenig, Frank Nissen, Kaj Pindal, Pino Van Lamsweerde & Chuck Jones, 1973) 7.5/10 (Yugoslavia (Croatia))

[sol]

No more viewings for me, max, but thanks for hosting. What an amazing (relative) introduction this month was to Romanian cinema!

These were my top 5 discoveries this month:

x Euridice BA 2037 (1975, Nikos Nikolaidis) GREECE

x Philanthropy (2002, Nae Caranfil) ROMANIA

x Stuff and Dough (2001, Cristi Puiu) ROMANIA

x Singapore Sling (1990, Nikos Nikolaidis) GREECE

x The Barrier (1979, Christo Christov) BULGARIA

[blocho]

2. Tomka and His Friends (Albania, 1977)

3. Ritzar bez Bronya (Bulgaria, 1966)

[flavo5000]

1. De-as fi... Harap Alb (1965, Romania)
2. Pacala (1974, Romania)
3. Alloimono stous neous (1961, Greece)

[nimimerkillinen]

Spoiler

1. No Man's Land (2001, Bosnia and Herzegovina)
2. Ilektra (1961, Greece)
3. O Fovos (1966, Greece)

4. Landscape in Mist (1988, Greece)
5. Sterne (1959, Bulgaria)

[Mario Gaborović]

53. Ivana Markišina (1977) - Montenegro
54. Scurta istorie (1956) + Naica (1963) + Stuf (1966) + Zapping (2000) + Trece și prin perete (2014) - Romania

Spoiler

01. Vdekja e kalit (1992) - Albania
02. Glykia symmoria (1983) - Greece
03. Ratni reporter (2011) - Croatia
04. Politiki kouzina (2003) - Greece
05. Beogradska trilogija (2018) - Serbia
06. Maska (2007) - Serbia
07. Chia e tazi pesen? (2003) - Bulgaria
08. Stoichkov (2012) - Bulgaria
09. Cu mâinile curate (1972) - Romania
10. Vrijeme šutnje (1971) + I Love You, Too... (1991) + Paranoja (1993) + Film with a Girl (2000) + Odvajanje (2015) + Rainy Afternoon (2015) + Stakleni čovjek (2015) + Trip (2017) + Zašto (2017)* + Dokument Parakozmik (2018)* Croatia
11. Stari majstor (2011) + The Fridge Factory and Clear Waters (2011) + Dvorišta (2015) + Vanja Radovanović: Inje (2018) - Montenegro
12. Nebeska tema (2019) - Serbia
13. Šumanović - komedija umetnika (1987) - Serbia
14. Opasen char (1984) - Bulgaria
15. Baseynat (1977) - Bulgaria
16. Volio bih da sam golub (1990) - Bosnia and Herzegovina
17. Azemi (2014) - Kosovo
18. Kje je železna zavesa (1961)* + Mariborski teden (1961)* + Strupi (1964)* + Turnir pri Šumiku (1965)* + Muzej zahteva (1967)* + Plamen v dvonožcu (1968)* + Slavica exception (1971)* + Promiskuiteta (1974) - Slovenia
19. Skopje Remixed (2012) - North Macedonia
20. Samit na shamanite (2006)* - North Macedonia
21. Barierata (1979) - Bulgaria
22. Toplo (1978) - Bulgaria
23. Da nije ljubavi, ne bi svita bilo (2004) - Serbia
24. Đorđe Vajfert - Georg Weifert (2012) - Serbia
25. Bota (2014) - Albania
26. Bugarski zarobljenici u beogradskom Donjem gradu (1913)* + Dolazak IV konjičkog puka u Beograd i doček na železničkoj stanici (1913)* + Grambergova bolnica pri radu (1913)* + Srpska armija u polju (1913)* + Srpska konjica i avijacija na Trupalskom polju kod Niša 1913. godine (1913)* + Polaganje temelja Bogosloviji svetog Save, 27. aprila 1914. godine (1914)* + Mašinica (2012) - Serbia
27. Proslava 1600-godišnjice Milanskog edikta u Nišu 1913. godine (1913)* + Dolazak regruta (1914)* + Život srpske vojske u logoru na Banjici (1914)* + Scene iz života Kralja Aleksandra (1934)* + Spomenik češkim vojnicima (1934)* + Kosta (1962) - Serbia
28. Proslava 10-godišnjice Topličkog ustanka (1917)* + Ulazak Srpske vojske u Skopje (1918)* + Proslava proboja Solunskog fronta 7.i 8. oktobra 1928. (1928)* + Proslava ratnika Južne Srbije u Skoplju (1932)* + Manifesto to the Barbarians of Spirit and Thought on All Continents (2015) + Time (2018)* + Nightmare (2019)* - Serbia
29. Reži (2019) - Serbia
30. Osânda (1976) - Romania
31. Mali (2018) - Croatia
32. Honeyland (2019) - North Macedonia
33. Apokatastatis (1980)* + Na izgrejsonce (2009) + Materijal za audicija (2013) + Shekspirova 9/1 (2014) + Chevli (2016) - North Macedonia
34. Blokada (2012) - Croatia
35. Šavovi (2019) - Serbia
36. The Lobster (2015) - Greece
37. Ti ekanes ston polemo Thanasi (1971) - Greece
38. Ljetnikovac (2018) - Croatia
39. 12. konjička divizija (1913)* + Linija života (2014) + Quiero decirte (2017) - Serbia
40. Srećan put, komšija (2019) - Bosnia and Herzegovina
41. Tifa (2019)* - Bosnia and Herzegovina
42. Petak 13. II (2019) - Serbia
43. Senatorul melcilor (1995) - Romania
44. 100 (1973) - Romania
45. Marți, după Crăciun (2010) - Romania
46. Mitch: The Diary of the Schizophrenic Patient (2014) - Croatia
47. Mala kronika (1962) + Off Fuck Off (1998)* + Arabeska (2004)* + Grad na nišanu (2007)* + La petite mort (2007)* + Lučonoša (2009)* + Sky Spirits (2010)* + Dota (2016) + Ništa se ne može vratiti (2017) - Croatia
48. Čas brez pravljic (1986) - Slovenia
49. Šiška Deluxe (2015) - Slovenia
50. Dvostruki obruč (1963) - Croatia
51. Rakijaški dnevnik (2015) - Croatia
52. O lacrimă de fată (1980) - Romania


* not on IMDB

[OldAle1]

It's (just about) all Greek to me

1. Alexis Zorbas / Zorba the Greek (Michael Cacoyannis, 1964, GREECE)
2. Dafnis Hai Hloi / Daphnis and Chloe (Orestis Laskos, 1931, GREECE)
3. Prosopa lismonimena / Forgotten Faces (Yorgos Tzavellas, 1946, GREECE)
4. Magiki polis / Magic City (Nikos Koundouros, 1954, GREECE)
5. Stella (Michael Cacoyannis, 1955, GREECE)
6. Istoria mias kalpikis liras / The Counterfeit Coin (Yorgos Tzavellas, 1955, GREECE)
7. O drakos / The Ogre of Athens (Nikos Koundouros, 1956, GREECE)
8. To koritsi me ta mavra / A Girl in Black (Michael Cacoyannis, 1956, GREECE)
9. To teleftaio psemma / A Matter of Dignity (Michael Cacoyannis, 1958, GREECE)
10. Ilektra (Michael Cacoyannis, 1962, GREECE)
11. Meandre (Mircea Saucan, 1966, ROMANIA)
12. O fovos / The Fear (Kostas Manoussakis, 1966, GREECE)

13. Ritzar bez bronya / Knight Without Armour (Borislav Sharliev, 1966, BULGARIA

Cute story about a kid and his family, with the kid having fantasies about Don Quixote, the Three Musketeers, etc - encouraged to one extent or other both by his rather rough father and his much gentler, laid-back bohemian uncle. If you read the IMDb plot description you'll get the basic idea - there's corruption and deceit in the world, and both his parents and many others around him are a part of it, with only the uncle being true and honorable - though he of course is seen as a lazy bum by others. It's a nice little film but I can't say I got anything particularly special out of it. Nice feel for the big old city - Sofia I presume - and with a loose shooting style that reminded me of some French films of this period.

14. Reconstituirea / Reconstruction (Lucien Pintile, 1968, ROMANIA)

Two young men have gotten in a drunken fight, and hurt the barman at a cafe out in some suburban or rural environs, with a lake and river, forest and hills nearby, and the film describes a re-enactment of their crime a few days later which is being filmed in the hopes of curbing other young wastrels' alcoholism and violence. This is a tough little film that I probably watched too late, and perhaps could have used a little background to appreciate more; it's clearly making some arguments against the bureaucracy and criminal justice sytem of the regime but I couldn't understand the details, and why we have a beautiful bikini-clad girl flitting around the margins of the frame nearly all the time was also beyond me. Interestingly shot and the kind of film I generally like, I just couldn't get enough out of it on one viewing to say much more than "neat, but what's it all about?"

[maxwelldeux]

Leaderboard OP updated (Bonus Challenges not updated). Please let me know if I screwed up your score.

[albajos]

I have 4 more movies laying before me, so I'm looking at those movies. Too bad I couldn't see the actual content this month.

I picked 4 of Theodoros Angelopoulos, and saw afterwards that it was 7 years between all of them. 77, 84, 91, 98. Well. it's always next time

[OldAle1]

It's (just about) all Greek to me

1. Alexis Zorbas / Zorba the Greek (Michael Cacoyannis, 1964, GREECE)
2. Dafnis Hai Hloi / Daphnis and Chloe (Orestis Laskos, 1931, GREECE)
3. Prosopa lismonimena / Forgotten Faces (Yorgos Tzavellas, 1946, GREECE)
4. Magiki polis / Magic City (Nikos Koundouros, 1954, GREECE)
5. Stella (Michael Cacoyannis, 1955, GREECE)
6. Istoria mias kalpikis liras / The Counterfeit Coin (Yorgos Tzavellas, 1955, GREECE)
7. O drakos / The Ogre of Athens (Nikos Koundouros, 1956, GREECE)
8. To koritsi me ta mavra / A Girl in Black (Michael Cacoyannis, 1956, GREECE)
9. To teleftaio psemma / A Matter of Dignity (Michael Cacoyannis, 1958, GREECE)
10. Ilektra (Michael Cacoyannis, 1962, GREECE)
11. Meandre (Mircea Saucan, 1966, ROMANIA)
12. O fovos / The Fear (Kostas Manoussakis, 1966, GREECE)
13. Ritzar bez bronya / Knight Without Armour (Borislav Sharliev, 1966, BULGARIA
14. Reconstituirea / Reconstruction (Lucien Pintile, 1968, ROMANIA)

15. Pote tin Kyriaki / Never on Sunday (Jules Dassin, 1960, GREECE)

Director-writer Dassin also stars, alongside his future wife Melina Mercouri in his first Greek-made film and second film with Mercouri. He's an American writer obsessed with the Greek tragedies (but who strangely enough doesn't speak a word of the language) on... holiday? work? it's never really clear - in Piraeus, which, if the films I've watched in this challenge are any indication, seems to be used as a filming location as much as Athens itself in this 50s-60s era. He's trying to find out why Greek classical civilization fell and the world became barbaric, and he meets lovable aging hooker Mercouri and determines that she will be his key, eventually deciding to play something like a Prof HIggins to her Pygmalion (a Greek story to begin with before Bernard Shaw made it famous to the rest of the world). This just didn't work for me overall; I didn't find it funny or particularly romantic and though I don't think it's intended to be misogynistic or condescending towards women or Greece it sure felt like it at times. And Dassin isn't particularly engaging as an actor, he's kind of like Sam Fuller with half the personality. So that leaves Mercouri who pretty much makes this worth watching - barely - on her own. Oh, Giorgos Foundas is also pretty good - I think he was in half the Greek films I watched in this challenge. This is also the origin of the pop song, sung by Mercouri, and it's a nice rendition though the lyric "never on Sunday" isn't present, that doesn't exist until it was re-written in English to capitalize on the film's success under the English-language title; I've always known the song, vaguely, as a dim memory from childhood - it was recorded dozens of times through the 60s - but I don't know which version(s) I'm remembering; frustrating. Anyway a somewhat disappointing last film for a pretty good challenge, and, interestingly it's this and Zorba, the two films that are most "American" that I liked the least.

That's all for me, thanks max!

[maxwelldeux]

OP and Bonus Challenges updated. I even added your requested column, sol.

Please check stats for accuracy, and consider this last call.

[Mario Gaborović]

I've won Kosovo as well.

[maxwelldeux]

I've won Kosovo as well.

Good point - I only included countries with at least 5 total watches in the OP. You won Kosovo (and were the only one to watch a film from there) and Bosnia and Herzegovina as well.

[sol]

OP and Bonus Challenges updated. I even added your requested column, sol.

Thanks. I didn't even realise that I could have won Albania outright with just one more film. Very interesting in any case to see that all the Oscar nominees for this Challenge are a country/region leader too.

[maxwelldeux]

Third Third Stats & Final Update

The Balkans challenge is over this month, we have 19 (+3) who jumped in and joined the challenge. Mario pulled away and finished in first place, with sol and jdidaco rounding out the top 3; OldAle1 is the only other one to finish above 10 watches. The average is 9.89 points, and the median is 3.

The two leads in country stats aren't too surprising...
- 52: Romania
- 51: Greece
- 34: Serbia
- 33: Yugoslavia

Full Table

Participant	Unique Countries
Albania	5
Bosnia and Herzegovina	4
Bulgaria	24
Croatia	27
Greece	51
Kosovo	1
Montenegro	5
North Macedonia	10
Romania	52
Serbia	34
Slovenia	12
Yugoslavia	33

Check out the country-specific leaderboards in the OP under Bonus Challenge 2!

Bonus Challenges
Congrats to Mario for vising all the Balkan countries, as well as for being the only one to visit both Kosovo and Montenegro. sol was next closest, visiting 7, followed by jdidaco with 6. All the top 5 were country leaders (total of 5 watches minimum/country to count), with Mario outright leading 5 and tying in a 6th. Congrats all!

Time

Decades

Participant	Unique Countries
1910	11
1920	1
1930	4
1940	1
1950	13
1960	45
1970	30
1980	32
1990	27
2000	22
2010	69

Years

Participant	Unique Countries
1913	6
1914	3
1917	1
1918	1
1928	1
1931	1
1932	1
1934	2
1946	1
1954	2
1955	3
1956	4
1958	2
1959	2
1960	3
1961	7
1962	7
1963	8
1964	2
1965	3
1966	9
1967	2
1968	2
1969	2
1970	3
1971	5
1972	2
1973	4
1974	3
1975	2
1976	3
1977	4
1978	1
1979	3
1980	7
1981	4
1982	4
1983	1
1984	4
1985	1
1986	1
1987	2
1988	6
1989	2
1990	2
1991	2
1992	2
1993	3
1994	1
1995	10
1996	2
1997	2
1998	3
2000	1
2001	2
2002	1
2003	2
2004	3
2006	3
2007	4
2009	6
2010	4
2011	8
2012	8
2013	4
2014	6
2015	10
2016	5
2017	5
2018	11
2019	8