Weekend Watch List! The South East European Film Festival Los Angeles!
It is a good weekend for a film marathon, and the virtual South East European Film Festival, or SEEFest, has you covered if you are in the USA! This program of films from the collection of countries in that region—countries like Slovenia, Bulgaria, Romania, or Turkey. The cinematic output of these countries has historically been quite insular to their regions, with relatively little exposure internationally, despite in some cases (Turkey) having massive film industries. The reality is that this region is so culturally diverse and so filled with history that it is a gold mine of stories that are beyond ripe for exploration.
The films at this year’s virtual SEEFest are available throughout the weekend, up through Closing Night on Wednesday, May 5th. I’m going to list a few films here that were either standouts for me or of keen interest to our beloved Horrible Imaginings friends and family! Read on, then grab your pass!
IN THE SHADOWS
2020, 94 mins, Turkey, Director: Erdem Tepegoz
In a dystopia of an undefined place and time, dominated by primitive technology, a group of people is being controlled by an omnipresent surveillance system. When someone in the group contracts a mysterious disease, he tries to contact the officials out of fear he will lose his job. Doubts arise about the structure he is working in. By questioning the system, he gets to know the depths of this structure which is even darker than he thought.
This sci-fi dystopia from Turkey is a feature film of great interest to genre enthusiasts. IN THE SHADOWS is a film that builds a meticulous world where few would care to visit. Part BRAZIL, part body horror, all socio-political rage. Do not miss it!
MY LAKE
2020, 100 mins, Albania, Director: Gjergi Xhuvani (his final film before his passing in 2019)
Young Kristo lives in a village at the edge of gorgeous Lake Prespa, a body of water divided on the borders of three Balkan countries Albania, Macedonia and Greece. In order to support his family, Kristo has become a small-time marijuana smuggler, using his boat and knowledge of the lake waters to transport drug packages from the Albanian to the Macedonian side.
This is a coming of age story that inspires me to learn more about the relationship between Albania and Macedonia, and that relationship to the lives of people. There is a lot in this film that I could return to with stronger cultural context and understanding, and personally, that is an exciting prospect.
FEAR
2020, 100 mins, Bulgaria, Director: Ivaylo Hristov
Svetla, a strong-willed widow, lives alone in a small Bulgarian village close to the Turkish border. She has recently lost her job as a teacher due to the lack of families with young children. One day, while hunting in a forest, she encounters an African refugee, Bamba, who is trying to reach Germany, and will bring about a dramatic turn in her life. Reluctantly, she offers him hospitality, but day after day, a bond develops as Bamba learns the language and takes part in her daily life. Svetla will make life-changing choices that go against her traditional community creating a revolt among the villagers. Absurd, comic and tragic situations ensue as she breaks barriers of loneliness, close mindedness and fear of the outsider.
Right from the title, it seems like this would be a perfect film for our audience. Indeed, it is very much a film that thematically explores fear—in this case the emotion that governs so much of how we behave and, more importantly, how we react to each other. As with MY LAKE, I chose to list it here because there is a lot of story context that I think may be particular to Bulgarian audiences. The discovery of where diverse cultural experiences converge and diverge is one of my favorite things about experiencing international cinema. This film can get quite emotional, and I wasn’t always positive where my emotions were going.
See below for passes and the rest of the film guide!