THE GREAT TRAM ROBBERY BY SLOBODAN SIJAN
DIRECTOR: SLOBODAN SIJAN
PRODUCER: GARGANTUA FILMS (SERBIA), ARTIKULACIJA FILMS (MONTENEGRO), STUDIO VIRC (SLOVENIA), THE CHOUCHKOV BROTHERS (BULGARIA), SIRENA FILM (THE CZECH REPUBLIC), microFILM (ROMANIA)
DRAMA/110’
Serbia/Montenegro/Slovenia/Bulgaria/The Czech Republic/Romania
SYNOPSIS:
THE GREAT TRAM ROBBERY is a story about the golden age of Belgrade in the roaring 1920s, Belgrade of Dadaism, Futurism and Zenitism; Belgrade of ragtime, jazz and Charleston; Belgrade of automobiles, aeroplanes and sexual revolution... A story about generation that has survived the horrors of the First World War, but also generation of French-educated free-minded intellectuals who tried to bring the spirit of the avant-garde to the Balkans.
The story is set against the flamboyant settings of 1920’s Pride Parade, Court intrigues and Communist plotting, in the time when Belgrade was known as "the Paris of the Balkans". Our main character, director BOŠKO TOKIN gathers a group of idealistic young artists in an attempt to make the first avant-garde film in Belgrade and Balkans. Tokin, a historical figure, was an avant-garde poet, visual artist and the first cinephile in Serbia and Balkans. In layman’s terms, he was a movie buff at the time most people still thought of film as a circus attraction. This is a story about strange events which led to the making of that film and its subsequent mysterious disappearance.
ABOUT DIRECTOR:
Slobodan Šijan is a film director, visual artist and writer.
Ever from his debute with the black comedy masterpiece WHO’S SINGIN’ OVER THERE? (Cannes Film Festival) Slobodan Šijan is widely regarded as one of the greatest Serbian and Yugoslavian film auteurs of all times.
After the premiere in Cannes, WHO’S SINGIN OVER THERE? had wide distribution in France.
2015. French distributor published remastered Blu Ray and DVD of the movie.
Over the next decades he crafted a string of outstanding films ( including MARATHON FAMILY, STRANGLER VS STRANGLER, HOW I WAS SYSTEMATICALLY DESTROYED BY AN IDIOT) which all enjoy cult following and undying popularity across all the countries of ex-Yugoslavia) and had remarkable international festival life.
In 1996, Yugoslav Academy of Film Art and Science pronounced WHO’S SINGIN’ OVER THERE? as the best Yugoslav film made in the last 50 years.
In 2016, film WHO’S SINGIN’ OVER THERE? was declared the best Serbian film of 20th century by Yugoslav Cinematheque.
He was professor at Faculty of Dramatic Arts,,Belgrade,at University of Southern California,Los Angeles and at Loyola Merimount University
Slobodan Šijan is named, together with Segio Leone, as a Citizen of Honor of the City of Montpellier.
THE JEWISH GIRL BY SHARON BAR ZIV
DIRECTOR: SHARON BAR ZIV
PRODUCER: CHOUCHKOV BROTHERS
DRAMA/BULGARIA/ 110’
SYNOPSIS:
Sofia, 1943. Christo, a Bulgarian bar owner risks his life to save a 16-year-old Jewish wounded girl who jumped of the train from Salonika to Auschwitz. At the same time, he starts an intimate relationship with the Jewish psychiatrist who treats his wife.
ABOUT DIRECTOR:
Sharon Bar Ziv graduated from the department of Film and Television at the Tel Aviv University. Began his career as a young actor in the classic Israeli film ‘Late summer Blues’ and later worked as an actor in the Israeli National Theater. He worked for 10 years in the advertising business as a copywriter and creative director. In 2012 he wrote, directed and produced his first feature film, ‘Room 514’ which was screened at the Cannes Film Festival and received a special award for Directing at the Tribeca Film Festival.
A POEM FOR THE WRINKLED MAN BY OLEG KOVATCHEV
DIRECTOR: OLEG KOVATCHEV
PRODUCER: CHOUCHKOV BROTHERS
Documentary/ Bulgaria
SYNOPSIS:
This is a film about one of Bulgaria’s most appreciated and beloved poets - Valeri Petrov. It is not a biographical film but a visual poem. It is a shy film, like the character himself. No grand interviews, describing him as a genius, no listing of awards and prizes. Only members of his closest family - they’re not discussing his accomplishments but his daily routines, the little things that help us get to know the artist behind some of the greatest, most musical poetry in Bulgaria. In this film, the people who grew up with his poetry will once again unveil their youth. And the young ones, who didn’t have the opportunity to live alongside his creations, will get to know the depth of the talent that brought us so many golden works of the words.
THE GREAT TRAM ROBBERY
THE JEWISH GIRL
A POEM FOR THE WRINKLED MAN
COMPLETED
IN PRODUCTION
IN DEVELOPMENT
Chouchkov Brothers
Borislav Chouchkov
51, Ekzarh Yosif Str.
1000 Sofia, Bulgaria
Tel: + 359 888 233007
E-mail: filmproduction@ch-bros.com
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