Avala Film is the former Yugoslavia’s oldest and largest film studio. Modelled on the famous Italian Cinecittà, it was created in 1946. to be the country’s Central Film Studio. 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.
Today the studios, which still have the socialist-era status of ‘socially-owned’ property are on sale. The Serbian government is selling Avala Film for the value of the terrain the film city stands on. The entire catalogue of films produced has been included in the sale, meaning almost half of Yugoslav history will become the private ownership of a real-estate tycoon on April 22nd, 2015.
We’ve called our campaign “The City of Lost Films”, referring not only to the lost film city, but also the fact that Belgrade has, as a result of another catastrophically mismanaged privatisation, lost a network of 13 cinemas in the city center. We chose the slogan “The final screening” to start a countdown to the sale, and you can participate in expressing your feelings by signing our petition. Most importantly, you can send us your texts, memories, photos and other souvenirs of Avala Film, and join us in this attempt to build an online space that will house the story of Avala Film.
Today the studios, which still have the socialist-era status of ‘socially-owned’ property are on sale. The Serbian government is selling Avala Film for the value of the terrain the film city stands on. The entire catalogue of films produced has been included in the sale, meaning almost half of Yugoslav history will become the private ownership of a real-estate tycoon on April 22nd, 2015.
We’ve called our campaign “The City of Lost Films”, referring not only to the lost film city, but also the fact that Belgrade has, as a result of another catastrophically mismanaged privatisation, lost a network of 13 cinemas in the city center. We chose the slogan “The final screening” to start a countdown to the sale, and you can participate in expressing your feelings by signing our petition. Most importantly, you can send us your texts, memories, photos and other souvenirs of Avala Film, and join us in this attempt to build an online space that will house the story of Avala Film.
