Cinema Croatia

Another treat for Chicagoans in winter is the upcoming Croatian cinema series at the Gene Siskel Film Center. 6 Croatian features from 1970 to 2007 will be playing from February 3 to March 6. There aren't many places in this country with the means and will to put on these series, so let's hear it for the Siskel. You can find a full run-down of the month of Croatian films at the Siskel website - http://www.siskelfilmcenter.org/ - you'll have to navigate to upcoming February shows.

Here's a list of the titles and directors"
ALL FOR FREE
(SVE DZABA)
2006, Antonio Nuic

ARMIN
2007, Ognjen Svilicic

HERE
(TU)
2003, Zrinko Ogresta

HOW THE WAR STARTED ON MY ISLAND
(KAKO JE PACEO RAT NA MOM OTOKU)
1996, Vinko Bresan

Light Drawings: The Zagreb School of Animation
1958-78, Various directors

ONE SONG A DAY TAKES MISCHIEF AWAY
(TKO PJEVA ZLO NE MISLI)
1970, Kresimir Golik

A VILLAGE PERFORMANCE OF HAMLET
(PREDSTAVA HAMLETA U MRDUSI DONJOJ)
1973, Krsto Papic

It's cold. Stay home and watch a film. From Romania.

It's officially cold now in Chicago. The city that is full of cultural festivals and life on the streets in the summer is keeping warm indoors. There is, of course, always a vibrant film life in the theaters. But if it gets even a bit too cold to go out at all, there's plenty of films to find for yourself.

I just saw an interesting multimedia showcase of the current crop of outstanding Romanian films, on the New York Times website, by A.O. Scott. The review is a great introduction to some of the better international films being produced. Check it out here: http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2008/01/18/magazine/20080120_ROMANIAN_FEATURE.html#

Kosovo to be recognized

Here's a couple interesting articles to update my post about Kosovo from last month.

This is an "interactive feature" of the New York Times, which is a pretty neat use of multi-media on the internet. It combines a slide show of images, audio narration, and a history of the Kosovo conflict and current political stand-off dating back to the initial war.
http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2007/12/08/world/europe/20071209_KOSOVO_FEATURE.html

Now, the NYTimes is reporting that once Kosovo declares independence, the U.S. and Germany plan to recognize it as an independent nation.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/11/world/europe/11kosovo.html

Georgia Election

The recent election in Georgia seems to satisfy all but the opposition parties and Russia. Mikheil Saakashvili was re-elected on January 5 in an election which was monitored by several hundred international observers who say it was a significant step for democracy, even though there are some problems which need to be corrected. The opposition parties, however, are saying the election results were falsified.

One of the articles brought up an interesting point as well. In the Iraq war, Georgia is an ally of the United States, providing 2,000 troops, which is more than any country other than the United States and Britain.

Here are some articles to check out:

International Herald Tribune: US Says Georgian Election Largely in Step With International Standards
Transitions Online: 'A Triumphant Step'
New York Times: Pro-Western President Re-elected in Georgia
BBC: Georgian President 'Re-elected'