Movies by Fabijan Šovagović
A Performance of Hamlet in the Village of Mrdusa Donja
A corrupt village commissar insists on mounting a production of Hamlet. The clever local teacher, however, casts the son of a man framed for theft as Hamlet, and the commissar as the usurping king, leading to a climax of truly Shakespearean proportions.
The Rhythm of Crime
Old houses in Zagreb are destroyed in order to build new, bigger blocks. A teacher who lives in one of these houses allows a stranger to share his home with him. The stranger has a fascination with statistics, and claims he can predict crimes based on statistical analyses. When a predicted murder did not occur, the stranger is adamant that the whole town will suffer unless a balance is achieved - and he leaves.
The Return
Despite the ongoing WW2, most of the people were just minding their own business. But everything changes when police arrests the group of youths under suspicion of being resistance sympathizers. Outraged townsfolk organize the siege of police station.
The Ambassador
Vlado Miljkovic, a former member of the International Brigades in the Spanish Civil War, partisan fighter and retired ambassador, lives in his villa in Zagreb with his children whom he lost contact with, if he ever had one. His daughter Mickey is morbidly devoted to the worship of the cult of her dead mother, and attempts suicide in a state of distress; son Roni plays drums in a rock group and engages in a car theft, while the eldest son Mark has achieved a prestigious career as a doctor, but has problems with his demanding wife and asks fat...
1st Split Detachment
A Partisan unit goes into battle with the enemy twice stronger, somehow resists detachment to attack deep into the night, where the fraud are captured combatants from all units and thrown to the terrible torture and eventually murder.
The Birch Tree
A beautiful but ailing girl is married to a harsh man who doesn't care for her. Only after she dies does he realize that he actually loves her.
Vukovar: The Way Home
The story follows a group of Croatian refugees who have been forced to leave their hometown of Vukovar by Serbian forces during Croatia's struggle for independence. The people are settled at a railway station in a village near Vukovar, where they live in a train which is adapted to serve as a temporary accommodation.The situation grows dim as the date of their return proves to be uncertain, and the lives of the survivors and refugees becomes more and more complicated being burdened by PTSP and strong feelings of hope to return to their homes...
Cervantes from the Small Town
'Malo Misto' lives its own life, but not far behind the times. Hotel manager Roko Prč strives to organise tourism, so he introduces the first nudist beach. His wife Anđa brings two of her cousins from the Dalmatian hinterland and demands Roko to hire them. One of them, a young man named Ikan, earns the attention of a beautiful Swedish tourist. From Chile to Malo Misto returned Tonči, nicknamed Servantes, of course, without any money. He fell on the back of his hardworking aunt Keka, who even without him has enough problems of her own. Servan...
Anno Domini 1573
Europe in second half of 16th century was very rough place to live. Peasants of Slovenia and Croatia had even rougher times because of the constant threat of Turk raids and being taxed to death in order to provide defence against the Turks. But, the worst things were arrogant local feudal lords led by Franjo Tahi who were oppresing the common folk. All that led to the great peasant revolt of 1573. The movie is made for the 400th anniversary of the event.
Handcuffs
Yugoslavia, 1948, the year of Inform Bureau's resolution and Tito's break-up with Stalin. The story takes place during a wedding in the Dalmatian inland in Croatia. Ante marries a much younger woman, Visnja; the groom's godfather is Andrija, the partisan war hero born in this very village, and a member of the new Communist political establishment. Two members of the Yugoslav State Security crash the traditional wedding ceremony. In the growing atmosphere of fear nobody knows who will be arrested.
Silent Gunpowder
Silent Gunpowder (Serbo-Croatian: Gluvi barut) is a Yugoslavian war film Based on a novel by Branko Ćopić and set during World War II, the film tells the story of a Serbian village in the mountains of Bosnia and its villagers who found themselves divided along two opposing ideological lines, represented by the Chetniks and the Partisans. These two opposing sides are personified in the Partisan commander Španac and a former Royal Army officer Radekić. Španac sees Radekić as the cause of villagers' resistance to the new, Communist, ideology a...
On the Road to Katanga
Obsessed by the dreams of a comfortable life, son of a coal miner comes back to his native country with plans to sell his father's house in order to travel to the African diamond mine in Katanga. Re-visiting of his hometown brings back his childhood trauma, and the nightmare of the old and new love, the events in and around the mine, all put his obsession with Katanga on test.
An Event
A grandfather and his grandson go to a fair to sell a horse. A ranger and his vicious partner, Matijevic, follow them as they return home in order to rob them. The confrontation takes place in the forest.
A Journey
This film shows a surreal train ride by several passengers whose journey is not quite what they expect in this brilliant short film.
Four Days to Death
Between the two World Wars, Yugoslavia was ruled by a monarchy. This movie explores the difficulties faced by a Communist Party organizer under that regime when an order goes out to kill anyone threatening the current regime. At first he is willing to leave the country, but his experience of the situation of workers moves him to stay. Despite efforts of captors to help him escape, he refuses, and dies a martyr's death.
Don't Lean Out the Window
Encouraged by the stories of guest workers who pay visit to their homeland, a young man Filip finds himself on a central station in Frankfurt on the Main, Germany. While looking for his old friend Mate who would help him to get around in new environment, Filip experiences one trouble after another until he finally finds Mate lethally wounded.
The House
The manager of an export-import company meets a young girl who claims that her parents have been taken their house away after WW2. After finding out this to be true, he offers to marry her which she accepts. However, it turns out that the house needs thorough restoration. Since his salary is not enough to cover its massive expenses, he puts his honesty on test.
Snowstorm
A story about life adversities of an old emigrant who returns from America to his native village.
Friends
An absurd combination of circumstances turns two idle young men into fugitives from the law.
Whatever You Can Spare
Zoran is a graduate student of psychology and she gets a motorcycle as a present from his father. Being an unskilled driver, he stumbles upon a girl Biba and she breaks her leg. To prevent a possible lawsuit, he visits her in the hospital. They continue to see each other, and soon fall in love. Biba is a girl from suburban shanty, while Zoran comes from a well-to-do family, and his parents refuse to accept the girl. Young couple gets married and lives temporarily in Biba's home, where they drove out Biba's brother, a petty criminal. While lo...