Brooklyn – Gusinje

Synopsis

Ivana, a young seamstress, quits her job in a small factory and decides to accept a position as a waitress with a private restaurateur Seco, in the mountain town of Gusinje, on the Yugoslav-Albanian border. There, she unexpectedly encounters two young men who came home from New York (where they work illegally). This film introduces the viewer to Albanian family traditions and customs, particularly the relationship between the young and the old generation.

Director Biography

Born in 1942, based in Novi Sad, Serbia, his socially engaged films and documentaries in former Yugoslavia earned him critical accolades in the late 60s (“The Unemployed” 1968, Best Documentary at the Oberhausen festival, 1968; “Early Works”1969, Best Film at Berlin Film Festival), but also censorship in the 70s for his unflinching criticism of the government apparatus.
Low budget filmmaking and challenging political themes mark Žilnik’s prolific career that includes over 50 feature and documentary films and shorts. His power to observe and unleash compelling narratives out of the lives of ordinary people is the common thread throughout his documentary and docudrama work. More recently, his focus has shifted beyond the divided Balkans to question its relationship with the tightening controls of European borders, delving into the heart of issues of refugees and migrants.