Praznik (The Feast). 1967. Yugoslavia. Directed by Đorđe Kadijević. Written by Kadijević, Aleksandar Petkovic. With Jovan Janicijevic-Burdus, Anka Zupanc, Dusan Janicijevic. In Serbo-Croatian and German with English subtitles. 35mm. 83 min.
On Christmas Day 1943, a Chetnik (royalist Yugoslav army) garrison in a small village offers succor to a pair of downed American pilots. Events take an unexpected turn when the pilots begin to believe they are among the partisans, and their hosts, unable to speak English, change their attitude when the Germans come looking for the pilots. Dealing with the influence of war on the lives of small communities, The Feast is both a work of pure poetry and a radical rethinking of human power, responsibility, and faith during dark times. The film was directed by Đorđe Kadijević, a remarkable filmmaker whose career spans the most critical and poetic human dramas, unconventional genre films, and one of the greatest historical series on Yugoslav television (which was even recognized by UNESCO). The Feast is a good introduction to the director and, like the violinist who appears in cinema’s most splendid closing sequences, is sure to touch your soul.