SLAV 419
Socialist Yugoslavia is known for its subversive and experimental cinema. This course explores the prominent genres, movements, and themes of both post-WWII socialist Yugoslavia and its post-socialist successor states after 1991. These include early films of socialist realism, globally renowned animated film, counter-culture Black Wave cinema, monumental Red Wave cinema, and the films of the late socialist period. In addition, this course pays close attention to the films produced in the post-socialist period in the context of civil war, economic and social dislocation, and the ennui of post-Yugoslav politics. In tracing the history and evolution of Yugoslav cinema as art and politics, the course examines the work of important (post)Yugoslav directors such as Aleksandar Petrović, Živojin Pavlović, Želimir Žilnik, Dušan Makavejev, Dušan Kovačević, Milcho Manchevski, Emir Kusturica, and Jasmila Žbanić.
Term: Spring 2026
Instructor: Peter Wright
Credit: 3 hours (undergraduate); 4 hours (graduate)