I AM NOT ASHAMED OF MY COMMUNIST PAST

SANJA MITROVIC/VLADIMIR ALEKSIC (BE/SR)

In I Am Not Ashamed of My Communist Past Sanja Mitrovic and renowned Serbian actor Vladimir Aleksic tackle the recent history of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, a country that now exists only in imagination and memory. Yet the fundamental idea of the SFRY, as a multi-ethnic, multi-religious and socialist state, is still relevant to European struggles today. This is the conviction that brought together these two artists and childhood friends, both of whom emigrated in 2001. While Sanja lives and works in Western Europe, Vladimir has returned to Serbia, reconstructing his life there. This investigation unfolds through a dialogue between cinema and theater, interweaving the course of the two artists’ lives with the history of Yugoslav cinema, the country’s socialist past, sense of community, nationalist wars, neoliberal revisionism, and the devastation of their hometown. In today’s society, is it possible to remain true to the ideals we once believed in? What still unites communities that share the same space? How the artists assess the value of their lives and work, and the weight of the choices they have made, lead us to a crisp analysis of the present.

I AM NOT ASHAMED OF MY COMMUNIST PAST
direction Sanja Mitrovic
concept & perfomance Sanja Mitrovic, Vladimir Aleksic
dramaturgy Jorge Palinhos, Olga Dimitrijevic
video Editor Nikola Vrzic, Siniša Mitrovic camera Vladimir Pavic
production Sanja Mitrovic/ Stand Up Tall Productions (Amsterdam) and BITEF Theatre (Belgrade)
co-production Beursschouwburg (Brussels)
partners Pianofabriek (Brussels), Centar Film (Belgrade), Yugoslav Cinematheque (Belgrade), Avala Film (Belgrade), Film Center Serbia (Belgrade), National Theatre “Tosa Jovanovic” (Zrenjanin)
support Flemish Community, Flemish Community Commission, City of Belgrade

SAT 30.09.2017 | 20.30
TEATRO FOCE – LUGANO

22.00 After-show meeting with the audience
moderator Angela Demattè