UK Premiere

Official Selection Documentary

Short Synopsis:

A documentary taking a critical look at the role that Western powers played in the break-up of Yugoslavia.

Review:

The former republic of Yugoslavia was at the centre of several of the defining moments and conflicts of the 20th century, from the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand in Sarajevo to the country’s dramatic civil war in the 1990’s. With all that troubled history, as an elderly woman at the outset of Boris Malagurski’s documentary explains, “it’s not easy to say, what Yugoslavia is.”
 
The Weight of Chains is Malagurski’s attempt to clarify the complexity of the Yugoslavian identity by contextualizing and exposing the reality of the Yugoslav Wars and their aftermath. His sympathies lie with the wronged citizens of each country, born out of the division of the former republic.
 
Using some terrific archive footage and the testimony of a number of reputable experts, the film traces the fragmentation and separation of Yugoslavia. Malagurski effectively conveys the confusion of the time and, with a biting wit, suggests that nobody is blameless in the escalation of violence. The documentary ultimately appears to be about the “predatory capitalism” that the US and the EU practiced on the Yugoslavian people. Malagurski uses this term and its implications to expose the reality of 21st century colonialism and its cost.
 
Zachary Boren

In Partnership With

Southeast Europe: People and Culture is a project organised by the European Commission’s Directorate General for Enlargement. It aims at raising awareness and showing another side of the countries of Southeast Europe that are hoping to join the EU in the future. http://www.southeast-europe.eu/home.html

Telephone Booking: call 0871 220 6000 and say "Operator' for a human being at the cinema.

Practical Information

Screenings at Apollo Cinema Piccadilly Circus
19 Lower Regent Street
SW1Y 4LR
London
www.appollocinemas.com

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