OCCUPIED CINEMA

The film depicts the battle over Belgrade's oldest cinema, founded in 1911, the "Zvezda" (or "Star", in English), which was owned by state-run Beograd Film from 1946 to 2007, subsequently privatised and then sold off several years later. In 2014, it was occupied by film students, activists, artists and engaged citizens. What starts as a successful act of collective empowerment gradually gives way to a laborious process of negotiation, as it becomes clear that the motives of the diverse stakeholders vary a great deal. A film that peeks behind the curtain of grassroots democratic processes and documents the challenges they entail.