Parada (film)
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''The Parade'' ( sr-Cyrl, Парада, Parada) is a 2011
Serbia Serbia (, ; Serbian language, Serbian: , , ), officially the Republic of Serbia (Serbian language, Serbian: , , ), is a landlocked country in Southeast Europe, Southeastern and Central Europe, situated at the crossroads of the Pannonian Bas ...
n
comedy-drama Comedy drama, also known by the portmanteau ''dramedy'', is a genre of dramatic works that combines elements of comedy and drama. The modern, scripted-television examples tend to have more humorous bits than simple comic relief seen in a typical ...
film, written and directed by
Srđan Dragojević Srđan Dragojević ( sr-cyr, Срђан Драгојевић, , born 1 January 1963) is a Serbian film director and screenwriter, who emerged in the 1990s as a significant figure in Serbian cinema. From 2010 until 2017, he was affiliated with the ...
and released on 31 October 2011. The film, which deals with LGBT rights issues in Serbia, features footage of the 2010 Belgrade gay pride parade. Despite the controversial subject, ''The Parade'' sold over 350,000 tickets in Serbian cinemas in the first 11 weeks of distribution, 150,000 in Croatia after 8 weeks, 25,000 in Slovenia, 40,000 in Bosnia-Herzegovina and 20,000 in Montenegro.


Plot

A group of gay activists are trying to organize a pride parade in Belgrade. Among them is Mirko Dedijer, a struggling theater director who mostly makes a living by planning lavish and kitschy wedding ceremonies. Organizing such a parade is no easy task in Serbia as evidenced by the violence at the 2001 attempt. Now, almost a decade later, the situation is not much better – nationalist and right wing groups pose just as much threat particularly as the police refuse to secure the event. Mirko's effeminate boyfriend Radmilo, a veterinarian, is not as political and is content with keeping a low profile. Although the two try to live discreetly, both experience abuse from the homophobic majority. In parallel, we meet Miško Drašković a.k.a. Limun, a macho Serbian veteran of the
Yugoslav Wars The Yugoslav Wars were a series of separate but related#Naimark, Naimark (2003), p. xvii. ethnic conflicts, wars of independence, and Insurgency, insurgencies that took place in the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, SFR Yugoslavia from ...
in his mid-to-late forties. No stranger to criminal activities, divorced Limun operates a
judo is an unarmed gendai budō, modern Japanese martial art, Olympic sport (since 1964), and the most prominent form of jacket wrestling competed internationally.『日本大百科全書』電子版【柔道】(CD-ROM version of Encyclopedia Nipponi ...
club that doubles as a
bodyguard A bodyguard (or close protection officer/operative) is a type of security guard, government law enforcement officer, or servicemember who protects a person or a group of people — usually witnesses, high-ranking public officials or officers, w ...
agency (whose clientele mostly consists of nouveau riche businessmen and female
turbo-folk Turbo-folk (sometimes referred as pop-folk or popular folk) is subgenre of contemporary pop music with its origins in Serbia, that initially developed during the 1980s and 1990s, with similar music styles in Bulgaria (chalga), Romania (manele ...
singers) while dating Biserka, a younger, low-brow ditzy trophy girlfriend who runs a beauty parlour. His son from a previous marriage, Vuk, works in an
auto repair shop An automobile repair shop (also known regionally as a garage or a workshop) is an establishment where automobiles are repaired by auto mechanics and technicians. Types Automotive garages and repair shops can be divided into following categori ...
and is a member of a fringe right-wing skinhead group that attacks gay people. The paths of the two couples cross. Radmilo performs a life-saving operation on Limun's beloved bulldog, the victim of a drive-by shooting that served as a warning to its master. Simultaneously, Biserka seeks out Mirko with a view of hiring him to plan hers and Limun's wedding. The eventual meeting of the two couples goes horribly wrong with Limun's violent and homophobic side emerging, which serves as the final catalyst for Mirko to leave Serbia for Canada (leaving Radmilo behind) and for Biserka to leave Limun. Biserka decides to end contact with Limun but calls Mirko to apologize. Radmilo picks up the phone and, learning of the circumstances of Biserka and Limun, sees an opportunity and formulates a plan. He then shows up at Limun's agency/judo club offering Mirko's services in organizing his wedding party in return for Limun's personnel securing the gay parade. Limun reluctantly accepts, and, though Biserka returns to him, his club staff refuse to protect homosexuals, partly due to the likely reaction of their community. Seeing no other option, Limun decides to contact former wartime adversaries, most of them who engaged in petty smuggling across the borders during the Yugoslav wars. Limun and Radmilo embark on a recruiting trip all over ex-Yugoslavia. They manage to sign up for their mission: Roko (45) a Croat war veteran who now runs a kafana, Halil (50) a Bosniak who owns a video rental parlour, and Azem (45) an Albanian from Kosovo who makes a living by selling drugs stolen via homing birds, mostly to the US troops stationed there. When Limun's attempt to train the gay activists in martial arts fails, the skinheads refuse to be bought off and the police decline a bribe to protect the parade, the tiny group is attacked and brutalized, with Mirko getting killed before the police makes an intervention. However, thanks to this courage and effort, the film ends by celebrating a successful parade the following year protected by several thousand cops.


Cast

* Nikola Kojo as Limun *
Miloš Samolov Miloš Samolov ( sr-cyr, Милош Самолов; born 31 March 1974) is a Serbian actor. He made his acting debut in the 2002 film '' Mala noćna muzika'' in 2002, and has since garnered notable lead and supporting roles in Serbian film, televi ...
as Radmilo *
Hristina Popović Hristina Popović ( sr-Cyrl, Христина Поповић; born 26 March 1982) is a Serbian actress. She appeared in more than thirty films since 1991. Selected filmography References External links * 1982 births Living people ...
as Biserka, Limun's girlfriend * Goran Jevtić as Mirko, Radmilo's partner *
Goran Navojec Goran Navojec (born 10 October 1970) is a Croatian actor and musician. In his three decade long career, Navojec has starred in numerous films including ''The Three Men of Melita Žganjer'' (1998), ''God Forbid a Worse Thing Should Happen'' (2002 ...
as Roko *
Dejan Aćimović Dejan Aćimović (born 20 May 1963) is a Bosnian-Croatian actor and film director. He was born in Čapljina, SFR Yugoslavia, now Bosnia and Herzegovina. As an actor, his work included principal and supporting roles in numerous films, both wi ...
as Halil Zubović *
Toni Mihajlovski Toni Mihajlovski ( mk, Тони Михајловски; born 1 July 1967) is a Macedonian theater, motion picture and television actor, stand up comedian, presenter and showman. Life Mihajlovski was born in Kumanovo, Yugoslavia on the 1st of July ...
as Azem *
Nataša Marković Natasha (russian: Наташа) is a name of Slavic origin. The Slavic name is the diminutive form of Natalia. Notable people * Natasha, the subject of '' Natasha's Story'', a 1994 nonfiction book * Natasha Aguilar (1970–2016), Costa Rican sw ...
as Lenka, gay activist * as Đorđe, gay activist * Relja Popović as Vuk, Limun's son from a previous marriage *
Radoslav Milenković Radoslav "Rale" Milenković ( sr-cyr, Радослав "Рале" Миленковић; born 17 February 1958) is a Serbian actor and theatre director. He has won the most prestigious awards for acting and directing at many festivals in Serbia an ...
as Kecman, corrupt police inspector *
Mira Stupica Miroslava "Mira" Stupica ( sr-cyr, Мирослава Мира Ступица; née Todorović; 17 August 1923 – 19 August 2016) was a Serbian actress best known for her work in the theater, but also had extensive career on television and in fi ...
as grannie Olga * Marko Nikolić as Bogdan, Radmilo's father *
Branimir Popović Branimir Popović ( cnr, Бранимир Поповић; born 17 January 1967) is a Montenegrin and Serbian actor and politician. He appeared in more than twenty films since 1992. From 2000 to 2003, he served as Minister of Culture in the Governm ...
as Zvonce *
Uroš Đurić Uroš Đurić (; born 4 December 1964) is a Serbian conceptual artist, actor and painter based in Belgrade. He studied art history at the University of Belgrade Faculty of Philosophy and painting at the Faculty of Fine Arts in Belgrade. In 1980 ...
as Kačamak * Milan "Strongman" Jovanović as Afrika * Milan Marić as Rešetka *
Bojan Navojec Bojan Navojec (born 26 April 1976) is a Croatian theatre and film actor. Navojec was born in Bjelovar. He graduated from the Academy of Dramatic Art, University of Zagreb The Academy of Dramatic Art ( hr, Akademija dramske umjetnosti or ADU) i ...
as Žuko, Roko's brother * Saša Petrović as Ibro *
Anita Mančić Anita Mančić ( sr-cyr, Анита Манчић; born 30 September 1968) is a Serbian actress. She appeared in more than forty films since 1990. Selected filmography References External links * 1968 births Living people People ...
as Tamara, Limun's ex-wife * as Boro, assassin for hire * Mirjana Đurđević as Radica, Boro's wife


Production

According to its writer and director Dragojević, the film was conceived in summer 2001 while he watched the footage of the violence at the attempted gay pride parade in Belgrade. He wrote the first screenplay draft for ''Parada'' in 2004 before coming back to it in 2007 after failing to secure financing for his other film project titled ''1999''. In that time he experimented with framing the screenplay within different genres, but eventually decided that politically incorrect comedy is the best platform to tell this story. He penned the final version of the script over three weeks during summer 2008 while on vacation on the island of Mljet. By fall 2009, Dragojević was ready to start shooting with the original plan being to shoot the parade scenes at the actual 20 September 2009 gay pride parade in Belgrade that ended up getting called-off due to security concerns. The shooting actually began a year later at the 2010 parade and continued in late March 2011 on locations in Croatia ( Pag,
Rab Rab âːb( dlm, Arba, la, Arba, it, Arbe, german: Arbey) is an island in the northern Dalmatia region in Croatia, located just off the northern Croatian coast in the Adriatic Sea. The island is long, has an area of and 9,328 inhabitants (2 ...
, and Obrovac) and Macedonia (
Bitola Bitola (; mk, Битола ) is a city in the southwestern part of North Macedonia. It is located in the southern part of the Pelagonia valley, surrounded by the Baba, Nidže, and Kajmakčalan mountain ranges, north of the Medžitlija-Níki ...
). According to one of its producers Biljana Prvanović, ''Parada'' cost €1.3 million to make and its funding came from
European Council The European Council (informally EUCO) is a collegiate body that defines the overall political direction and priorities of the European Union. It is composed of the heads of state or government of the EU member states, the President of the E ...
's
Eurimages Eurimages is a cultural support fund of the Council of Europe, established in 1989. Eurimages promotes independent filmmaking by providing financial support to feature-length fiction, animation, and documentary films. In doing so, it encourages c ...
fund, Croatian Audio-Visual Center (HAVC), Serbian Ministry of Culture, Slovenian Ministry of Culture, Macedonian Ministry of Culture, and embassies of Germany, the Netherlands, and France in Belgrade as well as Serbian companies Dunav Osiguranje, Prva Srpska Televizija, and Serbia Broadband. Dragojević complained in interviews that over hundred companies in Serbia turned him down for funding due to not wanting to be associated with a gay-themed project. Listed as the film's producers are: Biljana Prvanović of the Delirium Films from Serbia, Igor Nola from the Croatian Audio-Visual Center (HAVC), Eva Rohrman from Slovenia's Forum Film, Vladimir Anastasov from Macedonia's Sektor Film, and Mike Downey from the UK's Film and Music Entertainment (F&ME).


Director's statement



Release and box office


General theatrical release

After the media screening on 28 October 2011, ''Parada'' premiered in Belgrade's Sava Centar on Monday, 31 October and in Serbian movie theaters from 1 November. Premiere in
Novi Sad Novi Sad ( sr-Cyrl, Нови Сад, ; hu, Újvidék, ; german: Neusatz; see below for other names) is the second largest city in Serbia and the capital of the autonomous province of Vojvodina. It is located in the southern portion of the Pan ...
was held on November the 1st and in
Niš Niš (; sr-Cyrl, Ниш, ; names in other languages) is the third largest city in Serbia and the administrative center of the Nišava District. It is located in southern part of Serbia. , the city proper has a population of 183,164, while ...
on 18 November. In Montenegro, premiere took place in Podgorica on 16 November. In late January 2012,
Serbian government The Government of Serbia ( sr, Влада Србије, Vlada Srbije), formally the Government of the Republic of Serbia ( sr, Влада Републике Србије, Vlada Republike Srbije), commonly abbreviated to Serbian Government ( sr, ...
's Ministry of Education and Science (headed by cabinet minister
Žarko Obradović Žarko Obradović ( sr-cyr, Жарко Обрадовић, ; born 21 May 1960) is a Serbian politician who served as the minister of education from 2008 to 2013. He holds a position of Lecturer at the Megatrend University and the Dean at the Un ...
and vice-minister Zoran Kostić, both from the Socialist Party of Serbia (SPS)) sent out a notice to school boards across Serbia about free screenings of ''Parada'' for principals and teachers of elementary and secondary schools, essentially recommending the movie as a work that promotes tolerance. The idea initiated by the movie's director Dragojević was to organize free screenings (the expense was covered by the film distributor and movie theater owners) for principals and teachers and then leave it up to their discretion whether they want to take their pupils to the cinema at a cut price as part of overall education on homosexuality. Dragojević managed to get the theater owners to cover the free screenings for principals and teachers because according to Zoran Cvetanović, the owner of Art vista theaters "the potential of a number of teenagers seeing the film, even at a cut price, meant increased business for us, especially since that demographic was noticeably absent during ''Paradas commercial theatrical run". Some, such as Miodrag Sokić, the president of Belgrade's gymnasia forum, criticized the fact that the Ministry decided to support someone's private commercial project: "In the last four years (since this ruling coalition has been in power), no other movie got a recommendation from the Ministry in this manner. Supporting a movie, even as an extracurricular activity, is meddling in the school curriculum and that is serious stuff. I don't blame the movie's director Dragojević, but I really have a problem with the Ministry's recommendation". In March and April 2012, Serbian police arrested several individuals suspected of participating in online
copyright infringement Copyright infringement (at times referred to as piracy) is the use of works protected by copyright without permission for a usage where such permission is required, thereby infringing certain exclusive rights granted to the copyright holder, s ...
and illegal distribution of film copies. The premieres in Bosnia and Herzegovina were respectively held, only in
Republika Srpska Republika Srpska ( sr-Cyrl, Република Српска, lit=Serb Republic, also known as Republic of Srpska, ) is one of the two Political divisions of Bosnia and Herzegovina, entities of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the other being the Feder ...
entity, on 7 November in Bijeljina and on 10 December in
Banja Luka Banja Luka ( sr-Cyrl, Бања Лука, ) or Banjaluka ( sr-Cyrl, Бањалука, ) is the second largest city in Bosnia and Herzegovina and the largest city of Republika Srpska. Banja Luka is also the ''de facto'' capital of this entity. I ...
, In Croatia, premieres were held in December – December 12 in Zagreb, December 13 in Rijeka and December 14 in Split. For a time there were discussions over whether the film will be shown with subtitles in Croatia, but in the end the distributor decided against it. Much like in Serbia, the Croatian theatrical audience also responded in great numbers. After its first day of general release in the country on seven screens across Croatia, ''Parada'' was seen by 1,500 people, which according to the local distributor is on par with Hollywood blockbuster openings in Croatia. Initially projected to sell more than 60,000 admission tickets in the country, which would be more than all Croatian films combined sell recently in a single year, ''Parada'' ended up selling more than 150,000 thus overtaking 2005's '' Što je muškarac bez brkova?'' at the second spot of the Croatian all-time theater list (first is still 1996's '' Kako je počeo rat na mom otoku'' with more than 200,000). Final figure of tickets sold reached almost 170,000. In mid March the film got refused from Visia cinema in
Dubrovnik Dubrovnik (), historically known as Ragusa (; see notes on naming), is a city on the Adriatic Sea in the region of Dalmatia, in the southeastern semi-exclave of Croatia. It is one of the most prominent tourist destinations in the Mediterran ...
that's managed by the Catholic Church's local diocese. Since that particular movie theater is the only operational one in the entire city, ''Parada'' effectively got banned from the city of Dubrovnik. Explaining the decision, Mate Uzinić, the bishop of Dubrovnik, listed two reasons for refusal of ''Parada'' – first, that it promotes sin and homosexual lifestyle, and secondly, that "it present a view of the
Homeland War The Croatian War of Independence was fought from 1991 to 1995 between Croat forces loyal to the Government of Croatia—which had declared independence from the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (SFRY)—and the Serb-controlled Yugosl ...
that the Dubrovnik Diocese can't get behind". In Macedonia the premiere was held in
Skopje Skopje ( , , ; mk, Скопје ; sq, Shkup) is the capital and largest city of North Macedonia. It is the country's political, cultural, economic, and academic centre. The territory of Skopje has been inhabited since at least 4000 BC; r ...
on 16 December, followed by
Bitola Bitola (; mk, Битола ) is a city in the southwestern part of North Macedonia. It is located in the southern part of the Pelagonia valley, surrounded by the Baba, Nidže, and Kajmakčalan mountain ranges, north of the Medžitlija-Níki ...
on the 17th. In Slovenia, the premiere was held in
Ljubljana Ljubljana (also known by other historical names) is the capital and largest city of Slovenia. It is the country's cultural, educational, economic, political and administrative center. During antiquity, a Roman city called Emona stood in the ar ...
on December 20. By early March 2012, the film got a 'golden ribbon' in Slovenia for 25,000 admission tickets sold in the country's theaters. So far only Slovenian productions or co-productions were able to reach the figure, the last one being 2001's ''
No Man's Land No man's land is waste or unowned land or an uninhabited or desolate area that may be under dispute between parties who leave it unoccupied out of fear or uncertainty. The term was originally used to define a contested territory or a dump ...
''. On 25 January, the film started playing in theaters in Bosnia and Herzegovina's other entity, Federacija BiH, though no special event premieres were held there. The movie soon reached the 18,000 admission tickets figure. From 2 March, the film went into theatrical release in
Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...
, following a premiere at
Vienna en, Viennese , iso_code = AT-9 , registration_plate = W , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = , timezone = CET , utc_offset = +1 , timezone_DST ...
's UCI Kinowelt Millennium City multiplex.


Festival circuit

The film has been accepted for the
2012 File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gather ...
Berlinale's Panorama programme as the only film from former Yugoslavia out of twenty that applied for the festival. At the festival, the movie's producers struck a distribution deal for the French market with Sophie Dulac Distribution as well as a distribution deal for the Bulgarian market. The film had a premiere showing in Berlin on 13 February 2012, as well as two more press screenings. ''Parada'' received the Panorama Audience Award for feature film among 23,500 votes. It also won the '' Siegessäule'' (German LGBT magazine) readers' award as well as the Ecumenical Jury (representing the Protestant and Catholic Churches' international film organisations – Interfilm and Signis) special mention.


Full list of international festivals and awards

Berlinale Film Festival Panorama Audience Award Fiction Film, Prize of the Ecumenical Jury, Reader Jury of the "Siegessäule" award Torino GLBT film festival Audience award Galway film festival Best international film award Odessa Jury of the International Federation Of Film Clubs – Best Film Freiburg film festival Audience award Pula Zlatna Arena za najbolji scenario Zlatna Arena za najbolju glumicu – Hristina Popovic Festroia – Setubal – Portugal Grand prix – Golden Dolphin Audience Award Prishtina Red Goddess – Best Balkan film MedFilm Rome Grand Prix Montpellier film festival audience award Festival Cinéma Méditerranéen de Bruxelles Prix du Public – audience award Tirana International film festival best director award – Srdjan Dragojevic, best editor award – Petar Markovic


Serbian Festivals and Awards

FIPRESCI award for best film and best actor in 2011. Cinema City International Film Festival in Novi Sad Audience award Sofest Sopot Best editor and best actress Screenplay Festival Vrnjacka Banja Best original screenplay The Parade is in selection with other 19 movies for "European Oscar" award of EFA (European Film Academy)


Admissions

Latest admission summation, on 1 April 2012 is: Serbia / Montenegro / Republika Srpska (entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina) – 336,857 Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina (entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina) – 23,000 Croatia – 163,227 Republic of Macedonia – 11,000 Slovenia – 31,588 Summary in region: 565,590


DVD release

DVD release is scheduled for 3rd week of April. It contains a full-length theatrical movie version, Serbian and international trailer, and extras – 1 hour making of featuring Srdjan Dragojevic, Goran Jevtic, Nikola Kojo & Milos Samolov. Furthermore, audio commentaries from Srdjan Dragojevic, Nikola Kojo and Milos Samolov.


Reaction

''
Press Press may refer to: Media * Print media or news media, commonly called "the press" * Printing press, commonly called "the press" * Press (newspaper), a list of newspapers * Press TV, an Iranian television network People * Press (surname), a famil ...
Branko Rosić gave the film a highly favourable notice, comparing its "hilarious dialogues" to Dragojević's highly regarded earlier works, such as ''
Lepa sela lepo gore ''Pretty Village, Pretty Flame'' ( sr, Лепа села лепо горе / ''Lepa sela lepo gore'', literally ''"Pretty villages burn nicely"'') is a 1996 Serbian film directed by Srđan Dragojević with a screenplay based on a book written by ...
'' and ''
Rane Rane or Ranes may refer to: Geography *Råne River, Sweden *Rânes, a commune in the Orne department in northwestern France * Ráneš, a large island in Troms county, Norway People Indians * Rane (clan), an Indian Maratha clan ** Prachi Rane ...
''. '' Danas'' columnist and well-known Serbian novelist Svetislav Basara wrote about ''Parada'' in his regular column, praising its narrative form and extolling its virtue. Another established Serbian writer, Marko Vidojković, devoted one of his columns in ''
Kurir ''Kurir'' is daily tabloid newspaper published in Belgrade, Serbia. History ''Kurir'' first issue appeared at the news stands on 6 May 2003. While Kurir's history is relatively short, it is also a checkered one. It goes back to the state of emer ...
'' to the movie, describing the experience of watching ''Parada'' in one of Belgrade's multiplexes. Since at the time of his column, the movie was already a verified box office hit, approaching 200,000 admissions in Serbia alone, Vidojković praised Dragojević for "effectively organizing the biggest pride parade in the Balkans in his trademark
Malcolm McLaren Malcolm Robert Andrew McLaren (22 January 1946 – 8 April 2010) was an English impresario, visual artist, singer, songwriter, musician, clothes designer and boutique owner, notable for combining these activities in an inventive and provoc ...
esque manner". The movie's and its director's politics also sparked reaction in the Serbian non-mainstream and fringe media. Ajla Terzić of the far-left portal ''Peščanik'' refers to ''Parada'' as the cinematic equivalent of
kavurma Kavurma is a broad type of fried or sautéed meat dish found in Turkish cuisine. The name also refers to canned or preserved versions of a similar dish, prepared by dry frying the meat to render down the fat. Similar dishes are known in Central ...
, a cheap cholesterol-filled dish that's "consumed by lowbrow and low income masses who do so because it is affordable, thus disregarding its horrendous nutritional effects". Božidar Maslać of the centre-right portal NSPM concentrated on the movie's poster in his notice, feeling that it "ripped-off the Belgrade Zoo logo" and seeing it as yet another plagiarism in Dragojević's cinematic career. Jelena Đurović's (of the far left-wing Agitpop) take on ''Parada'' is prefaced with an admission of a personal crush on Srđan Dragojević she developed back in the early 1990s when he first appeared on the Serbian public scene, which was followed by a long list of personal disappointments in him due to her having problems with the political, ideological, and sociological aspects of his career choices and movies. However, she likes the politics of ''Parada'' and claims to be back to square one with Dragojević.
Republika Srpska Republika Srpska ( sr-Cyrl, Република Српска, lit=Serb Republic, also known as Republic of Srpska, ) is one of the two Political divisions of Bosnia and Herzegovina, entities of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the other being the Feder ...
vice-president Emil Vlajki wrote at length about ''Parada'' in ''Fokus'' daily, seeing it as another tool of the US-sponsored "mental genocide" while labeling Dragojević "a talented director who sold his soul to the devil for fistful of dollars". Following its 12 December premiere showing in Zagreb, ''Parada'' got a short affirmative notice from '' Večernji lists Milena Zajović. Similarly, after the Split premiere two days later, '' Slobodna Dalmacija'''s Marko Njegić wrote an affirmative report from the event. Croatian novelist Ante Tomić wrote about ''Parada'' in his regular ''Slobodna Dalmacija'' column, praising it as "an example of marvelous artistic manipulation where the author shamelessly used horrendous politically incorrect technique to make a film that, when viewed as an overall unit, couldn't be more politically correct".
Mima Simić Mima Simić (born Ana Marija Simić; 4 February 1976) is a Croatian writer, an awarded film critic, translator and an LGBTIQ+ media activist. She holds degrees in Comparative Literature and English Language and Literature from the Faculty of Humanit ...
, Croatian film critic and an LGBT activist, touched on the film and its commercial success during her interview for ''
BH Dani BH, Bh or bh may refer to: Medicine * Bernard-Horner syndrome, a combination of symptoms that arises when a group of nerves known as the sympathetic trunk is damaged * Borderline hypertensive, an American medical classification for cases wher ...
'', calling it "calculated and cunning work whose main goal is to regain audiences of former Yugoslavia and win Western markets". She further thinks the subject of gay rights as a symbol of transition in eastern Europe is "a gold mine that Dragojević is fully taking advantage of". She concludes by saying the film shows the Balkans are beginning to understand that "it's not really OK to beat up gays". In parallel with its domestic theatrical success, ''Parada'' started receiving notices and getting reviewed abroad. One of the first notices was Paul Canning's on international LGBT website Care2 followed by a notice in ''
Screen International ''Screen International'' is a British film magazine covering the international film business. It is published by Media Business Insight, a British B2B media company. The magazine is primarily aimed at those involved in the global film business. ...
'' as the film posted great numbers in Serbian and Croatian cinemas. It was also the subject of an affirmative entry by Phil Hoad on his blog on ''
The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...
'' website. With the film's showing at the 2012 Berlinale, ''Parada'' received affirmative notices in major outlets such as
Reuters Reuters ( ) is a news agency owned by Thomson Reuters Corporation. It employs around 2,500 journalists and 600 photojournalists in about 200 locations worldwide. Reuters is one of the largest news agencies in the world. The agency was estab ...
, ''
Der Spiegel ''Der Spiegel'' (, lit. ''"The Mirror"'') is a German weekly news magazine published in Hamburg. With a weekly circulation of 695,100 copies, it was the largest such publication in Europe in 2011. It was founded in 1947 by John Seymour Chaloner ...
'',
Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse (AFP) is a French international news agency headquartered in Paris, France. Founded in 1835 as Havas, it is the world's oldest news agency. AFP has regional headquarters in Nicosia, Montevideo, Hong Kong and Washington, D.C ...
, and ''
L'Orient Le Jour ''L'Orient-Le Jour'' () is a leading French-language daily newspaper in Lebanon. History ''L'Orient-Le Jour'' was first published on 15 June 1971, following the merger of two French language Lebanese dailies, ''L'Orient'' (founded in Beirut i ...
'', as well as online outlets such as Gay Star News, Splitsider, and
Europa Europa may refer to: Places * Europe * Europa (Roman province), a province within the Diocese of Thrace * Europa (Seville Metro), Seville, Spain; a station on the Seville Metro * Europa City, Paris, France; a planned development * Europa Cliff ...
. Following the Catholic Church's decision to ban the film in Dubrovnik, ''Parada'' got a notice from
Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American non-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association. It produces news reports that are distributed to its members, U.S. newspa ...
as well as another one from Reuters.


Critical reception


Serbia

In the mainstream Serbian print media, the film received generally positive reviews and notices. '' Politika'''s Dubravka Lakić stated that, by "employing shallow, occasionally lowbrow humour delivered through effective jokes and quick yucks", Dragojević made a "thoroughly watchable, rhythmically populist film that sends out a call to tolerance and a message that love always triumphs". ''
Blic ''Blic'' (Cyrillic: Блиц, ) is a daily middle-market tabloid newspaper in Serbia. Founded in 1996, ''Blic'' is owned by Ringier Axel Springer Media AG, a joint venture between Ringier media corporation from Switzerland and Axel Springer AG ...
s Milan Vlajčić classified the film as a "bitterly unbridled comedy that significantly departs from what usually constitutes a situation comedy in Serbia". He went on to compare ''Parada'''s "uncontrolled and slightly anarchic humour, filthy street lingo, and playing with stereoypes" with
Mel Brooks Mel Brooks (born Melvin James Kaminsky; June 28, 1926) is an American actor, comedian and filmmaker. With a career spanning over seven decades, he is known as a writer and director of a variety of successful broad farces and parodies. He began h ...
' '' Producers'' and
Ernst Lubitsch Ernst Lubitsch (; January 29, 1892November 30, 1947) was a German-born American film director, producer, writer, and actor. His urbane comedies of manners gave him the reputation of being Hollywood's most elegant and sophisticated director; as ...
's ''
Ninotchka ''Ninotchka'' is a 1939 American romantic comedy film made for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer by producer and director Ernst Lubitsch and starring Greta Garbo and Melvyn Douglas. It was written by Billy Wilder, Charles Brackett, and Walter Reisch, based o ...
'', concluding that Dragojević "avoided banal moralizing while packing the film with funny stereotypes". '' Danas''' Pavle Simjanović compares aspects of ''Parada'' with
Mike Nichols Mike Nichols (born Michael Igor Peschkowsky; November 6, 1931 – November 19, 2014) was an American film and theater director, producer, actor, and comedian. He was noted for his ability to work across a range of genres and for his aptitude fo ...
' '' The Birdcage'' and even Norman Jewison's ''
The Russians Are Coming, the Russians Are Coming ''The Russians Are Coming, the Russians Are Coming'' is a 1966 American comedy film directed and produced by Norman Jewison for the United Artists. It is based on the 1961 Nathaniel Benchley novel ''The Off-Islanders'', and was adapted for the s ...
'' while expressing concern that Dragojević's film won't have the intended effect of "ridding the stubborn majority of its phobias towards this stigmatized minority" because the director at some point stopped making a comedy and instead turned to creating a political pamphlet. The movie got its most glowing review from Miroljub Stojanović writing in '' NIN'' magazine who sees ''Parada'' as "an uncompromising, subtle, and primarily intelligent film, which examines today's Serbia with such minutia that it possess all the qualities of
hyperrealism Jean Baudrillard ( , , ; 27 July 1929 – 6 March 2007) was a French sociologist, philosopher and poet with interest in cultural studies. He is best known for his analyses of media, contemporary culture, and technological communication, as w ...
". He concludes by saying that "''Parada'' is not only the Serbian society's
ultrasound Ultrasound is sound waves with frequency, frequencies higher than the upper audible limit of human hearing range, hearing. Ultrasound is not different from "normal" (audible) sound in its physical properties, except that humans cannot hea ...
, it is its MRI". Writing for
B92 RTV B92, or simply B92 (stylized as b92, formerly BΞ92 and B 92), is a Serbian news station and broadcaster with national coverage headquartered in Belgrade. Founded in 1989 as radio station, it was a rare outlet for Western news and informat ...
radio-television's web portal, in a mixed review Slobodan Vujanović feels that though it causes many of the film's faults, ''Parada''' topicality is a sign of bravery and virtue on Dragojević's part. He further sees "this satirical comedy with a sad ending" as a "rough, arrogant, objective, and angry criticism of our society as well as the sociopathic nature of some inhabitants of former Yugoslavia who don't mind being soaked in human blood up to their elbows, but won't be caught dead shaking hands with a faggot". While approving of ''Parada''' comedic aspects, Vujanović has issues with the moral stance of its satirical ones, feeling that some the film's cliche characters, especially the former wartime adversaries "all of whom are psychopaths who engaged in some horrible stuff during the war", receive an undue redemption. The reviews in the Serbian online media are more mixed. Although he still gave ''Parada'' passing marks, Popboks' Đorđe Bajić has problems with the film's overall tone and its "lack of tact and subtlety", concluding that it "hits the target when it comes to delivering a loud and unconstrained pastime, but fails when it tries to be anything more than that". The review by KakavFilm.com is essentially more of the same while the review published by Filmovanje.com feels ''Parada'' could've been a great movie had Dragojević been more direct, brave, and worthwhile" concluding that "as it is, at times, you're not sure whether you're watching '' Tesna koža'' or '' Šišanje''". Writing for far-left portal
E-novine ''E-novine'' was a web portal that published news and commentary from the former Yugoslav countries. Based in Belgrade, edited by , and "published in Bosnian, Croatian, Serbian and Montenegrin languages", E-novine has pro-Western, pro- EU editor ...
, Vladan Petković was extremely critical, seeing ''Parada'' as "nothing more than a marketing trick" while citing its main problem to be the fact that "protagonists are caricatures while antagonists are stereotypes". He continues: "Dragojević tried his hardest to pack the film with witty dialogues and thus provide new material for the Balkan movie audiences' favourite activity – citing movie one-liners. And I must say I laughed a few times at some original jokes, but for that to truly work well, the movie must be good as a whole unit (such as '' Maratonci...'', ''
Ko to tamo peva ''Who's Singin' Over There?'' ( sh, Ko to tamo peva) is a 1980 Cinema of Yugoslavia, Yugoslav film written by Dušan Kovačević and directed by Slobodan Šijan. It is a dark comedy and features an ensemble cast. The film tells a story about a gro ...
'', ''
Varljivo leto '68 ''The Elusive Summer of '68'' ( sh, Varljivo leto '68; sr-cyr, Варљиво лето '68) is a 1984 Yugoslav film directed by Goran Paskaljević. It depicts a summer dominated by protests, as seen from the point of view of a teenage boy in Y ...
'', ''
Kako je propao rokenrol How Rock'n'Roll was Ruined ( sh, italic=yes, Kako je propao rokenrol, Како је пропао рокенрол) is a 1989 Serbian anthology comedy film. It consists of three stories, written and directed by three different screenwriters and d ...
''...), which ''Parada'' isn't. It stays in the realm of politically correct fuck-about that's camouflaged in political incorrectness". On the other hand, Marko Radojičić of medio.rs gave ''Parada'' a particularly favourable review, praising its casting, direction, attention to detail as well as its overall message, and City Magazine gave the film another glowing review, calling it Dragojević's best work. The film also received online notices from Slobodan Georgijev in BalkanInsight.


Bosnia and Herzegovina

Though still not widely reviewed, it got a negative notice from RS newspaper '' Nezavisne novines Branko Tomić who commends the movie's trailer, but reprimands Dragojević for "not being brave enough to shake up Serbia out if its slumber by showing it a passionate gay kiss". He further feels that the public set "big social expectations for the movie based upon the trailer and the director's earlier works", but thinks they will not be met and that the movie will disappear in the viewers' minds shortly after leaving the theater. Though it did not start playing in Federation BiH's cinemas until 25 January, ''Parada'' got some online reviews even before that date. Mirko V. Ilić of depo.ba gave the film a negative review, seeing it as a "mixture of camp comedy (first 100 minutes) and drama about two Serbias (the rest of the film)" and labeling the former "solid, well directed, and not bad" and the latter "unbearably bad". He further feels the movie is calculated and disingenuous for not showing a gay kiss and thinks "the movie will not help cure the Balkaniod Belgrade whose prominent representative is also Dragojević himself judging by his previous films".


Croatia

'' Vjesnik'' published a positive review with Božidar Trkulja seeing ''Parada'' to be about various forms of love, which Dragojević "skillfully mixes and frames into a compact, humour-laden, and pleasant cinematic experience". The review by '' Jutarnji lists Jurica Pavičić is punctuated by his claim that "gifted cynic Dragojević who primarily possesses propensity and capacity for ridicule and whose previous movies are built on superior and often antipathetic sarcasm ... has finally delivered something which he never did before – a movie with lots of tenderness". In between comparing aspects of ''Parada'' with films by Akira Kurosawa and John Sturges, Pavičić praises the actors, criticizes the film's production design, and concludes by praising ''Parada'' as a "lovable, shamelessly and purposely populist work that gives you a bitter political lesson wrapped in cotton candy". Writing in '' Novosti'', the weekly aimed at the Serb minority in Croatia, Kino Radić gives the film an extremely negative review, feeling that Dragojević "turned to hyperbolization of stereotypes, both gay and ethnic, in order to be ideologically controversial as well as to, through populism, attract a large audience, all of which would've been fine had the movie been uproariously funny, but it is dominantly unfunny and, as it goes on, increasingly boring". He further reproaches Dragojević for "drastically losing the rhythm" and calls him out for "ideological malice which the director already exhibited previously in ''Lepa sela lepo gore'' and now continued in ''Parada'' through the Albanian narcodealer character who is not only the most deplorable of all criminals in the multiethnic group, but also has the most perverse sexual habits having once engaged in a sexual act with a zebra and giving it an STD, all of which is supposed to be funny". Mladen Šagovac of moj-film.hr concentrates more on ''Paradas political than stylistic aspects in his positive review, and in this regard singles out the character of Mirko "whose transformation from effeminately feeble gay person into a confrontational one represents both a call to reason and a war cry that will surely serve to soften the bizarre, nationalistically-rooted, anti-gay views of the people across Balkans". Marcella Jelić of tportal.hr gave ''Parada'' a negative review, feeling Dragojević made "a series of morally deeply problematic decisions in the film, the most obvious of which is presenting hardened criminals, chauvinists, war profiteers, and thugs as sympathetic and charming characters". She concludes by exclaiming: "Still, I'd be willing to forgive all of its shortcomings had ''Parada'' been truly funny, but it isn't except in a few rare moments. As it is, its only saving grace is that its noble aim justifies its means. It's just too bad its means are so boring". Robert Jukić of film-mag.net also didn't like the film, seeing it as "a fairly uneven product that balances between comedy and drama in which Dragojević sinks his teeth into some hot topics such as corruption and war profiteering, but the end result is pale and aloof". He also feels its humour is forced and pandering while expressing doubt whether the movie will appeal to Croatian cinema-going public "because homophobia is not such a big problem in our country like it is in the neighbouring one". All Srdjan Dragojevic's Parades


Slovenia

review by '' Delo'' – the greatest Pride Parade review by Simon Popek


Abroad

With its showing at the 2012 Berlinale, the movie started getting reviewed abroad. Calling ''Parada'' "a rude and raunchy challenge to Balkan homophobia", ''Screen Internationals Mark Adams praises "broad comedy fare that revels in its stereotyping and takes no prisoners" as well as Dragojević for "directing with a good deal of intelligence and being very much aware that his unsubtle characters offer an entertaining look at the culture clash between brutal Balkan machismo and a gay community". On the other hand, Jay Weissberg of '' Variety'' disliked the movie very much, writing: "''Parada'' sees itself as a genial satire, but Srđan Dragojević's tired and tiresome caricatures are just embarrassing. Using formulaic traits – effeminate gay men, over-macho nationalists – to convince audiences to confront their homophobia might work for anyone still thinking Paul Lynde is fresh, but viewers who've watched gay-themed pictures mature since the 1970s will cringe at this naively well-meaning but hopelessly dated farce". In
The Hollywood Reporter ''The Hollywood Reporter'' (''THR'') is an American digital and print magazine which focuses on the Cinema of the United States, Hollywood film industry, film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade pap ...
, Karsten Kastelan writes, "In this hilarious, raunchy comedy directed by Srdjan Dragojevic, a homophobic gangster is charged with protecting a gay pride parade in Belgrade". Paul Hockenos reviewed the film in '' Boston Review'' in July 2012.


Awards


Serbia

Fipresci Srbija – best feature film in 2011. Fipresci Srbija – Nikola Kojo – best male role in 2011.


International

Berlin International Film Festival 2012: Panorama Audience Award for Fiction Film Prize of the Ecumenical Jury – Special Mention Reader Jury of the "Siegessäule" at 26th Teddy Awards


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Parade (Film), The 2011 films Serbian LGBT-related films 2010s Serbian-language films Serbian comedy-drama films Films directed by Srđan Dragojević 2011 LGBT-related films LGBT-related comedy-drama films Films set in Serbia Films set in Belgrade Films shot in Belgrade Films about the Serbian Mafia 2011 comedy-drama films