Come see the 2010 Croatian feature, “Mother of Asphalt” directed by Dalibor Matanić and starring Marija Škaričić, winner of the 2011 Golden FIPA Award from France’s Biarritz International Festival for this performance. (Two of her other performances, “Fraulein” in 2006 and “A Wonderful Night in Split” in 2004, were also awarded Best Actress Awards from the Sarajevo Film Festival.)   The story: It's almost Christmas time when Mare, recently laid off, leaves...

For those who didn’t see the 2011 South East European Film Festival (SEE FEST) last May, I thought I’d recap a few of my favorite films. Me, My Gypsy Family, and Woody Allen was a humorous and moving 2009 documentary about the Halilović family’s move from caravans into a permanent apartment, and the daughter Laura’s intent on being a filmmaker rather than getting married at 18, as her mother and relatives expected. Halilović’s family had lived in caravans in Italy sin...

More about “Slovenia Begs to Differ,” a unique retrospective of Slovenian films, 1945-present, that played in September at the Hammer Museum’s Billy Wilder Theater. It was curated by Vera Mijojlic, artistic director of the South East European Film Festival (SEE FEST) and Shannon Kelley, head of public programs at UCLA’s Film and Television Archive, with special thanks to Nerina T. Kocjancic of the Slovenian Film Center.   My second Slovenian film experience feat...

Los Angeles was recently treated to “Slovenia Begs to Differ,” a unique retrospective of Slovenian films, 1945-present. The film series took place over three weekends in September 2011 at the Hammer Museum’s 295-seat Billy Wilder Theater, which was consistently full or 2/3 full every night. Many film aficionados showed up to see films shown from archival 35mm prints. The films were curated by Vera Mijojlic, artistic director of the South East European Film Festival, and Shannon Kel...