"In a small nice restaurant in Istanbul I was having dinner with friends from various Balkan countries - a Greek, a Macedonian, a Turk, a Serb, and me, the Bulgarian. There I heard The Song.
As soon as it sounded we all started singing it, everyone in his own language. Everyone claimed that the song came from his own country. Then we found ourselves caught in a fierce fight - Whose is this Song?"
In her search for the true origins of a haunting melody, the filmmaker travels to Turkey, Greece, N. Macedonia, Albania, Bosnia, Serbia and Bulgaria. The powerful emotions and stubborn nationalism raised by one song seem at times comical and othertimes, scarily revealing.
—————————————–
"In a nice little restaurant in Istanbul I was having dinner with friends from different Balkan countries - a Greek, a Macedonian, a Turk, a Serb and me, the Bulgarian. Suddenly I heard The Song.
As soon as it sounded, we all began to sing it, each in his own language. Everyone claimed that the song was from their own country. Then suddenly we found ourselves in a heated argument - Who does this song belong to?"
In search of the true origin of the melody, the filmmaker travels to Turkey, Greece, Northern Macedonia, Albania, Bosnia, Serbia and Bulgaria. The strong emotions and stubborn nationalism evoked by just one song appear sometimes comical and sometimes frighteningly revealing.
Documentary, 70 min, 2003
in Bulgarian, Turkish, Greek, Albanian, Bosnian, Macedonian, Serbian with English subtitles
Followed by a discussion on ethno-nationalism and everyday culture with Dr. David Leupold, Leibniz Center for Modern Oriental Studies (ZMO)
When? 08/03/2023 at 20:00
Where. Fraunhoferstr. 33-36, Room 311
Looking forward to connecting with you!
The SKB Team