PARADA. ΜΙΑ ΤΑΙΝΙΑ ΑΠΟ ΤΗ ΣΕΡΒΙΑ

Parada (The Parade) /Σκηνοθεσία: Σρντζαν Ντραγκόγεβιτς

(Σερβία/Δημοκρατία της Κροατίας/FYROM/Σλοβενία)

Δύο φαινομενικά ασύνδετοι κόσμοι θα ενωθούν σε μια προσπάθεια

να γίνει πραγματικότητα το Gay Pride της Σερβίας, σε μια κωμωδία

με πρωταγωνιστές Σερβους, Βόσνιους Μουσουλμάνους, Αλβανούς Κοσοβάρους

και βετεράνους του πολέμου της Κροατίας και φόντο μια χώρα

που παραμένει τραυματισμένη από τις ανισότητες και την καταπάτηση

των ανθρωπίνων δικαιωμάτων. (flix.gr)

The Parade (Serbian: Парада / Parada) is a 2011 Serbian dramedy film, written and directed by Srđan Dragojević and released on 31 October, 2011. The film, which deals with gay rights issues in Serbia, features footage of the 2010 Belgrade gay pride parade.

Despite the controversial subject, The Parade reached the number of 350,000 admission tickets sold in Serbian cinemas in first 11 weeks of distribution, 120,000 in Croatia after 8 weeks, 25,000 in Slovenia, 30,000 in Bosnia-Herzegovina and 20,000 in Montenegro

The film introduces a group of gay activists, trying to organize a pride parade in Belgrade. Among them Mirko (Goran Jevtić), a struggling theater director who mostly makes a living by planning kitschy wedding ceremonies on the side, and his love struck veterinarian boyfriend Radmilo (Miloš Samolov). Organizing such a parade is no easy task in Serbia as evidenced by the violence at the 2001 parade attempt. Now, almost a decade later, situation is not much better - nationalist and right wing groups pose just as much threat so despite repeated attempts through official channels, Mirko is getting nowhere since the police refuses to secure the event. Furthermore, although the two try to live discreetly, they still experience various forms of abuse from the homophobic majority.

In parallel, we meet Limun, a macho Serbian veteran of the Yugoslav Wars in his mid-to-late forties. No stranger to various criminal activity, divorced Limun now operates a bodyguard agency (whose clientele mostly consists of controversial nouveau riche businessmen and female turbo-folk singers) while dating Biserka (Hristina Popović), a much younger ditsy trophy girl who runs a beauty parlour.

The paths of the two couples soon cross. Radmilo performs a life-saving operation on Limun's beloved pitt-bull terrier, the victim of a drive-by shooting that served as warning to the dog's master. Through Radmilo and Limun, Biserka gets introduced to Mirko with a view of hiring him to plan out hers and Limun's wedding. The meeting of the two couples turns into a disaster that serves as the final catalyst for Mirko (who already obtained an Immigrant Visa for Canada) to leave the country forever.

In response Radmilo resorts to desperate measures to keep his partner and their relationship - he offers a deal whereby Limun's agency would provide protection for the Belgrade Pride. In return, Mirko would organize the wedding party for Limun and Biserka. Limun reluctantly accepts, but his staff refuses to protect homosexuals. Put in a tight spot, Limun thinks of hiring his former enemies from 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 (40) a Bosnian Muslim who owns a video rental parlour, and Azem (45), an Albanian from Kosovo who makes a living by selling drugs, mostly to the US troops stationed there. (en.wikipedia.gr)