Representation of marriage in Balkan cinema
Part of the ECHO III: For Memory's Sake project, researchers Letiția Popa, Cristina Iliescu and Irina Trocan studied the representation of marriage in Romanian and Balkan cinema:
"Through this audio-visual research we aim to spark a conversation about the language of the film and the expressive possibilities offered by the medium of video-poems. These works serve as an introduction to the portrayal of weddings in Romanian and Balkan cinema."
A Case Study on Cortorari Roma Marriages feat. O Tahtai - by Cristina Iliescu
This video-essay focuses on the practices and norms of the Cortorari Roma community as seen by Cătălina Tesăr and Dana Bunescu in the documentary "O Tahtai" (2022). It accomplishes this through dynamic dialogue between the main characters and describes their transformation (or lack thereof) throughout the film.
It Takes a Village to Raise a Wedding Toast or Film brides of Kusturica - by Irina Trocan
Watching Aleksandar Petrović's film It Rains on My Village (1968) is a brutal and bittersweet experience that keeps the protagonists at a distance in order to more faithfully depict life in a Yugoslav village. All the nuances are there, but still, this video-essay tries to look more closely at (non)couple dynamics.
Bridal Tiara: The Cycle of Life - by Irina Trocan
Watching Aleksandar Petrović's film It Rains on My Village (1968) is a brutal and bittersweet experience that keeps the protagonists at a distance in order to more faithfully depict life in a Yugoslav village. All the nuances are there, but still, this video-essay tries to look more closely at (non)couple dynamics.
The Journey of a Bride: The Representation of the Wedding in Romanian Cinema - by Letiția Popa
For this video-essay we propose a playful montage of the representation of wedding rituals in Romanian cinema, by choosing some films that describe different time frames throughout history.
Social Control in Romantic Love. Arranged Marriages vs True Love in Balkan Cinema. Part 2 - by Letiția Popa
With this video-essay we propose a comprehensive view of the links between social control and "true" love in arranged marriages, by referring to the social position of the woman in relation to the society from which she comes, and by highlighting visible and invisible political and social constraints.
Social Control in Romantic Love. Arranged Marriages vs True Love in Balkan Cinema. Part 1 - by Letitia Popa
The following series of video essays is the result of a research on the representation of marriages in Romanian and Balkan cinema, research done during the project ECHO III: For Memory's Sake.
