TEARS FOR SALE (2008)

Original title: Čarlston za Ognjenku

Produced by: Ulysses Pictures, Blue Pen (Serbia) , Intermedia Network (Serbia)
Director: Uroš Stojanović
Screenplay: Uroš Stojanović, Aleksandar Radivojević, Srđan Dragojević and Stevan Koprivica
Director of photography: Dušan Ivanović
Music: Shigeru Umbeyashi
Production designer: Veljko Despotović
Costumes: Ksenija Terzović
Editor: Yves Beloniak, Đorđe Marković, Dejan Urošević
Cast: Katarina Radivojević, Sonja Kolačarić, Stefan Kapičić, Nenad Jezdić, Olivera Katarina, Danica Maksimović
Running time: 86mins
Format: 35mm / Cinemascope / color
Sound: Dolby Digital
Aspect ratio: 2.35 : 1
Release date: January 2008
Genre: Comedy, Drama, Fantasy

SYNOPSIS:

Serbia during the 1920s, between East and West, between magic and civilization.
In a country ravaged by constant warfare and blood law, a small mountain-village is left without a single man. Two sisters, the Little Goddess and Ognjenka, carefully guided by the ghost of their dead grandmother, the Great Goddess, decide to go to the capital and find themselves a couple of husbands to bring home. Miracles of the Big world, modern times and first love leave them completely breathless and this is where our grand adventure begins. Domestic critics considered it “an extraordinary moment for new Serbian film” and a film with “a magical look that brings certain French blockbusters to mind” while the international community didn’t hold back on the positive reactions with comments such as “the Serbian version of Amelie Pulen” and “a remarkable film on a number of levels that manages what seems like an impossible task: balancing the tragic history of its home nation with a sense of legitimate magic and wonder”.

One of the most ambitious endeavours of the Serbian film industry, especially at the time, broke box office records by attracting over 150 000 viewers in just the first month of screening. Tears For Sale was the most watched film in Serbian cinemas in 2008.

AWARDS:

14th Fantasia Film Festival in Montreal, Canada (2010) – L’Écran Fantastique Award
24th Santa Barbara IFF, USA (2009) – International Feature Competition Official Selection
3rd Ibiza International Film Festival, Spain (2009) – Special Jury Award (Uroš Stojanović),
Best Actor (Nenad Jezdić), Best Production Design (Veljko Despotović)
24th Warsaw Film Festival, Poland (2008) – Free Spirit Award (Tears For Sale)
15th FIPRESCI, Serbia (2008) – Best Director of Photography (Dušan Ivanović)