REEES Grad Film Series – Marble Ass (1995, Yugoslavia)
Thu, 9/26 · 7:00 pm—9:00 pm · 010 East Pyne
Program in Russian, East European and Eurasian Studies; Department of Slavic Languages and Literatures
Borderlens
Queer Outlines of Geography and Gender
REEES Grad Film Series
Marble Ass (1995)
Merlinka and Sanela are transgender sex workers in 1990s Belgrade. As the Bosnian war rages in the background, the city becomes another site of the battleground as sex workers try to counterbalance the violent responses of soldiers who come back to the capital. Director Želimir Žilnik was a prominent figure of the Yugoslav Black Wave in the 1960s-1970s. Shot almost thirty years later, Marble Ass is significantly influenced by the director’s experience with this cultural movement. The film appeared after the decriminalization of male homosexual intercourse in the Republic of Serbia in 1993, and is considered “Yugoslavia’s first openly queer film.”
All Films Shown with English Subtitles
Organized by Sofia Guerra. Presented by the Department of Slavic Languages and Literatures and the Program in Russian, East European and Eurasian Studies. Co-sponsored by the Humanities Council and the Program on Gender and Sexuality Studies.
