Invoked

Ten years after the death of Josip Broz Tito, who ruled Yugoslavia from 1945 until his death in 1980, free elections took place for the first time in Serbia. The big winner was Slobodan Milošević, who became president. The story of what then happened in Yugoslavia is all too familiar. Could things have gone differently? In Invoked, five presidential candidates of the time look back on those first free elections. The political differences between them are still huge, from socially progressive and environmentally conscious to ultra-nationalist.

Drawing on excerpts from talk shows, news broadcasts and campaign meetings, this hyperdynamically edited film shows the almost-surreal, circus-like election atmosphere at the time. Almost 50 political parties took part, including the playfully named Great Rock ’n’ Roll Party, which promoted “sex, debauchery, madness and drugs.” The idea was to demonstrate that “any fucking fool in Serbia can start a political party.” The film shows the consequences at the end with images of war, after the nationalist genie had escaped from the bottle entirely.