Studying recent films from the former republics of Yugoslavia, Andrew Horton examines how film-makers depict important issues and themes of the times through humor. Focusing particularly on Goran Paskaljevic's award-winning Cabaret Balkan (1998), which is set in Belgrade during the Bosnian War and weaves a variety of narratives "framed" within a cabaret, Horton places these recent films in a larger context of Yugoslav culture. He draws connections between Balkan comedy and a Yugoslav tradition of satirical theater and poetry, where humor—particularly laughter, dark and joyous—is used to illustrate pressing social and political issues.
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