League, who screened an uncut version of the film at SXSW, said the prosecution of Mr.
#A SERBIAN FILM ONLINE FREE#
Tim League, a founder of Fantastic Fest at South by Southwest, argued that it was not possible to place legal limits on portrayed acts, even child rape, in movies in a free society, “if acts are simulated and nobody is forced to perform against their will.” Eli Roth, who spawned the “Hostel” film franchise, has posted on Twitter that the charge “sends a terrifying message to festivals,” whose organizers now know that they can be prosecuted for showing extreme material. Internationally, the film has many defenders. Rebordinos, who was prevented last year from screening “A Serbian Film” at the festival by a last-minute court order, added, “this film shows a representation, it belongs in the universe of fiction.” José Luis Rebordinos, director of the San Sebastián film festival, wrote by e-mail, “It seems unbelievable that a director of a festival is persecuted by justice for showing a fictional film in his competition.” Mr. Spasojevic wrote, “No children were subjected to any simulated acts during the filming - everything was done with puppets and montage effects.” And, he continued, “The kids weren’t even on set while we were making those brutal scenes.” Those sequences, he added, “weren’t made to be arousing in any way, but to depict the pure horror and brutality of innocence being ruthlessly defiled.” “It involves innocent children who are purposely violated to induce sexual enjoyment in a particular sick individual who watches it.” “Those prosecutors have no clue what child pornography actually means,” Mr. He rejected the charges of child pornography. Spasojevic, who says his work is inspired by the early films of directors like William Friedkin (“The Exorcist”), Brian De Palma (“Carrie”) and David Cronenberg (“Scanners,” “The Fly”). “As much of an advocate of free speech and anticensorship, I sincerely hope Blockbuster and Netflix refuse to carry this film.” “Most people shouldn’t watch a film that even mentions the words ‘newborn porn’ (and God willing that two-word phrase broke your soul as much as typing it hurt mine), and I sincerely hope you stay away from this film,” Mr. In his review for, the film critic Brian Prisco delivered a fascinated but scathing critique. Sala could face three months to one year in prison, as well as a fine, if he is convicted. (While the prosecutor decided not to charge the Serbian filmmakers of “A Serbian Film” - apparently because of the logistical difficulties of pursuing them from Spain - Mr. What follows - bondage, sexual torture, necrophilia, even murders via sexual penetration - is intended to be a metaphor for modern times, in which characters in a dehumanized world must “rape or be raped,” as the film’s director, Srdjan Spasojevic, wrote by e-mail.
The catch: the film’s devilish director won’t tell his star what happens in the script.
Set within Serbia’s pornographic film world, the story focuses on Milos, a retired performer who is lured into accepting the lead role in one final “art house” pornographic film to overcome his family’s financial struggles. Yet Ángel Sala, of the Sitges film festival in Spain, has been charged with exhibiting child pornography at an adults-only screening of “A Serbian Film” during that festival’s prestigious annual showcase for fantasy and horror movies last October.Īudiences can judge just how extreme “A Serbian Film” is now that two different versions, both released on Friday, are playing in at least eight North American theaters and on the Internet. IT isn’t often that the director of an international film festival faces a possible prison sentence simply for showing a movie.