Do Not Mention the Cause of Death
Jovan Živanović, 1968, 92 min
UK premiere of the restored version

Introduced by Mina Radović

One of the main films targeted in critic Vladimir Jovičić's reproach of what he called “the black wave in our cinema”, Do Not Mention the Cause of Death is a portrait of a community in a Serbian village at the onset of the Second World War. A dyer wishes to provide black paint to everyone who loses a family member but as his loved ones and neighbours become suspect and the death toll grows, his supply begins to run dry. Through its use of colour, texture, and rhythm Do Not Mention the Cause of Death invites viewers to experience the nature of life threatened by oblivion. Combining in a rare turn socio-political critique and expression of faith the film is an anomaly of cinema and yet remains essential viewing, proof of the vitality of the Yugoslav Black Wave.

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Screening as part of Innocence Unprotected: Reframing the World through Yugoslav cinema series