THE BALKANS AS A BLIND SPOT OF MULTICULTURALITY. SPACE IN THE BALKAN CINEMA (Balkan ako slepa skvrna multikulturality. Priestor v balkanskom filme)

The paper deals with transformations of the traditional Balkan identity via constructions of cinematic space in some contemporary films about the Balkans. It analyses some typical as well as some innovative methods of space construction of the Balkans in Balkan cinema, and points out their structural embeddedness in Balkanism. Balkanism is shown as a structurally non-dialogical but still predominant paradigm of space construction even in some non-traditional cinematic works, which leads to the acceptance of a recent notion of the Balkan (cinematic) genre elaborated by Nevena Dakovic in her recent book (2008) on this subject. The notion of genre reduces earlier emphasis on power relations determining representation of the Balkans while still including the notion of limits that organise these representations.