Tickets to Rochester screenings will be sold at the door.
The surprising, tender family drama Radiogram is set in 1971 Bulgaria when, ruled by a communist regime, any Western influence, especially music, was regarded as a national threat. It was a time when radio stations like BBC, Deutsche Welle and Radio Free Europe were prohibited and when all religious organizations were restrained and any such expression was banned. Based on a true story, the film follows a father who walks almost 100 km to town so he can buy a new radio for his rock ’n‘ roll-obsessed son.
Taking on music, freedom and identity, Radiogram is inspired by events in the lives of director Rouzie Hassanova’s father and grandfather. A major part of the story centers on the fact that the leading characters are Muslim. The shocking way that the religious minority was treated in communist Bulgaria will be eye-opening to most.
Director Biography
Bulgarian filmmaker Rouzie Hassanova has over ten years experience working in the film industry, taking on a variety of roles before producing her first short, The Portrait (’08). Radiogram is her feature-film debut.
Press
"The screenplay, written by Hassanova, has two interesting central points: one is the power of music, the other is the instinctive reaction against abuse and oppression." - Cineuropa
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