Super 8 Stories

The film sets out in pursuit of the origins of the frantic, irresistible music some call Balkan punk. The protagonists of the film are the band No Smoking, a ten-piece ensemble that blends the folk music styles of the Balkans with the anarchic energy of rock & roll. The group, which was founded twenty years ago in Sarajevo, has won a large and devoted audience in Europe for their witty, raucous music. Like a gypsy caravan, they have passed through all the tragedies of the region’s history without seeking protection, without taking sides. The narrator and the man behind the story is Emir Kusturica. The film, which was shot using both Super-8 film and portable Digital Video cameras, offers a look at the band's fascinating 20-year history of struggling to survive the violent upheavals in the Balkans, as they tour Europe in the wake of their acclaimed 2000 album Unza Unza Time. (Mark Deming)