Happy New Year '49 (1986)

Srećna nova '49 is a Macedonian drama film directed by Stole Popov. It was Yugoslavia's submission to the 59th Academy Awards for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film, but it failed to make the nominees shorlist. Believable, sometimes humorous but often downbeat, this drama about two Yugoslav brothers just after World War II cuts a wide swath across that former nation's cultural divisions. Dragoslav is on a train bringing soldiers home from the USSR in 1945 when a young man he had been trying to help kills himself. After the police haul Dragoslav in for questioning, they suspect he is actually a Russian spy. Although they release him for the time being, his freedom does not last long, he is soon arrested and put in jail. In the meantime, the woman he loves has moved in with Kosta, his brother. The devil-may-care Kosta lives on black market deals and favors American-style clothes and music. His attitude is diametrically opposed to that of Dragoslav, who stubbornly maintains his faith in the Communist Party, even behind bars. By the time 1949 rolls around, the fate of the brothers and the woman they both love looks anything but bright. Director: Stole Popov Actors: Svetozar Cvetkovic, Meto Jovanovski, Vladica Milosavljevic, Dusko Kostovski, Aco Djorcev, Petar Arsovski, Goce Todorovski, Milica Stojanova, Mite Grozdanov, Ivan Bekjarev