#2 About the dozen of bibliography units on this Ministry’s mobile cinema within the period from 1944 until 1950, all together, was a challenge enough for us to start the quest for revealing its activities. What’s even more, that its travelling “Odyssey” was accompanied by the “camera-eye” of Trajche Popov, as I already mentioned before, in the film THROUGH PIRIN MACEDONIA (NIZ PIRINSKA MAKEDONIJA), in 1948.
The first information we got on this mobile cinema was in the ASNOM Presidium’ documentation. Namely, in December, 1944, the ASNOM’s Trustee Committee for Finances gets the letter from Ruse Slavejkov, a member of AGITPROP in the Macedonian Liberation Brigade “Goce Delčev”, in which he informs that from the Red Army’s Headquarters (placed in Sofia) succeeded to get a mobile cinema as a gift for the Macedonian Republic (used one, of course). In the letter, he describes the details for this Russian gift for Macedonia: “One mobile ciné-truck with one spare (inner and outer) tire, one aggregate of 3 kilowatts, one 35mm ciné-projector ‘Super Imperial’, one speaker and one amplifier, one projector-transformator, film-winding machine, one cultural film in one reel, one projection screen, two empty reels for winding of films, 50 meters of rubber cable for the aggregate and a special glue for mending the films”. There also stands that the most of the equipment is at the Red Army’s military factory in Sophia for reparation and that in the beginning of 1945 the whole shipment would be available to Federal Republic of Macedonia(9). In the same letter, Slavejkov reports that together with all of the other equipment, he got the Soviet long-length documentary film PEOPLE’S AVENGERS (the film is shown in Macedonia – right away – in December, and we also found the review for it in Nova Makedonija written by Andja Dzhuvalekovska, from December 5, 1944/1, No.7, page 4.). The Trustee Committee for Finances sends (further) this correspondence letter the Trustee Committee for Education and at the end of January 1945, Ljuben Lape (Assistant-trustee for People’s Education), Ruse Slavejkov and the chauffeur Kiril Atevski leave for Sophia to pick up the rest of the equipment for the mobile cinema together with some additional technical accessories (radios, gramophones, etc.)(10). Kiril Atevski, in February goes again in Sophia, to pick up the truck from the Red Army’s Military factory(11).
In 1945, and in the next few years, the campaign for general population’s education and the anti-analphabet campaign got widespread within the country. For the requirements of the analphabet campaign, the Ministry of Education got made numerous propaganda film slides, which were later shown in the permanent and mobile cinemas. For this Ministry’s requirements, during 1946, two more projectors are acquired, but we still don’t know where from. In the Ministry’s Annual Report for 1946, especially for the third three-month period of that year, an information can be found that only one from the three existing ciné-projectors is fit for work, and the other two were out of order because of the lack of adequate lamps for them(12). In this context, it’s interesting is to quote the parts of the document named as “The Tasks of the Department for People’s Education that should be done by the 3rd, and by the 10th of December, 1946”: “… Blagoja Drnkov is bound to mend the two projectors … and … to require films for public showing”(13).
The preparing activities in the Ministry of Education for activating of the mobile cinema gave the first positive results in 1947. Namely, in this period (1947 and later), an incredibly intensive activity of this mobile cinema can be registered. It’s very important to note that this Mobile Cinema makes its touring through Macedonia, largely, together with the Mobile Library of the same Ministry. For instance these two mobile (let’s say) institutions visited Pirin Macedonia during September 1947, the same occasion when the materials for the film THROUGH PIRIN MACEDONIA, which will be finished in 1948. It’s interesting to note that in the Investment plan of the Ministry of Education for 1947 – the Ministry plans to acquire additional 5 mobile ciné-projectors, together with the transport vehicles, and anticipated the 3.000 Dinars costs for this purpose(14).
In 1947, the Press, Radio and Film Sub-department and the Sub-department for Libraries, in collaboration with the Sub-department for General Population’s Education, made a precise monthly plans for this mobile cinema’s and mobile library’s tours through Macedonia. In this plan, many smaller settlements and locations are being anticipated for film showing. For instance – in January, a significant number of the villages in Skopje area are supposed to be visited, then in February – a large part of Bitola and a part of the Maleševo area, in March – the Povardarie area, then many settlements in West Macedonia, etc(15). By the annual reports of the Ministry of Education, in the first three-month period (January-March) from 1947, the mobile cinema toured 21 settlements and other inhabited areas, where 36 film projections are realized with 12.023 viewers, and in the second three-month period (April-June) 16 inhabited area are being visited, with 18 realized with 6.203 viewers(16). The Press, and the Radio, of course, regularly followed the activities of the mobile cinema and library tours. Here we’ll make a short review on the chronology and contents of those bibliography units. Nova Makedonija, on March 4, 1947, on page 5, printed the information (text) named as “The Mobile Cinema and the Book Collection tour Macedonia in occasion of the Women Holiday 8th of March”, in which is noted that the Ministry of Education, in collaboration with the Main Board of WAF (Women’s Anti-fascist Front), organizes film projections and book exhibitions in Kriva Palanka, Kratovo, Sveti Nikole, Carevo Selo (now Delčevo), Pehčevo, Berovo, Radoviš, Negotino, Valandovo, Gevgelija and Dojran. According to this information, these activities on occasion for the 8th of March were in the period from February 22, until March 6. Often, on the audience’s request, there were more than one shows. The information ends with these words: “… the WAF activists explicate the film contents”. Little later, again Nova Makedonija (April 11, 1947, page 5) printed the information that the mobile cinema and library were to the Debar area and that in Zhirovnica two film projections were shown. Most probably that after this, the mobile “caravan” visited the Gostivar area, because, again in Nova Macedonia from April 26, 1947, on page 4, says that on April 21 – the mobile cinema and library by the Ministry of Education arrived in Tetovo area after the touring the Debar and Gostivar districts. But, according to this press article, in the district of Tetovo, “only two projections were made…”. After that, the cinema went to Tetovo because of some malfunction”. The newspaper Prosvetno delo from May 7, 1947, makes a certain news recapitulation on those activities in the period January-March, with a conclusion that “With the fulfilling of the three-month plan, the Ministry’s mobile cinema, until April 1, toured 14 villages and 11 towns “ (Madzari, Drachevo, Lisiche, Petrovec, Katlanovo, Stajkovci, Singelich, Porodin, Velushina, Bareshani, Bistrica etc.). In this text, the number of the audience is noted as well, so: “… in the village of Madzari two shows were shown in front of 250 viewers. In the village of Petrovec were also given two shows…”, while in the Bitola district villages, the projections were visited by 1400 of audience, in Berovo there were more than 1.300 visitors, and in Gevgelija, Sveti Nikole and Pehčevo more than 1.000 viewers were registered. In this text in Prosvetno delo (and only here) the titles of the films shown by the mobile cinema in the first half of 1947. Those are the Soviet feature films: DAYS AND NIGHTS, THE SHEPHERD AND THE PIG-KEEPER GIRL and KOSTJA THE SHEPHERD. A significant number of journals of Soviet and Yugoslav production were shown, also. But already, at the autumn campaign, the repertoire of the mobile cinema is quite different. In Nova Makedonija from October 28, 1947, in the review named as “During last month, the mobile library and cinema of the Ministry of Education toured the East Macedonia”, is noted that the Soviet feature films TADZIKISTAN and THE LAST TRIBE, as well as the journal PEOPLE’S VICTORY and, what’s of the most importance for us, the propaganda film GRAINS FOR THE PEOPLE (ZHITO ZA NAROD, by Trajche Popov). This was the first press release for this film, the one of the first-borns (together with TO ELECTIONS FOR NEW VICTORIES by Blagoja Drnkov) of the Macedonian post-war (institutionalized) film production. Although, the tour of East Macedonia followed the tour through Pirin Macedonia. The visited areas were those of Shtip, Radoviš, Negotino, Vinica, Zletovo, etc. All together, 15 towns, villages and settlements, with more than 40.000 of audience. In that way, the review ends with the conclusion that “… these numbers show that the interest and love of the general population towards its education is great, and that there are firm foundations for the cultural progress of our labor masses”.
In 1948 and 1949, the mobile cinema of the Ministry of Education was mostly engaged in the propaganda and analphabet campaigns, but also, thee was room for its regular tours through the local settlements, with a purpose of spreading the film culture and art as an entertainment and wider enlightenment of the people. So, in this context, we’ll note the fact that in the first three-month period of 1948, this cinema visited 16 settlements in Bitola, Prilep, Veles and Radoviš area, with 49 shows and i front of 8.071 of audience. The Soviet films TADZIKISTAN, PETAR THE GREAT and WE FROM KRONSHTAD (17). It’s important to note the fact that the Ministry of Education, in its project for 1949 anticipates 100.000 Dinars for acquiring of a mobile projector for the best of the numerous Culture and Education Alliances in the country, according by their contribution to the analphabet and education campaigns (18).
The next year, in 1950, this Ministry’s mobile cinema was engaged in the analphabet campaigns. But the most important activities of that year were within the frames of The Week of the People’s Culture hold between July 2 and July 9, 1950. So, during July, the mobile cinema toured 15 villages from the Tetovo area. ”… The audience at this film projections is huge…”, claimed the newspapers reports in Nova Makedonija (July 26, 1950, page 2) and Shar (July 21, 1950, page 3).
With the reorganization of the Ministry of Education in 1950, its mobile cinema’s activities are overtaken by other specialized organizations. The last information about it that can be found in the press-releases, dates from September 23, 1950, in Nova Makedonija, on the second page of the newspaper that day, reports that this Ministry’s mobile cinema, in collaboration with the Film Company – Skopje, visited the labor communities in the villages in Strumica district (Vasilevo, Gradoshorci, Bosilovo, Turnovo, Novo Selo, etc.), and showed the films: FLAG (Yugoslavian feature film), the documentary YUGOSLAVIAN FOLK DANCES and the Journal No.14 manufactured and produced by “Vardar film”.
Finishing this text, I’ll mention that the mobile cinema of the Ministry of Education of People’s Republic of Macedonia, in those first post-war years, had a large and significant role in the spreading and development of cinema culture within the country. And in spite of the inevitable mixed propaganda within, and the obligatory ideological determination, it was – still – an attraction of a kind, let’s say, that in a villages like Zhirovnica, Gradoshor, Velushina, etc., the bright beam of cinema light could’ve been seen, as well as the film magic on the film screen, at that time. And that’s why, and in spite of the propaganda and the dominating ideology character of the shown films (mostly), the people of Macedonia also could see THE SHEPHERD KOSTJA and PETAR THE GREAT (and those are, still, anthology films of the Soviet film era).
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Notes:
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(1) First People’s Government of Macedonia, tom 2, book 1, Archive of Macedonia, Skopje, 1995
(2) Archive of Macedonia, Fond: Ministry of Education of NRM, 170.33.4/235 and 170.5.3/33
(3) AM, FMP, 170.35.6/114 and 170.34.44/165
(4) AM, FMP, 170.5.22/354
(5) AM, FMP, 170.34.44/173-174
(6) AM, FMP, 170.22.17/68 i 71
(7) AM, FMP, 170.22.17/81
(8) Nova Makedonija, 26.03.1948/5, No. 997, page 2
(9) AM, Fond: ASNOM Presidium, 157.11.14/20-22
(10) AM, FPA, 157.9.61/334
(11) AM, FPA, 157.11.19/93
(12) AM, Fond: Ministry of Education of NRM, 170.5.22/354 and 170.35.6/119
(13) AM, FMP, 170.34.44/166 and 167
(14) AM, FMP, 170.22.18/144
(15) AM, FMP, 170.34.44/183-196 and 170.5.3/45-47
(16) AM, FMP, 170.5.29/432 and 444
(17) AM, FMP, 170.35.5/69 and Nova Makedonija from March 28, 1948/page 6
(18) AM, FMP, 170.34.44/245
Translated by: Petar Volnarovski