Tamara Simunovic Movies

In this independent feature shot on digital video, emotionally stormy Bibiana (Bibiana Beglau), temperamental Claudio (Claudio Cailo), sexually adventurous Harald (Harald Koch), and secretive Tamara (Tamara Simunovic) were close friends in their college days, but the four had a falling out and have not seen one another in close to a decade. As the four are edging into their thirties, Bibiana decides its time for a reunion, and invites Claudio, Harald, and Tamara to her apartment for a dinner party. However, after a long evening of conversation, Bibiana has a surprise for her guests -- she's taken an overdose of drugs, and must be rushed to the hospital if her life is to be saved. The three friends then try to rescue their friend, which proves especially stressful for Tamara; she happens to be pregnant, and the sudden crisis triggers a premature labor. Birthday was screened in competition at the 2001 Karlovy Vary Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Thosten Schmidt directs this over-the-top Teutonic spectacular consisting of pregnant Russians, bales of cocaine and a drunken bear. Right before the big millennial new year, hefty loser Toto (Jurgen Tarrach) gets released from the joint after a three year stint for drug possession. He simply wants to get his life in order and start working in his old job as a Berlin bus driver. His recently released cellmate Frank (Dieter Landuris), however, is looking for one last score -- toting a wad of blow for hot-head drug lord Henry (Andre Hennicke) -- so he and his girlfriend Nora (Nadja Uhl) can live the big life. Little does Frank know, but a crippled DJ named Commander Zippo (Hannes Jaencike) is actively wooing Nora on his radio show and voyeuristically spying on her from a secret window in his apartment. Meanwhile, a pregnant, desperately poor Russian woman, Natalia (Tamara Simunovic), throws herself in front of Toto's bus. In his attempt to avoiding flattening her, he manages to kill Henry's drug courier (Royal Atakpa). With an injured though beautiful woman, a corpse, and ten kilos of snow on his bus, he gets talked into holding the stash for ransom by Natalia, who hopes to earn enough to bankroll her child's life. Somewhere in all this wackiness, a black bear gets released from the zoo by an animal rights activist, gets drunk, boards the bus and causes one of those impressive movie accidents where no one gets hurt. ~ Jonathan Crow, All Movie Guide

Though they have safely reestablished themselves in Austria, a Serbian family find themselves unable to escape the horrifying conflict that ripped the former Yugoslavia apart. In making his tragic drama, screenwriter/director Goran Rebic used no actual war footage and shows less than a minute of fighting. Young Milan and his family immigrated to Austria a while ago and feel out of touch with the increasing violence in their homeland. Still the news is sufficiently bad that they decide to try to get Milan's grandmother and his older brother Sascha out of the country. En route, Sascha is apparently kidnapped and does not show up until a year later, with a Bosnian wife in tow. Despite the family's joy at his return, they soon notice disturbing changes in Sascha. Neighborhood scuttlebutt races rampantly that Sascha committed terrible war crimes. The extremely nationalistic Bora, Sascha's father is not overly disturbed by the allegations, believing them to be a sign of Sascha's Serbian loyalties. Bora proves to be the catalyst for tragedy, one that overwhelms friends, family and the increasingly depressive and obviously traumatized Sascha. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide