Mira Furlan Movies

In this competent yet conventional film, a young man gets out of the army, goes to Sarajevo to work at a construction site, and then new and unscrupulous companions convince him to sell his late father's farm and invest in a dubious nightclub venture. On his way to growing up and getting to learn the ways of the world, he also experiences his first love. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide

The Yugoslavian When Father Was Away on Business (Otac na Sluzbenoh Putu) takes place in the early 1950s. The title is a euphemism: because of the strained relationship between Yugoslavia and the USSR, various private citizens have disappeared in the middle of the night, accompanied by the police. One such "vanishing" individual is Miki Manojlovic, the father of 6-year old Moreno D'E Bartolli, from whose viewpoint this story is told When Manojlovic, an employee in the labor ministry is whisked away to prison, his family reacts with pride, assuring one and all that he is "away on business" because of his fervent political beliefs. The sad truth: Manojlovic has ended up behind bars because of his sexual peccadilloes. The film details the tribulations of a fatherless family struggling to cope with the financial deprivations of Communism. Director Emir Kusturica won the Cannes Film Festival Golden Palm award for his work on When Father Was Away on Business. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

This is an amusing and enjoyable romantic comedy buoyed by witty dialogue. Drago (Miki Manojlovic) has just been released from prison; he tried to hold up a village bank with a toy gun, so he's not exactly a hardened criminal. He crashes in the apartment of Zdenka (Mira Furlan), a shy but friendly factory worker with a boring boyfriend. When Drago goes off in pursuit of Nina (Dubravka Ostojic), the woman he loves, he discovers she has a flourishing art gallery and a rich, married lover. How can he compete with that? Meanwhile, Zdenka slowly develops an affection for Drago though he does not notice her, creating a complex triangle. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide

The Kosovo region of Yugoslavia near the Albanian border is the scene of political unrest and a modern Romeo and Juliet romance in this satirical political drama. A film director (Meto Jovanovski) gathers information for his documentary about the Serbs being forced to depart by Albanian Moslems. As the region heads towards ethnic warfare, the young Albanian woman Nadira (Sonja Jacevska) falls in love with the Serbian Miloljub (Cedo Arobabic). He is captured and castrated, and the private lives of Milobjub and Nadira become part of the director's story in his film. He must answer to the financiers and producers who believe his film was to be a comedy. The events foreshadow a long and bloody conflict between two factions, a battle that has not abated in the ten years since this film's initial release. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide

The French Bunker Palace Hotel is set in the Future. Rebels have taken over the totalitarian government, compelling the officials to flee for safety to the underground hotel of the title. Clara (Carole Bouquet), a spy for the rebels, infiltrates the hotel to observe the last moves of the crumbling regime. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

This two-part pilot episode for Babylon 5 was originally telecast as a single two-hour TV movie on February 22, 1993 (the "official" release date of March 8 refers to the film's Chicago TV premiere). Like the subsequent series, "The Gathering" takes place in the 23rd century, and was set on Babylon 5, a space station hovering in neutral territory which is used as a center of trade and diplomacy for a wide variety of friendly and hostile planets. As the space station becomes fully operational, the crew must deal with the attempting poisoning of Vorlan ambassador Kosh Naranek, for which B5 commander Jeffrey Sinclair is being held responsible. Complicating matters is the refusal of the Vorlans to allow any medical treatment for their ambassador. Written by series producer-creator J. Michael Straczynski, "The Gathering" features several actors who were supposed to have played recurring characters, but for various reasons were written out of the weekly version: Tamlyn Tomita as Lt. Cmdr. Laurel Takamisha, Blaire Baron as Caroline Sykes, Johnny Sekka as Dr. Benjamin Kyle and Patricia Tallman as Lyta Alexander. The pilot won an Emmy Award for special effects, and a Hugo nomation for "Best Dramatic Presentation" -- this in spite of almost universal damnation from mainstream TV critics. On January 4, 1998, the TNT cable network offered a re-edited version of "The Gathering", with a new musical score by Christopher Frake (replacing the one composed by Stewart Copeland), a handful of new computer-generated special effects, a number of judicious cuts, and several previously excised sequences, including a lengthy hostage-crisis subplot. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

David Warner guest-stars as Aldous Gajic, a futuristic "King Arthur" who has spent all his life searching for the Holy Grail. His arrival on B5 coincides with a plot hatched by Downbelow hoodlum Deuce (William Sanderson) to gain control of other people's minds. And what has all this to do with the erratic behavior of Ambassador Kosh? Written by Christy Marx, "Grail" first aired July 6, 1994, after nearly six weeks' worth of rerun episodes. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Garibaldi is forced to become a fugitive from justice when he is framed on charge of causing a tragic explosion in one of the fighter bays. His chief persecutor is Elaine Thomas (Lianna Kemmer), head of the President's security, who vengefully hopes to settle an old score. Will the experience push Garibaldi into hitting the bottle again? Originally titled "A Knife in the Shadows", "Survivors" was written by Marc Scott Zicree, author of the essential TV-history volume The Twilight Zone Companion. The episode was originally telecast on May 4, 1994. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Nearly a full year after the first telecast of the two-hour pilot, the weekly, 60-minute Babylon 5 series proper began on January 26, 1994 with "Midnight on the Firing Line." It is now 2258 AD; the Babylon 5 has become the target of increased attacks from enemy pirates, a situation exacerbated by a personal feud between Londo and G'Kar. Making matters even worse, a Narn attack on the peaceful agricultural colony of Ragesh 3 threatens to explode into all-out warfare unless Sinclair can put a lid on the crisis. Watch for cameo appearances by executive producer Douglas Netter and costume designer Ann Bruce. "Midnight on the Firing Line" was written by J. Michael Straczynski. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Susan discovers that her ex-lover Malcolm Biggs (Tristan Rogers) is a member of the Homeguard, a radical pro-Earth terrorist group. The Homeguard intends to rekindle old prejudices by assassinating Minbari poet/ambassador Shaal Mayan (Nancy Lee Grahn). Meanwhile, a young Centauri (Rodney Eastman) balks at the prospect of a tradtional arranged marriage. Written by Star Trek fixture D.C. Fontana, "The War Prayer" first aired on March 9, 1994. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The crew of Babylon 5 is thrown into a state of panic when Cmdr. Sinclair rescues an alien Soul Hunter (W. Morgan Sheppard). It is well known that the alien's avowed purpose is to capture people's souls at the moment of death. Thus, each crew member is terrified that he or she will be targeted as the alien's next "catch." Also known as "Amaranth", "Soul Hunter" was written by J. Michael Stracynski; the episode first aired on February 2, 1994. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Talia's former teacher and lover, rogue telepath Jason Ironheart (William Allen Young, arrives on B5 with the Psi Cops hot on his trail. The victim of a secret experiment, Ironheart now possesses artifically enhanced "psi" skills, enabling him to "think" people into oblivion. And in another development, Catherine Sakai (Julia Nickson) ignores G'Kar's warnings and heads for Sigma 957. Star Trek stalwart Walter Koening appears as Psi Cop Bester. First telecast on March 2, 1994, "Mind War" was written by J. Michael Straczynski. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide