Non-Aligned: Scenes from the Labudović Reels

President Tito’s Yugoslavia broke away from the Soviet Union during the Cold War, only to find itself isolated from both the East Bloc and the West. In the search for new allies, Tito became the driving force behind the Movement of Non-Aligned States and the 1st Summit of the Non-Aligned Movement in Belgrade, in 1961. Most members were “Third World” countries that had recently liberated themselves from their colonial rulers.

Director Mila Turajlić, who grew up under Tito’s rule, discovered a large quantity of never-before-seen film material in the archive of the national broadcaster. As well as scenes from the conference in Belgrade, the crystal-clear footage shows Tito traveling around the world, looking for political friends in countries such as Egypt India and Indonesia.

His curiosity aroused, Turajlić visits Stevan Labudović, who shot some of the film. As a cameraman accompanying Tito on his global travels, Labudović witnessed a changing world. A melancholic account of an all-but forgotten, but nevertheless relevant history.