The festival program Funny Side of Socialism: Eastern European Comedies begins at 7pm, at F22, New Academic Scene (22 Frankopanska Street) with Jolly Fellows by Grigori Alexandrov. The film will be introduced by the programmer Daniel Rafaelić.

Made in 1934, Jolly Fellows is the first Soviet musical, also one of the most popular Soviet films of all times. Under a strong influence of Hollywood musicals, the film follows Kostya, a young shepherd, who is mistaken for a famous musician. Kostya fares really well in the new celebrity role and takes advantage of this confusion to make a name for himself as a jazz musician, which he eventually succeeds. When he falls in love with maid Aniuta, he doesn’t even try to tell her the truth. A series of funny adventures follows, accompanied by various musical numbers, many of which have become Russian evergreens. Aniuta is played by Liubov Orlova, who later married Grigori Alexandrov, the director of this musical comedy.