Ciné-Guerrillas: Scenes from the Labudović Reels is both an archive-driven documentary covering the landmark moments in the birth of a movement fighting for a more just and equitable world order and the story behind the images, narrated by the man who filmed them: Stevan Labudović. A cameraman for Yugoslav Newsreels, Labudović was assigned to follow President Tito for more than a quarter of the 20th century.
A privileged perspective from which to film history. At a time when the world was divided into Cold War blocs, Yugoslav filmmakers and reporters enjoyed a unique position in between. Their solidarity with anti-imperial and socialist struggles won them insider access to countries closed off to the foreign press. As a result, the archive of the Yugoslav Newsreels in Belgrade today houses a unique and largely unexplored trove of material from which we lay the cornerstone of this film.
Stevan’s famous Algeria footage is the crown jewel. The Algerian war was a defining moment in the decolonization struggle, and Stevan had gone far beyond a cameraman’s assignment by joining the FLN (National Liberation Front) until they won their freedom.
I travelled with this quiet, modest man to Algeria and was amazed to discover that there his legacy lives on. It was a precious opportunity to rediscover events from 50 years ago through the person who filmed them.
I knew I had to make a film about him the day he started giving me pointers on shooting.
“I can see you’ve been bitten by the same bug. Be careful. It will take you to the most incredible places, but it will take over your life.”
I am at the beginning of a career in which I choose to explore the world around me through filmmaking. Facing me, I have someone who fought for his ideals with his images. The potential to hold a cinematic conversation is there. When a film like this arrives in your life, all you have to do is grab your camera and run with it.

Mila Turajlić