Macedonia chooses 'Punk's Not Dead' for Academy awards

PRAGUE -- Macedonia has selected since it's Oscar foreign-lingo entry Vladimir Blazevski's "Punk's Not Dead," a scrappy road movie that brings up exactly the same very independent spirit that typifies this small Balkan country. The pic concentrates on hero Mirsa, an former singer in the band that when ruled the Macedonian punk scene. Now 40 but still coping with his mother, he will get by selling drugs for any fearsome Albanian. The dealership then hatches a "Blues Siblings"-style pursuit to reunite this guitar rock band for any benefit concert inside a town having a repressed Albanian majority. Karovy Vary fest, in which the pic won the East from the West section for films in the former East bloc, recognized Blazevski's script and pic's documentary style, saying it accomplishes "a feeling of absolute conviction." Fest jury also noted pic's "contagious energy." It later won honors at Pristina's fest. London's Raindance fest has additionally designed the film. Contact the range newsroom at news@variety.com