The films in the Frontier program embody a cutting-edge, risk-taking attitude toward the art of filmmaking. The work in this section is hyper-visual, often political, always provocative, and very challenging. We expect you will agree that the visceral rewards that come from absorbing and confronting these works will energize you and renew your faith in the power of cinema.

Although the recent troubled history of Eastern Europe has received global attention, Westerners rarely have a chance to understand the psyche of its people. Set in newly formed Slovenia, Predictions of Fire powerfully articulates current personal and political sentiment in this country, focusing on the resistance art group Laibach.

Both embracing and countering its nation's history, Laibach incorporates cultural and political mythology into music and visual and performance art. The film explores the radically changing role of art in Eastern Europe -- from serving only as propaganda for the Stalinist government to vocalizing the true sentiment of the citizens. Stunning archival footage relates the troubled history of Slovenia, as well as other countries emerging from the former Yugoslavia. Predictions of Fire is a highly intriguing document about the way a country's history dictates its collective attitudes, both fears and aspirations.

Predictions of Fire resonates way beyond the freshly drawn boundaries of Slovenia as it contemplates the pattern of art in other totalitarian movements, such as Nazism and fascism. Laced with footage, sounds, and music from Laibach performances, the film is a highly atmospheric portrayal of life in Eastern Europe that works on both visceral and intellectual levels.

-- Lisanne Skyler