Dir.: Mladen Krstevski

Born in Kratovo in 1953, Mladen Krstevski graduated from the Academy of Theatrical Arts in Skopje in 1977 and began his film career as an actor. He played in numerous films, including: THE RED HORSE, HAPPY NEW 1949 and TATTOO directed by Stole Popov, MEMED by Peter Ustinov, REMOVALS by Sasha Petrovi, THE WEEKEND OF THE DECEASED by Kole Angelovski and MY FATHER by Izet Anaj. In 1994 Krstevski made his directorial debut with THE CURSED and followed that in 1995 with THE FORGOTTEN.

THEY DON'T DRINK TEA IN THE BALKANS (TV)
1997 / vid�o / Couleur / 78 min.
Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia
P7.28.2, P7.29.5, P7.30.3 

Dir.: Mladen Krstevski; Script: Mladen Krstevski; Phot.: Dragi Tanevski; Ed.: Fani Goshevska; Mus.: Astor; Cast: Vesna Dimitrova, Jordan Vitanov, Mladen Krstevski, Blagoja Spirkoski, Kiril Cravchev; Prod.: Ace Dimoski, Macedonian TV, c/o Vema Film, str. �lekso Demniev bb, 91400 Veles, t�l. & fax: (389) 93 33 739; Sales: Lema-A Film, str. Petre Georgiev bb, 9100 Skopje, t�l. & fax: (389-91) 613 200 .

1911, somewhere in the Balkans. Mrs. Denadi comes from a more "cultivated" part of Europe, Budapest to be precise. Her manners and bearing convey all the splendour and haughtiness of the Austro-Hungarian salons. Her motives for coming to the Balkans are mainly monetary. She has married a rich Balkan merchant with whom she has had a daughter. When he died she stayed on to take care of his property. She is a forceful woman, self-confident and with a constant air of authority. But she is not immune to the attentions of Grujo, a handsome local, and she begins an affair with him. Love begins making inroads in her shell of self-reliance and she is soon ready to shed it for love. Grujo succumbs briefly to the lure of the "promised land" -- America -- but after his attempts to share in the "American Dream" turn into nightmares, he returns home. Back in Macedonia, Grujo runs afoul of the Turkish government and he is soon at the top of their most wanted list. The man whose business it is to apprehend him is the young Turkish Lieutenant Muzafer. Muzafer's presence in the Balkans is the result of a diplomatic incident in Paris in which the stubborn young Turk shot a French officer in a duel. Muzafer risked his diplomatic career to defend his "honour" and now he's stuck in the Balkans. He soon turns the official pursuit of Grujo into an personal campaign and begins competing with him for the favours of Mrs. Denadi. The three-way struggle quickly becomes a war and, as the saying goes, all's fair in love and war.