Behind the Scenes // Videotheque: Making a Balkan Midnight Movie

Romanian actor Bogdan Farcas on Tara mountain film set

Videotheque was born out of two obsessions: the dusty nostalgia of VHS-era video stores, and the dark, poetic rhythms of Balkan mythology.

The film is structured as a mystery anthology, with each of the three inner stories—and the framing narrative—shot in a unique visual style, using different cameras, formats, and textures. Captured both on digital and 16mm film, each tailored to reflect the tone of its tale and bringing a distinct atmosphere to each segment. This intentional fragmentation created the feeling of stepping through different realities, like pulling forgotten VHS tapes off a shelf.

Videotheque was shot in four dramatically different locations across Serbia:

• The mining city of Majdanpek, a stark, industrial landscape steeped in Eastern Bloc history

  
  

• The mystical forests of Mount Tara, rich in fog and ancient legend

  
  

• The Petnica cave system near Valjevo, home to Serbia’s oldest archaeological discoveries

  
  

• And of course, the streets and subcultures of Belgrade, the capital—where the past and present collide

The abandoned video store at the heart of the story is not a set—it’s real. We restored and transformed a shuttered VHS rental shop into the film’s core location, giving it a second life as a dream-space between film, memory, and myth.

🎬 Videotheque is a personal, handcrafted vision—but one made to be shared. Watch it now → https://www.videoteka.shop/en/stream-buy