Time of Violence (1988)

Time of Violence (Bulgarian: Време на насилие, translit. Vreme na nasilie) is a 1988 Bulgarian film based on the novel Vreme razdelno (Време разделно, "Time of Parting") of Anton Donchev . It consists of two episodes with a combined length of 288 minutes. It was screened in the Un Certain Regard section at the 1988 Cannes Film Festival. The film was selected as the Bulgarian entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 62nd Academy Awards, but was not accepted as a nominee.

Synopsis

Ottoman Empire, 1668. Köprülü Fazıl Ahmed Pasha concentrates his war efforts on the Cretan War, which inspires him to further subdue the Sultan's Christian subjects. One of the targets is Elindenya, a village located in a Rhodope valley where the Christians enjoy a de facto autonomy thanks to the local Muslim overlord Süleyman Agha's rule. A sipahi regiment is dispatched to the valley with the mission of converting the Christian population to Islam, by force if necessary. The extraordinary thing is that the regiment is led by Kara Ibrahim, a devshirme from Elindenya and although Süleyman Agha, feeling that his self-ordained rule is at stake, objects to forced conversions, Kara Ibrahim seems to be in favour of harsh measures against the locals, including his own family.

Actors