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'{{Infobox film | name = The Third Half | image = The Third Half.jpg | caption = | director = [[Darko Mitrevski]] | producer = Robert Naskov, Darko Mitrevski | screenplay = Grgur Strujic and Darko Mitrevski | story = | based on = World War 2 events | starring = [[Sasko Kocev]]<br>[[Katarina Ivanovska]]<br>Richard Sammel<br>[[Rade Sherbedgia]]<br>Emil Ruben<br>Mitko S. Apostolovski | music = [[Kiril Džajkovski]] | cinematography = Klaus Fuxjager | editing = Dejan Boskovic | studio = Kino Oko Production | distributor = | released = {{Film date|df=yes|2012|5|21|[[2012 Cannes Film Festival|Cannes]]|2012|9|15|[["Manaki Brothers" Film Festival]]}} | runtime = 113 minutes | country = Macedonia | language = {{Plainlist| *[[Macedonian language|Macedonian]] *[[German language|German]] *[[Bulgarian language|Bulgarian]] *[[Serbian language|Serbian]] *[[Judaeo-Spanish|Ladino]] *[[English language|English]] }} | budget = € 2.500.000 | gross = }} '''''The Third Half''''' ({{lang-mk|Трето Полувреме}} {{IPA-mk|ˈtrɛtɔ pɔˈɫuvrɛmɛ|}}) is a Macedonian-Czech-Serbian film that deals with Macedonian football during World War II, and the deportation of Jews from Macedonia. It is a story of love during wartime and a country's passion for soccer. The government of Macedonia considered the movie of national interest and funded it with one million euros.<ref>[http://www.novamakedonija.com.mk/NewsDetal.asp?vest=31612916468&id=16&prilog=0&setIzdanie=22532 Селектор на Кан ќе ги гледа „Балканот...“ и „Трето полувреме“] at Nova Makedonija, 16-3-2012, retrieved 23-05-2014 {{mk icon}}</ref> The film was inspired by the true story<ref>{{YouTube|ekAzFk3tMh0|The Third Half based on true events}}</ref><ref>{{YouTube|v-A1Nu2rpS0|Interview with Neta Cohen who was the inspiration for the character of Rebecca Cohen}}</ref> of the [[FC Macedonia]] football team.<ref>{{YouTube|1aR3qgaLlN0|Interview with football player Vasil Dilev from the FC Macedonia}}</ref> The Jewish coach [[Illés Spitz]] and Neta Koen (current name Marija Mladenovska)<ref name="ReferenceA">{{YouTube|kzr4j-lDiVs|Interview with the director}}</ref><ref>Mladenovska is a Macedonian [[Holocaust survivor]]. In 1998 the [[USC Shoah Foundation Institute for Visual History and Education|Shoah Foundation]] interviewed her. ==Plot== {{expand section|date=December 2012}} ''The Third Half'' depicts the history of 7,148 [[History of the Jews in the Republic of Macedonia|Macedonian Jews]] who were deported to the [[gas chambers of Treblinka]] by the Bulgarian administrative and military authorities, who were cooperating with the Nazi regime.<ref>In February 1943, Bulgaria and Germany signed an agreement stipulating the deportation of Bulgarian Jews to camps in Poland. Initially Bulgaria was to deliver 20,000 Jews to the Germans. The plan's first step called for the "purification" of the Bulgarian occupied territories of Thrace and Macedonia. In March 1943, Bulgarian police rounded up the Jews of Thrace and Macedonia at night and placed them in detention camps under extremely harsh conditions. Their property and their houses were confiscated prior to their deportation in the later part of the month. Sealed trains transported 11,384 Jews, mainly via the Danube River, to death camps, from which almost none returned. ''The Holocaust Encyclopedia'', Walter Laqueur, Judith Tydor Baumel, Yale University Press. New Haven and London, 2001, p. 102.</ref> In 1941, a young Eastern Orthodox man, Kosta, and a wealthy young Jewish woman, Rebecca, fall in love, despite her father's effort to keep them apart. With the war raging around their borders, the Macedonians remain cocooned in their world of patriotic pleasures, primarily concerned about getting the beleaguered Macedonia Football Club on a winning streak. Their manager hires the legendary German-Jewish coach Rudolph Spitz to turn them into champions. But when the Nazi occupation begins and they start deporting Jews, Kosta and his teammates realize that the carefree days of their youth are over. As the Nazis try to sabotage the outcome of the championship game, and Spitz's life is threatened, Kosta and his teammates rise to the challenge to protect their coach, with all of Macedonia cheering them on.<ref>[http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_third_half/ Rotten Tomatoes]</ref> ==Cast== *[[Sasko Kocev]] as Kosta *[[Katarina Ivanovska]] as Rebecca Cohen **[[Bedija Begovska]] as Rebecca in 2012 *[[Richard Sammel]] as Rudolph Spitz, a Prussian footballer-turned-coach hired to coach FC Macedonia *[[Rade Šerbedžija]] as Don Rafael Cohen, a wealthy Jewish banker and Rebecca's father *[[Emil Ruben]] as Garvanov, a Bulgarian colonel *[[Mitko S. Apostolovski]] as Dimitrija, the owner of FC Macedonia *[[Toni Mihajlovski]] as Pancho *[[Igor Angelov]] as Afrika *[[Gorast Cvetkovski]] as Skeptic *[[Oliver Mitkovski]] as Jordan *[[Igor Stojchevski]] as Cezar *[[Dimitrija Doksevski]] as Gengys *[[Bajram Severdzan]] as Choro *[[Whitney Montgomery]] as Rachel, Rebecca's granddaughter *[[Zvezda Angelovska]] as Blagunja, Pancho's wife *[[Verica Nedeska]] as Zamila, Rebecca's friend *[[Petre Arsovski]] as Papas, Dimitrija's friend *[[Meto Jovanovski (actor)|Meto Jovanovski]] as a rabbi *[[Salaetin Bilal]] as a shoemaker *[[Petar Mircevski]] as a barber ==Production== The film was directed by [[Darko Mitrevski]] and supported by the Macedonian Film Fund, the Holocaust Fund of the Jews from Macedonia, The Jewish Community of Macedonia and the Czech State Fund. It was declared a film of a national interest by the Macedonian Government.<ref>{{YouTube|N5s10HaKL9Q|PM Gruevski on the site of TTH}}</ref> The film was shot in [[Skopje]], [[Bitola]] and [[Ohrid]].<ref>[http://www.novamakedonija.com.mk/NewsDetal.asp?vest=91211119322&id=16&setIzdanie=22378 Location of filming (MKD)]</ref> Filming took place between September 10<ref>[http://www.sitel.com.mk/dnevnik/makedonija/snimanjeto-na-%E2%80%9Etreto-poluvreme%E2%80%9C-pochnuva-na-10-septemvri Filming started on the new film TTH - ''Sitel'' (MKD)]</ref> and October 27, 2011.<ref>[http://www.utrinski.com.mk/default.asp?ItemID=F5BA490B389C1D4885B63453E1AA94EA The filming of Darko Mitrevski' film is finished - ''Utrinski Vesnik'' (MKD)]</ref><ref>Macedonian film {{YouTube|x4AxaCdttsg|finished}}</ref> ==Reception== {{expand section|date=December 2012}} The film was selected as the Macedonian entry for the [[Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film|Best Foreign Language Oscar]] at the [[85th Academy Awards]], but it did not make the final cut for nomination.<ref name="Oscars">{{cite web |url=http://www.utrinski.com.mk/default.asp?ItemID=A97A56769715274FACD93B68E3B65875 |title="Трето полувреме" македонски кандидат за Оскар |accessdate=2012-09-13|work=Утрински весник}}</ref> ==Controversy== [[Evgeni Kirilov]], [[Andrey Kovatchev]] and [[Stanimir Ilchev]]—[[Bulgaria]]n [[Member of the European Parliament|members]] of the [[European Parliament]]—expressed outrage over the film and called upon [[European Commissioner for Enlargement]] [[Štefan Füle]] to reprove the [[Republic of Macedonia]] over the film. They claimed the film was an "attempt to manipulate Balkan history" and "spread hate" on the part of the Republic of Macedonia against its neighbours.<ref>[http://www.euractiv.com/enlargement/macedonian-film-infuriates-bulgaria-news-508639 EurActiv.com, Macedonian film infuriates Bulgaria, 29 October 2011.]</ref> The director of the film denied the accusations; he and the film crew described the objections to the film as an example of [[Holocaust denial]].<ref name="ReferenceA"/> In late November 2011, the Macedonian media alleged that European MP [[Doris Pack]] dismissed the Bulgarian politicians' criticism of the film.<ref>[http://vecer.com.mk/?ItemID=9F53174541964C43A1FC594EEE4FC0D6 ''И Дорис Пак даде гол за македонското "Трето полувреме"'']</ref> Subsequently, in an extraordinary meeting of the EU Committee on Foreign Affairs, which was attended by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Macedonia, Doris Pack, denied this allegation.<ref>[http://www.europarl.europa.eu/ep-live/EN/committees/video?event=20111129-1400-COMMITTEE-AFET&vodtype=Vod#anchor1 Committee on Foreign Affairs, Extraordinary meeting - Exchange of views with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, 29 November 2011.] {{dead link|date=May 2014}}</ref><ref>[http://www.europarl.europa.eu/ep-live/EN/committees/video?event=20111129-1400-COMMITTEE-AFET&vodtype=Vod#anchor1 European Parliament Committee on Foreign Affairs ] {{dead link|date=May 2014}}</ref> ==See also== * [[List of submissions to the 85th Academy Awards for Best Foreign Language Film]] * [[List of Macedonian submissions for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film]] ==References== {{reflist|30em}} == External links == * {{Official website|http://www.thethirdhalf-movie.com/}} * {{IMDb title|2069100}} * [http://www.darko.net.mk/thirdHalftime.htm Darko Mitrevski website] * [http://www.euronews.net/2011/11/11/macedonian-film-sparks-anger-in-bulgaria/ Euronews on The Third Half] * [http://www.ushmm.org/wlc/en/article.php?ModuleId=10006804 The Holocaust in Macedonia (source: United States Holocaust Memorial Museum)] * [http://www1.yadvashem.org/odot_pdf/Microsoft%20Word%20-%206633.pdf The deportation of the Macedonian Jews to Treblinka (source: Yad Vashem)] * Empty Boxcars (2011) Documentary *[http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2153626/] at IMDb [http://vimeo.com/25341520] link Vimeo {{DEFAULTSORT:Third Half, The}} [[Category:2012 films]] [[Category:Macedonian films]] [[Category:Macedonian-language films]] [[Category:Bulgarian-language films]] [[Category:German-language films]] [[Category:Films about Jews and Judaism]] [[Category:Films based on actual events]] [[Category:Films based on biographies]] [[Category:Association football films]] [[Category:Holocaust films]] [[Category:Films set in the Republic of Macedonia]] [[Category:Anti-Bulgarian sentiment]]'