A great man is one who collects knowledge the way a bee collects honey and uses it to help people overcome the difficulties they endure - hunger, ignorance and disease!
- Nikola Tesla

Remember, remember always, that all of us, and you and I especially, are descended from immigrants and revolutionists.
- Franklin Roosevelt

While their territory has been devastated and their homes despoiled, the spirit of the Serbian people has not been broken.
- Woodrow Wilson

Branislav Bala

Branislav Bane Bala (writer/director/producer) is a Serbian filmmaker based in New York City. He holds an MFA in film directing from Columbia University.

His short films have played worldwide. His short film Shades of Gray was distributed by Doug Liman’s Hypnotic Releasing, and his commercial spot Magic was a Coca-Cola Refreshing Filmmaker’s Award selection. He co-produced two low-budget features: Across Dot Avenue and Romeo and Juliet in Yiddish. The latter was invited for a week-long run at New York’s famous Lincoln Center and opened to rave reviews. He has taught various film classes at the University of Hartford, The New School, Art Institute of Austin, Ramapo College and was the chair of the Film Department at Katharine Gibbs School. He often collaborates with his brother Nemanja. Their latest collaboration, a feature film “Love Hunter” premiered at the prestigious Warsaw Film Festival and was “among its highlights”, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

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It opened in New York on November 14, 2014 and was among New York Times Critics’ Pick of the week. New York Times called it "at once fantastical and gritty… one of the most refreshing New York independent films." It was invited to screen at the prestigious Gene Siskel Film Center in Chicago. Kino Lorber, esteemed distribution company added the film to its catalogue.


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People Directory

Milana Mim Karlo Bizic

Milana ("Mim") Karlo Bizic earned a B.S. degree in three (3) years from the University of Pittsburgh where she had a four-year scholarship; a Master's Degree in 1967; School Library Certification in 1970; and Gifted and Talented Certification in 1981. Her professional experience includes teaching all Elementary grade level students K-6;  Teaching Graduate level courses for Penn State University (Beaver Campus for nine years until 1994), Carlow College and the Allegheny Intermediate Unit, where she taught fellow educators how to creatively integrate computers into their curriculums across all disciplines and all grade levels, K-12; working as a Supervisor of Student Teachers for the University of Pittsburgh (Pitt) after she retired from working 40+ years teaching in the public schools, most notably for Quaker Valley School District.

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Publishing

In the Mirror

A Collection of Iconographic Essays and Illustrations

By Fr. Stamatis Skliris

The Serbian Orthodox Diocese of Western America is pleased to announce the publication of an outstanding book by Fr. Stamatis Skliris, a disciple of the great twentieth-century theologians Archimandrite Justin Popovich and Bishop Athanasius Yevtich. Fr. Stamatis is a parish priest in Athens and is renowned as an iconographer and as a writer and lecturer on Byzantine iconography.

In the Mirror is the second of a planned collection of works of contemporary theologians. It is an anthology of Fr. Stamatis’ articles which have appeared in Greek and Serbian. In it, he combines adherence to the teachings of the Church Fathers with a vibrant expression of faith through the experience of Christ in the Church. The book is adorned with more than 200 striking icons and illustrations by Fr. Stamatis.

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