Tomka and His Friends (1977)

In an Albanian village shortly after the Italians have capitulated to the Allieds, the partisans of the town, still fighting fascism, secretly welcome ex-Italian soldiers who are willing to fight for their cause. While playing in an isolated war scarred area of the village, best adolescent friends Tomka, Gëzim, Vaska and Çelo - Tomka the de facto leader among the four - discover such a soldier, Antonio, hiding. Antonio and the partisans have good reason to work in secret as German military vehicles have just rolled into town to supplant the Italians, the Nazi soldiers having set up their base on a field where most of the children of the town normally play. The children are incensed, they deciding to play on the street just outside of the makeshift gate the Germans have set up as the entrance to the base both in a practical sense as a large enough space to play football, and as a protest of sorts to the Nazis that they cannot so easily destroy their lives. Tomka and his friends, from this vantage point, secretly dream of how they can reclaim their field. They may get their chance as the partisans continue their fight, they believing every like-minded citizen, young or old, has his place in the fight.