The international successes of Croatian cinema

Prava istina priče o šori

ZAGREB, January 17 – Alongside the increase in domestic film viewership within local theaters, Croatian cinema has achieved notable visibility on the international film scene. Croatian titles of all genres have presented themselves to festival audiences worldwide.

Cannes, Berlin, and Venice

Croatian production made its mark at three of the world’s most significant film destinations: Cannes, Berlin, and Venice.

At the Cannes Film Festival, the short fiction film “Prava istina priče o šori,” directed and written by Andrea Slaviček, and produced by Katarina Prpić (Antitalent), had its debut as part of the Critics’ Week (Semaine de la Critique) parallel program. The film, co-produced with the Spanish company Fractal and the Croatian association Blank, showcased at various European and global festivals after its premiere.

Additionally, the feature-length minority co-production “Lost Country,” directed by Vladimir Perišić, also premiered in the same program, with Ankica Jurić Tilić (Kinorama) as the Croatian co-producer. Both films garnered attention and accolades throughout their festival runs.

At the Berlin International Film Festival, the animated work “Eeva” by Lucija Mrzljak and Morten Tšinakova, initially part of the Berlinale Shorts competition, later won numerous awards worldwide, including Annecy, and earned a spot on the shortlist for an Oscar nomination.

The film, a Croatian-Estonian co-production, was produced by Draško Ivezić (Jadran Film) and Estonian co-producer Kelav Tamm (Eesti Joonisfilm). Additionally, Vlado Petri’s feature-length hybrid documentary “Između revolucija,” co-produced with Croatian Restart and co-produced by Oliver Sertić, premiered in the Forum program at Berlinale, immediately winning the FIPRESCI award. The film went on to receive multiple awards, including the Grand Prix at Makedox.

Eeva

Moreover, the feature film “Morska iskra” by Belgian director Domien Huyghe screened at Berlinale. Produced in a Belgian-Dutch co-production with Siniša Juričić (Nukleus Film) as the associate producer, the film featured a role by the young Croatian actress Nika Petrović.

The jury of the Generation program awarded the film a special recognition. Brandon Cronenberg’s minority co-production “Bazen beskraja,” where Anita Juka (4Film) is the co-producer, had its European premiere at the festival, and part of it was filmed in Šibenik, supported by the Croatian Audiovisual Center through subsidies for minority Croatian co-productions and incentives for filming in Croatia (Filming in Croatia). The film initially premiered in January 2023 at the Sundance Film Festival in the United States.

Croatian production in 2023 also presented itself at the last of the three “crown jewel” world festivals. Goran Stolevski’s feature film “Domaćinstvo za početnike” had its world premiere in the Horizons competition program at the 80th Venice International Film Festival. Co-produced with Kinorama, with Ankica Jurić Tilić as the co-producer, the film received the “Queer Lion” award for the best LGBTQ+ themed film at the festival.

Furthermore, the short fiction film “Stane” by Antoneta Alamat Kusijanović was featured in the parallel program of the Venice Days section (Giornate degli Autori). Produced as part of the Miu Miu fashion brand initiative, Women’s Tales, the film was co-produced by Hi Production from Milan and Eclectica from Zagreb. The film’s producers were Max Brun, Ivan Kelava, and Antoneta Alamat Kusijanović. Later, the film was released on Vimeo and recognized as a Vimeo Staff Pick.

Other Important Festival Destinations

Croatian films also showcased at various prestigious European and global festivals. Several films were screened at the Black Nights Film Festival in Tallinn. Neven Hitrec’s feature film “Dnevnik Pauline P.” was part of the children’s film competition, produced by Jure Bušić (Jaka produkcija). The minority co-production “Živi i zdravi” directed by Ivan Marinović (with Ankica Jurić Tilić as the Croatian co-producer) had its world premiere in the main competition program for feature films. The film “Sunce mamino” by Kosta Đorđević, co-produced with the Croatian company Marinis Media (with Ivana Marinić Kragić as the co-producer), made its debut in the young audience competition.

Other minority co-productions, such as Janez Burger’s “Promatranje” (Croatian co-producers Lana Matić and Boris T. Matić, Propeler Film), Mladen Đorđević’s “Radnička klasa ide u pakao,” which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival, Radu Jude’s “Ne očekuj previše od kraja svijeta,” and Vladimir Perišić’s “Lost Country” were also featured at various festivals.

In the documentary section, Eylem Kaftan’s film “Dan, 365 sati” from Turkey, co-produced by Sabina Krešić (Fade In), was screened at the festival. Une Gunjak’s debut feature film “Ekskurzija,” co-produced with the Croatian Nukleus Film (with Siniša Juričić as the co-producer), had its world premiere at the Locarno Film Festival, where it received a special mention in the Cineasti del presente program.

Additionally, four Croatian short films were presented at the PÖFF Shorts Film and Animation Festival, running concurrently with the Black Nights Film Festival: “Obiteljski portret” by Lea Vidaković, “Haljina za finale” by Martina Meštrović, “Glazbene čarapice” by Ana Horvat, and “Y” by Matea Kovač.

Safe Place

Domestic titles successfully appeared at the International Film Festival Rotterdam (IFFR), where Damir Čučić’s feature-length experimental film “Polako nikuda” had its world premiere in the Harbour section, along with Igor Grubić’s experimental short films “Ingresso Animali Vivi” and “Horror Vacui” by Boris Poljak.

Croatian production was represented at the Warsaw International Film Festival, featuring the world premiere of the feature film “Prelazak,” directed by Jacqueline Van Vugt from the Netherlands. The film, a minority Croatian co-production with Siniša Juričić (Nukleus Film) as the producer, was also partially shot in several Croatian cities.

Croatian films had a presence at major North American festivals, including the Toronto International Film Festival, where Ree Rajčić’s short documentary “1001 noć” had its world premiere, and Dubravka Turić’s feature film “Tragovi,” Croatia’s candidate for the Oscar, had its North American premiere at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival. 

Tragovi

In the same edition, the award-winning film “Safe Place” by Juraj Lerotić and the Croatian minority co-production, “The Happiest Man in the World,” directed by Teona Strugar Mitevska (Croatian co-producer Vanja Sremac, Terminal 3), were also screened. Additionally, the short fiction film “Snow White” by Lana Barić and the animated film “Eeva” by Lucija Mrzljak and Morten Tšinakova were presented to the audience at the most important North American short film festival, ShortFest in Palm Springs, California.

Domestic feature films were also showcased at Asian festivals recognized by FIAPF (International Federation of Film Producers Associations), such as the International Film Festival of India in Goa, where Pave Marinković’s “Bosnian Pot” was screened in competition, and three more films found their place in other programs: Jasna Nanut’s “Seventh Heaven,” Andrej Korovljev’s “Hotel Pula,” and Vladimir Perišić’s “Lost Country” (co-production with Kinorama).

The aforementioned “Safe Place” continued its successes from 2022 into 2023 when it was nominated for the “European Oscar,” i.e., the European Film Award of the European Film Academy, and in December, the nomination for the 38th Goya Award of the Spanish Academy of Film Arts and Sciences was announced. The Goya Award ceremony will take place on February 10, 2024.

Speaking of nominations, in 2023, the success of Antoneta Alamat Kusijanović’s “Murina” also continued. The director was nominated for the Directors Guild of America (DGA) Award.

In 2023, feature-length documentary films also gained visibility at prestigious festivals dedicated to this genre. Elvis Lenić’s documentary “Ship” was declared the best film in the main competition (Opus Bonum) at the 27th Ji.hlava International Documentary Film Festival, and at the 20th edition of the International Human Rights Documentary Film Festival ‘Verzio’ in Budapest, two Croatian films and one minority co-production celebrated: Tea Vidović Dalipi’s film “Daughter-in-Law: Diary of Expectation” won the main prize in the section dedicated to student and debut films – Doc Future Student and Debut; “Deserters” by Damir Markovina received a Special Jury Recognition in the Viewfinder competition section, while the minority co-production “Fairy Garden” by director Gergő Somogyvári (Croatian co-producer Oliver Sertić, Restart) was declared the best Hungarian film of the festival. Among other awards, Vedrana Pribačić and Mirta Puhlovski’s feature-length documentary film “Bigger than Trauma” was named the best film at the 27th International Festival of Mediterranean Documentary and Reportage Films PriMed.

Brod

The year was successful for animated titles as well, including the previously mentioned “Eeva” by Lucija Mrzljak and Morten Tšinakova. Since its premiere in 2022, the film has been screened at over a hundred festivals, winning 25 awards and recognitions through 2023. It qualified for the Oscars with an award at the Nashville Film Festival.

Another prominent Croatian animated film qualified for the Oscars – “Remember How I Rode a White Horse” by Ivana Bošnjak Volda and Thomas Johnson Volda, which was also considered for a nomination for the European Film Award. The film had its world premiere at the prestigious Ottawa Animation Festival in 2022 and has since been shown at over 50 festivals worldwide, also winning numerous awards and recognitions, including an award at the Vienna Shorts Film Festival (2023). Additionally, Lee Vidaković’s short fiction film “Family Portrait,” which received about ten awards, including the main prize at the Tokyo Film Festival in the past year, was presented at about fifty festivals worldwide.

Croatian animated titles in 2023 were present at all major events dedicated to animation, such as festivals in Annecy, Ottawa, Fantoche in Baden, and Manchester. The latter festival, among other things, paid special attention to Croatian heritage and contemporary animated film through two specially curated programs and a lecture dedicated to Bonobostudio.

Important European venues for short films included, in addition to those already mentioned, the German Oberhausen and the Finnish Tampere, both of which hosted domestic authors and their films in 2023. In Oberhausen, the world premiere took place for films by David Gašo, “Low Grass,” and Ane Bilankov’s “Reaching for the Sun: El Shatt,” while the Tampere Film Festival included Silvia Ćapin’s “Horticulture” in the competition. Croatian cinema also celebrated at the 65th International Festival of Documentary and Short Film Zinebi, where Valerija Sara Jurinčić’s short film, a recipient of the Sarajevo Heart, was selected as a candidate for the European Film Award.

Focus Programs

In addition to all the mentioned selections and awards, Croatian films were also presented in special focus programs around the world. Besides the aforementioned program in Tallinn (focus on Serbia and neighbors) and the program at the animation festival in Manchester, focus programs dedicated to Croatia were held in Spain (GazteFF Children and Youth Festival), Morocco (International Festival of Auteur Film in Rabat), and France (International Festival in Nancy and Film Festival in Arras).