- Vinko Brešan
Vinko Brešan (born
February 3 ,1964 ) is a Croatianfilm director who emerged into international renown with three critically-acclaimed and award-winning films that, each in its own way, broke some of the perceived taboos of Croatian cinema in the 1990s.A native of
Zagreb and son of famous Croatian playwrightIvo Brešan , Vinko Brešan studiedPhilosophy andComparative Literature at theUniversity of Zagreb , as well as Film and Television Direction at the university's Academy of Dramatic Arts. As a student, he was awarded theOberhausen debutant prize for his short film "Naša burza" ("Our Stock Exchange") in 1988.In 1994 and 1995, Brešan was awarded the "Oktavijan" prize at the
Days of Croatian Film festival for "Zajednički ručak" ("Lunch Together") and "Hodnik" ("The Corridor") respectively.His first feature-length film "Kako je počeo rat na mom otoku" ("How the War Started on My Island"), is a humorous microcosmic take on the
Yugoslav Wars set in the Dalmatian Adriatic. The film was awarded the "Velika zlatna arena" ("Grand Golden Arena") for cinematography at thePula Film Festival and Grand Prize at the 1997Cottbus Film Festival of Young East European Cinema . It proved to be a tremendous commercial success as well, beating Independence Day at the Croatian box office in 1996 with over 300,000 viewers, and was screened at 32 international film festivals, including Toronto and Montreal.Brešan achieved similar international and domestic success with his 1999 black comedy "
Maršal " ("Marshal Tito's Spirit"), a satirical look at how unrepentant communists and new capitalists react to the reported appearance of the ghost of Marshal Tito on their small Adriatic island. It was awarded theWolfgang Staudte Prize and received Special Mention from the Reader Jury of the "Berliner Zeitung" at theBerlin International Film Festival in 2000. Brešan also won Best Director at theKarlovy Vary International Film Festival for the film in the same year. "Maršal", like its predecessor, was scripted in collaboration with Brešan's playwright father, Ivo, and also became a Croatian box office hit despite being released in a difficult economic period.Perhaps the most controversial part of Brešan's opus to date is the 2003 war drama "
Svjedoci " ("Witnesses"), based on the novel "Ovce od gipsa" ("Alabaster Sheep") byJurica Pavičić . Reminiscent ofAkira Kurosawa 's Rashomon, it explores the human complexities and moral murkiness of war through multiple perspectives and flashbacks surrounding the unintended murder of an alleged Serb smuggler by three Croatian soldiers returning from the front inKarlovac . The film was nominated for the Golden Bear at the 2004Berlinale and received the Peace Film Award as well as a Special Mention from the Ecumenical Jury. It also won the Philip Morris Award atKarlovy Vary in the same year. Notably, Serbian actressMirjana Karanović was cast in the role of a Croatian war widow—a decision Brešan had to defend as the film drew protests from theCroatian Party of Rights and right-wing sections of the Croatian public.Vinko Brešan is married to his editor Sandra Botica, with whom he has two sons - Ivan (b. 1996) and Niko (b. 2000).
He was appointed Director of
Zagreb Film in December 2004.Filmography
* "Nije kraj" (2008)
* "Svjedoci" (2003)
* "Maršal" (2000)
* "Kako je počeo rat na mom otoku" (1996)
* "Hodnik" (1994)
* "Zajednički ručak" (1993)References
* [http://www.filmski-programi.hr/english/baza_redatelj.php?id=37 Vinko Brešan profile - HR film database]
* [http://www.kkz.hr/html/mhf/vbresan.htm Vinko Brešan profile - Kino klub "Zagreb"] hr icon
* [http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0107655/awards Awards for Vinko Brešan]
* [http://www.ce-review.org/00/19/kinoeye19_pavicic.html Croatian Film in the 1990s]External links
*
* [http://archives.arte-tv.com/fr/archive_541217.html "Svjedoci" trailer]
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.