Croatian film makes Oscars shortlist

(Photo: Antitalent)

Zagreb, 17 December – The short film The Man Who Could Not Remain Silent (original title Čovjek koji nije mogao šutjeti) has been included on the Oscars shortlist of 15 short films from around the world vying for a nomination at the Academy Awards.

From a pool of 180 eligible short films, members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences selected just 15 for this exclusive shortlist, from which the nominees for the Best Live Action Short Film category will be chosen.

The film, directed and written by Nebojša Slijepčević and produced by Katarina Prpić and Danijel Pek (Antitalent), qualified for Oscar consideration thanks to three major accolades: the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival, the Grand Prix at the Melbourne International Film Festival, and selection at the Manhattan Short Film Festival.

This announcement comes just ten days after The Man Who Could Not Remain Silent won the European Film Award (EFA) for Best Short Film at the 37th annual ceremony. Additionally, the film has been shortlisted for the César Award, presented by the French Academy of Cinema Arts and Techniques.

Previously, only the animated short Eeva, by Lucija Mrzljak and Morten Tšinakov, had been selected for an Oscars shortlist. In 2021, Dalibor Barić’s feature-length animated film Accidental Luxuriance of the Translucent Watery Rebus was one of 27 titles considered for an Oscar nomination in the Best Animated Feature category.

Čovjek koji nije mogao šutjeti

Since its world premiere at Cannes, where it won the Palme d’Or, The Man Who Could Not Stay Silent has been screened at over 80 festivals worldwide, including the Toronto Film Festival, Manhattan Short, PÖFF Shorts in Tallinn, the Stockholm Film Festival, and the Festival du Nouveau Cinéma.

The film has garnered numerous awards, including the Grand Prix at the Melbourne International Film Festival, the Audience Award at Kurzfilmtage Winterthur, Best Film at the Euro-Balkan Film Festival in Rome, Best Actor for Goran Bogdan at the Sulmona Film Festival (SIFF), and Best Cinematography for Gregor Božič at the Bucharest Short Film Festival, among others.

The film tells the true story of a heroic act in the mid-1990s during the war in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Serbian paramilitary forces stopped a train travelling from Belgrade to Bar and committed a war crime, executing 19 Muslim passengers.

Only one man, Tomo Buzov, a retired Yugoslav People’s Army officer from Kaštela, stood against this atrocity.

Director Nebojša Slijepčević wrote the screenplay based on this real-life event. The cast includes Goran Bogdan, Alexis Manenti, Dragan Mićanović, Silvio Mumelaš, Lara Nekić, Priska Ugrina, Dušan Gojić, Nebojša Pop Tasić, Mijo Pavelko, Martin Kuhar, Jakov Zovko, and Robert Ugrina.

The Man Who Could Not Remain Silent was produced by Antitalent, with Katarina Prpić and Danijel Pek as producers. Co-producers include Katya Trichkova (Contrast Films, Bulgaria), Noëlle Lévénez (Les Films Norfolk, France), and Boštjan Virc (Studio Virc, Slovenia).

The final list of Oscar nominees will be announced on 17 January 2025, with the Academy Awards ceremony scheduled for 2 March in Los Angeles.