Movies Similar to Croatia: Defining a Nation

City of Splendour(2013)

A documentary about punk and subculture scene of Pula, Croatia from 1978 to 1991, the city that gave birth to one of the most vivid punk and alternative rock scenes in former Yugoslavia, despite having population of just over 60,000 residents.

Freedom from Despair(2004)

True stories of the Croatian People's struggle to overcome oppression from communist Yugoslavia and the 1990's fight to save their war ravaged homeland.

Depth Charge(2005)

In 2004 X1 Sports took a band of intrepid climbers to Croatia . Their mission was to find some of the best and unknown rock in the Europe ; the reason, well to see if they could Deep Water Solo off it of course. With some of the best climbers in the world, Chris Sharma, Steve McClure, Leo Holding, Depth Charge charts their progress and antics as they look to challenge their limits each and every day. Depth Charge is an on the wall documentary of their every move and allows the viewer to see exactly what makes a climber tick.

Ivica Vidović(2005)

A short documentary about one of the most prominent Croatian actors of all time.

Autofocus(2013)

Every summer, St. Nicholas Church (12th century) draws large crowds of tourists. Situated in an untouched Arcadian landscape, on a picturesque hill and next to a lone tree, it is as if the site becomes a stage where various unusual events take place. Thus, the tourists, unaware of the proximity of the camera, become performers in a daily show.

Hotel Sunja(1992)

In 1992, the Yugoslav army and Serbian paramilitary forces captured one-third of Croatia as the country was engulfed in a state of war. A squad of fighters is defending their position in the small but strategically significant village of Sunja, where the invaders have surrounded them on three sides. Ivan Salaj, a young and gifted director who was still enrolled in film school at the time, chooses to use their story as the subject of his student film. Considered one of the most important films from a period when Croatian independence was still at stake, it provides an accurate portrayal of life on the front lines. What makes Hotel Sunja even more special is that it was made by a group of students who risked their lives to make the movie.

Dossier Zinfandel

"For years, there has been an effort to discover the exact origin of the most popular American grape variety and wine, Zinfandel. Thanks to modern technology, forensics, and DNA analysis, the collaboration between American and Croatian laboratories has borne fruit: Zinfandel is the Croatian Crljenak Kaštelanski."

Tudjman(1997)

A documentary about Croatian politician Franjo Tudjman.

Gangster of Love(2013)

Matchmaker Nediljko Babic, also known as "Gangster", helps a Bulgarian single mother find a new husband in Croatia. But a series of comically disastrous dates discloses the true nature of conservative Croatian men: they would rather die alone than marry a foreigner with a child.

An Encounter(2009)

Imagine joint demonstrations of students and farmers! Such an improbable encounter happened on the Feast of Corpus Christi in 2009 on Vukovarska street in Zagreb, when students from Faculty of Social Sciences came to support the farmers' demonstrations in front of the building of Ministry of Agriculture. In spite of the fact that this event was present in all the media, this film is the only video recording of this unusual one-day encounter of students and farmers. Euphoric student night and sobering farmers' day; media-conscious activism and heavy machines on the streets; plenary form of organization and quarreling farmers' associations - these are just some of the manifestations of this unexpected alliance.

Hallo, Munich(1968)

The rut of Dalmatian hinterland changes with the arrival of returning guest workers, and things they bring along: cars, radios and new way of life.

Dum spiro spero(2017)

Well-known Croatian author Pero Kvesić, who has been struggling with a severe lung disease, documents his death from his own point of view. Recording his everyday struggle, the picture resembles a peculiar blog filled with self-irony and witty comments about life and death. Although the world around continues to shrink, the hero and the director in one does not cease to fill it with sense.

Mama Rosa(2019)

Rosa is from Croatia and lives in Switzerland, with her husband who depends on her care. She takes care of everything. Her children have grown up and want to leave home. Rosa stays behind alone.

Guard Along the Drina(1942)

A compilation of week journals made for Nazi-puppet regime in Croatia during WW II which show the warfare of Ustasha forces against Yugoslav partisans and Chetniks in eastern Bosnia.

Toronto Croatia – One Big Croatian Story...(2014)

A documentary about Croatian immigrants' soccer clubs, especially the Croatia Toronto soccer club, and their significance to the Croatian diaspora as well as Croatia itself.

Our Little One(2023)

Warm, poetic, educational, and emotional story will paint for us the phenomenon of Dražen Petrović, one of the greatest basketball players in the world who, despite his premature death, left an incredible mark on people's lives.

Rhythm of the Rock Tribe(2007)

A documentary about rich history of rock scene in Rijeka, Croatia.

Maxo Vanka’s Masterpiece: The Murals at St. Nicholas Church(2012)

The magnificent murals at St. Nicholas Church in Millvale, painted by Maxo Vanka in the late 1930s, are legendary. Filmmaker Kenneth Love conveys the significance of these images and the impact they have had on art historians, parishioners, and the public.

1991. Tko je tvoj bližnji?(2021)

Forbidden: Dead Harbor(1976)

‘Dead Harbor’ deals with the people who were living in worst asylums at that time – institutions in which the society was throwing a way all those who they wanted to get rid off and marginalize: psychiatric patients, alcoholics, old people who no one wanted, ex prostitutes and the other social cases. Work was filmed in Asylum for adults in Bidružica. Without any real care or therapy, under hard sedatives and drugs, inhabitants of Asylum wasted their days without any meaningful activities – walking in circles in the yard, sitting on the benches or in the best case drinking in local pubs.