- by croatiaweek
- January 18, 2026
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Fiume o morte! (Photo: Restart)
Croatian documentary-fiction film Fiume o morte!, directed and written by Igor Bezinović, has won the prestigious Best European Documentary Film award, further cementing its place as one of the most successful Croatian films of recent decades.
The award was presented live in Berlin, where Bezinović accepted the honour alongside producer Vanja Jambrović of Restart. In his acceptance speech, Bezinović dedicated the award to the citizens of Rijeka, the city at the heart of the film’s story, the Croatian Audiovisual Center said.
The film competed against four other nominees in the documentary category and was also shortlisted for Best European Film, where it was among 15 titles. The latter award was ultimately won by Sentimental Value by Norwegian director Joachim Trier.
International acclaim and festival success
Fiume o morte! had its world premiere at the International Film Festival Rotterdam, where it achieved remarkable success, winning both the festival’s main award and the FIPRESCI prize from international film critics.
Since then, the film has enjoyed an extensive international journey, screening at festivals across Australia, Canada, the United States, Taiwan and Mexico. It was also shown at New York’s Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) and selected for more than 50 international film festivals, where it collected numerous accolades.
In Croatia, the film achieved historic success. In 2025 alone, it was watched by 38,948 cinema-goers, making it the most-watched documentary in Croatia since independence.
From 22 January, the film has been available to watch free of charge online via the ondemand.kinomeetingpoint.ba platform as part of the Winter Edition of the Adriatic Region Festival Network.
Awards, production and Oscar consideration
At the Pula Film Festival, Fiume o morte! won an impressive six Golden Arena awards, further underlining its domestic impact. The film was also selected as Croatia’s official submission for consideration for both the Academy Awards (Oscars) and Spain’s Goya Awards.
The film was produced by Restart, with producers Vanja Jambrović and Tibor Keser, and co-produced by Nosorogi (Slovenia), led by Marina Gumzi, and Videomante (Italy), with co-producer Erica Barbiani.