Vinko Brešan director

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Birth: 3. 2. 1964., Zagreb

Bresan is the author of two of the most viewed Croatian films of the last decade. He took a degree in film and television directing from the Academy of Drama Arts in Zagreb. He first attracted attention with his short documentaries (Naša burza, 1988, which received a diploma at the festival in Oberahusen, and Zajednički ručak, 1994, and Hodnik, 1995, which won an Oktavijan, the award of the Croatian Association of Film Critics). His debut feature film, Kako je počeo rat na mom otoku (1996), a humorous drama about the Croatian War of Independence, was seen by 330.000 people in Croatian movie theatres. Thus, it became one of the most popular films of the 90’s, leaving in its dust many big-budget Hollywood blockbusters. His next film, Maršal (1999), a satirical comedy about the alleged appearance of Tito’s ghost in a small island village, also had outstanding ratings (about 100.000 people saw it in theatres). Maršal won an award at the Berlin Film Festival, where it was shown in an accompanying program. Bresan made his first two films in collaboration with his father, Ivo Brešan, the respected drama author and writer. Bresan’s latest work, Svjedoci, a drama about the Croatian War of Independence, is based on Jurica Pavčić’s novel "Ovce od gipsa". After thirty years of Croatian cinema’s absence from Berlin, this film was part of the official program at the Berlin Film Festival.

Awards:
Pula 96' - Great golden arena for the best director of the film Kako je počeo rat na mom otoku
Pula 2000' - Golden arena for the screenplay for the film Maršal (co-screenwriter Ivo Brešan)
Synchro film & video award for the best director
Karlovy Vary 2000' - Jury’s award for the best director for the film Maršal
Pula 2003' - Golden arena for the best director for the film Svjedoci; Golden arena for the screenplay (co-screenwriters Jurica Pavičić and Živko Zalar)