The Man Who Could Not Remain Silent
| The Man Who Could Not Remain Silent | |
|---|---|
_poster.webp) Film poster | |
| Croatian | Čovjek koji nije mogao šutjeti |
| Directed by | Nebojša Slijepčević |
| Written by | Nebojša Slijepčević |
| Based on | "Priča o Tomislavu Buzovu"[1][2] by Boris Dežulović |
| Produced by | Danijel Pek Katarina Prpic Noëlle Levenez Katya Trichkova Bostjan Virc |
| Starring | Dragan Mićanović Goran Bogdan Alexis Manenti |
| Cinematography | Gregor Bozic |
| Edited by | Tomislav Stojanovic |
Production companies | Antitalent Produkcija Les Films Norfolk Contrast Films Studio Virc |
Release date |
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Running time | 13 minutes |
| Countries |
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| Language | Croatian |
The Man Who Could Not Remain Silent (Croatian: Čovjek koji nije mogao šutjeti) is a 2024 Croatian short drama film, written and directed by Nebojša Slijepčević.[3] Shot at the Zagreb Glavni kolodvor,[4] the film dramatizes the Štrpci massacre of 1993, when 18 Muslims and 1 Croat were pulled off a train by the Serbian White Eagles paramilitary group and massacred; it centres on Tomo Buzov (Dragan Mićanović), the sole non-Bosniak passenger on the train who tried to stand up against the attackers.[3]
The film premiered at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival, where it was the winner of the Short Film Palme d'Or.[5] It also won European Short Film at the 37th European Film Awards.[6] It was shortlisted for the Best Live Action Short Film category, and eventually becoming the nominee in the same category for 97th Academy Awards,[7] becoming the first Croatian film to get nominated for an Academy Award in that category, and first Croatian film overall to get nominated for an Academy Award since the independence of Croatia.[8] The film got selection at the 2nd Eikhoigi Imphal International Film Festival 2025 under the World Lenses section.[9]
Plot
[edit]The film depicts the true story of the kidnapping and crime in Štrpci (Bosnia and Herzegovina) on February 27, 1993, on passenger train travelling from Belgrade to Bar, when the Beli Orlovi paramilitary unit dragged 24 Muslims from the train and ended up killing them.
Dragan is a middle-aged man in a train car with several other passengers, including the teenaged Milan, a grandfather and granddaughter, and a college student. The train stops unexpectedly, and the White Eagles are granted access to the train by the conductor. The soldiers force each passenger back into their seats and demand documentation and personal details from each. Many passengers are heard being forcefully dragged out. Milan admits to Dragan that he has no paperwork, and will also be arrested, but Dragan assures him that nobody in the car will let anything happen to him.
However, when a commander does enter the car, Dragan fails to rebuff him and instead sits helplessly as the commander abuses Milan and orders him out of the train, falsely assuring him that he will quickly be returned. The other bystanders also sit quietly; however, the final passenger in the car, a Croat army veteran named Tomo Buzov, angrily confronts the commander and questions his authority. As Buzov willingly leaves the train to speak with the officer in charge, Milan is able to safely stay, and the train continues on. Dragan watches Tomo's empty seat in silence.
The film ends with a tribute to Tomo Buzov, who was executed due to his attempt to stop the massacre.
Cast
[edit]- Goran Bogdan as Dragan
- Alexis Manenti as commander of Beli Orlovi paramilitary
- Silvio Mumelaš as Milan
- Dragan Mićanović as Tomo Buzov
- Lara Nekić as student
- Priska Ugrina as granddaughter
- Dušan Gojić as grandfather
- Nebojša Pop Tasić as conductor
- Martin Kuhar as soldier
- Jakov Zovko as soldier
- Mijo Pavelko as passenger
- Robert Ugrina as passenger
- Damir Markovina voice
- Antonio Nuić voice
Accolades
[edit]| Year | Festival/Event | Award | Category | Result | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Cannes Film Festival | Palme d'Or | Best Short Film | Won | [10] |
| 2024 | Melbourne International Film Festival | Grand Prix City of Melbourne | Best Short Film | Won | [10] |
| 2024 | AsterFest International Film | Aco Aleksov | Best Director | Won | [10] |
| 2024 | FeKK – Ljubljana Short Film Festival | Special Recognition | Won | [10] | |
| 2024 | Festival slovenskega filma Portorož | Special Recognition for Cinematography | Won | [10] | |
| 2024 | Sulmona Film Festival | Ex Aequo | Best Actor | Won | [10] |
| 2024 | Euro-Balkan Film Festival | Best Short Film | Won | [11] | |
| 2024 | Bucharest Short Film Festival | Best Cinematography | Won | [10] | |
| 2024 | Days of Croatian Film | Best Screenplay | Won | [12] | |
| Award for Ethics and Human Rights | Won | ||||
| Ex Aequo | Best Actor | Won | |||
| 2024 | International Short Film Festival Winterthur | Audience Award | Won | [13] | |
| 2024 | European Film Academy | Prix Vimeo | European Short Film | Won | [10] |
| 2025 | 97th Academy Awards | Academy Award | Best Live Action Short Film | Nominated | [8] |
References
[edit]- ^ "Ovo je priča o Tomislavu Buzovu, čovjeku čija je tragična sudbina Hrvatskoj donijela prvu Zlatnu palmu od osamostaljenja". Slobodna Dalmacija (in Croatian). 26 May 2024. Retrieved 2 March 2025.
- ^ Lazarin, Branimira (24 May 2024). "Nebojša Slijepčević: Izjave iz redova Domovinskog pokreta svjedočanstva su najcrnje desnice". Portal Novosti (in Croatian). Retrieved 2 March 2025.
- ^ a b Borislav Visnjic, "Bosnia Train Massacre: Cannes Film Hails ‘Forgotten Hero’ Who Confronted Killers". Balkan Insight, 24 May 2024.
- ^ Sandić, Srđan (3 March 2025). "Prije godinu dana bili smo na snimanju filma "Čovjek koji nije mogao šutjeti", evo što nam je Goran Bogdan tada otkrio". Gloria (in Croatian). Retrieved 24 March 2025.
- ^ Rebecca Leffler, "Sean Baker’s ‘Anora’ wins Palme d’Or at 2024 Cannes Film Festival". Screen Daily, 25 May 2024.
- ^ Richlin, Harrison (7 December 2024). "2024 European Film Awards: See Full List of Winners". IndieWire. Retrieved 8 December 2024.
- ^ "Oscar Shortlists In 10 Categories Announced: 'Emilia Pérez' & 'Wicked' Lead The Field". Deadline. 17 December 2024. Retrieved 18 December 2024.
- ^ a b ""The Man Who Could Not Remain Silent" becomes first Croatian film to get Oscar nomination". Croatiaweek.com. 23 January 2025. Retrieved 23 January 2025.
- ^ Navin Upadhyay (27 January 2025). "Imphal Film Festival Unveils Diverse Lineup with 57 Films, Showcasing Manipuri Classics". powercorridors.in.
- ^ a b c d e f g h "The Man Who Could Not Remain Silent". Antitalent.hr. Retrieved 23 January 2025.
- ^ "I vincitori dell'Euro Balkan Film Festival 2024 - Comunicato Stampa" [The Winners of the Euro Balkan Film Festival 2024 – Press Release]. Associazione Occhio Blu Anna Cenerini Bova (in Italian). 13 November 2024. Retrieved 21 December 2024.
- ^ "Grand Prix of the 33rd Days of Croatian Film Awarded to "Low Grass" by David Gaša". Days of Croatian Film (in Croatian). 20 October 2024. Retrieved 21 December 2024.
- ^ "Internationale Kurzfilmtage Winterthur | Industry | Award Winners 2024". www.kurzfilmtage.ch. Retrieved 21 December 2024.
External links
[edit]- The Man Who Could Not Remain Silent at IMDb
- The Man Who Could Not Remain Silent at Indie Shorts Mag
- 2024 films
- 2024 drama films
- 2024 short films
- Croatian war drama films
- Croatian short films
- Bosnian War films
- Short Film Palme d'Or winners
- European Film Awards winners (films)
- War drama films based on actual events
- Films based on newspaper and magazine articles
- Films set in 1993
- Rail transport films
- Films about war crimes
- Films shot in Croatia