Fiume o morte!
2025 film by Igor Bezinović
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Fiume o morte! (Italian for 'Rijeka or death!') is a 2025 comedy docudrama film written and directed by Igor Bezinović. A co-production of Croatia, Italy and Slovenia, it features reenactments and reconstructions of Gabriele D'Annunzio's occupation of Rijeka.
- Vanja Jambrović
- Tibor Keser
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Festival poster | |
| Directed by | Igor Bezinović |
| Written by | Igor Bezinović |
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| Cinematography | Gregor Božič |
| Edited by | Hrvoslava Brkušić |
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Release dates |
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Running time | 113 minutes |
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It premiered at the 54th International Film Festival Rotterdam, where it won the Tiger Award. At the 72nd Pula Film Festival, the film won six Golden Arenas, including Best Director for Bezinović. At the 38th European Film Awards, it won Best Documentary. It was selected as the Croatian entry for Best International Feature Film at the 98th Academy Awards, but was not nominated.[1]
Premise
Residents of present-day Rijeka reenact images of Gabriele D'Annunzio's 1919–1920 occupation of the city.
Cast
- Actors portraying Gabriele D'Annunzio:
- Ćenan Beljulji
- Tihomir Buterin
- Andrea Marsanich (also a narrator)
- Izet Medošević
- Massimo Ronzani
- Milovan Večerina Cico
- Albano Vučetić
- Lovro Mirth as Guido Keller and a narrator
- Tonka Mršić as Luisa Baccara
- Renzo Chiepolo as Vittorio Emanuele Pittaluga and a narrator
- Goran Pavlić as Antonio Grossich
- Nikola Tutek as Guglielmo Marconi
Production
Director Igor Bezinović grew up in Rijeka. Regarding his approach for the film, he stated, "It's like a history lesson but retold in a fun way. In high school, I didn't like history that much because I didn't have a good storyteller, and history is basically about the art of telling a story. You can combine storytelling with facts, and it doesn't have to be terribly boring. It can be fun."[2]
Principal photography was completed by mid-July 2022.[3] The film was shot in Rijeka and Trieste, as well as at the Vittoriale degli Italiani in Gardone Riviera and in the Italian part of the Karst Plateau.[4]
Release
The film premiered at the 54th International Film Festival Rotterdam on 2 February 2025,[2][5] where it won both the Tiger Award and FIPRESCI Award.[6][7] By the beginning of July 2025, it attracted almost 30,000 viewers, making it the most-watched documentary film since Croatia's independence in 1991.[citation needed]
Reception
Wendy Ide of Screen Daily called the film "forthright, unflinching and very funny" and "a gloriously punk spin on the historical documentary genre".[8] Guy Lodge of Variety called the film "both compelling and very amusing".[9]
Accolades
| Award | Year[a] | Category | Recipient(s) | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| International Film Festival Rotterdam | 2025 | Tiger Award | Fiume o morte! | Won | [10] |
| FIPRESCI Award | Won | ||||
| Pula Film Festival | 2025 | Best Makeup | Ivana Pralija | Won | [11] |
| Best Costume Design | Tajči Čekada and Manuela Paladin | Won | |||
| Best Production Design | Anton Spazzapan | Won | |||
| Best Casting | Sara Jakupec | Won | |||
| Best Production | Vanja Jambrović and Tibor Keser | Won | |||
| Best Director | Igor Bezinović | Won | |||
| Yerevan International Film Festival | 2025 | Golden Apricot | Fiume o morte! | Won | [12] |
| Vukovar Film Festival | 2025 | Golden Barge | Won | ||
| CinEast Film Festival | 2025 | Audience Award | Won | [13] | |
| Adriatic Film & TV Awards | 2025 | Best Film | Won | [14] | |
| Best Director | Igor Bezinović | Won | |||
| Best Screenplay | Won | ||||
| European Film Awards | 2026 | Best Film | Fiume o morte! | Nominated | [15] |
| Best Documentary | Won | ||||
| Millennium Docs Against Gravity | 2026 | FIPRESCI Documentary Grand Prix | Won | [16] |
See also
Notes
- Indicates the year of ceremony. Each year is linked to the article about the awards held that year, wherever possible.
