Citizens in Flower Square
view in croatian- 2011
- 20'
- video
- color
- Orig. Title: Građani na Cvjetnom trgu
Flower Square, the epitome of quiet and respectable Zagreb has recently become the scene of bloody confrontations between criminals and mafia gangs. Ten years ago, in one such showdown, an innocent passer-by called Zoran Domini was shot dead. He was the father of two children. His murderers have never been caught. Four years later, burdened by poverty, hardship, overwork, care and sorrow, his widow Ankica Domini grew sick and died. Two children were left without a single surviving parent. Today they are still in the care of a social welfare centre and filming their lives is not possible. In addition to this ruined family, two other people were casualties of this outbreak of underworld violence. The dark story of Flower Square today contrasts nostalgic songs about Zagreb as it used to be and the beauty of living there in its heyday. Today, no one dreams of singing such songs about Zagreb, and the old songs are rarely played.
- Director
- Krsto Papić
- Screenplay
- Krsto Papić
- Cinematography
- Branko Cahun
- Editing
- Tihomir Tonžetić
- Producers
- Drago Škobić, Ninoslav Lovčević
- Production
- Ozana Film
- Co-production
- Hrvatska radiotelevizija (HRT)
Krsto Papić (1933 – 2013) was the director and writer of several significant Croatian feature films, such as Handcuffs (1969), Acting Hamlet in the Village of Mrduša Donja (1973), The Rat Savior (1976), The Secret of Nikola Tesla (1980) and My Uncle's Legacy (1988). He was also the author of important documentary films, such as When my Knife Strikes You, Special Trains, A Little Village Show, Charter Flight No..., À propos des étrangers en France (made for French TV), Fishermen from Urk (made for the Dutch Ministry of Intelligence). Papić has won over 100 awards for his films, including Golden Arenas for best film and best director in 1970 for Handcuffs. The film was also invited to appear as an official competition entry at Cannes, but the Yugoslavian Commission denied Papić permission to represent his country, so it appeared to great acclaim in the Directors' Fortnight section instead. Acting Hamlet in the Village of Mrduša Donja was an official competition entry at the Berlinale in 1974 and was nominated for a Golden Bear award. The Rat Savior won three Grand Prix awards at fantasy festivals in Trieste, Paris and Porto. My Uncle's Legacy won the Golden Arena and audience awards at Pula in 1988, as well as the FIPRESCI award for best film at Montreal. It was also nominated for a Golden Globe for best foreign film. Papić's other feature films include the highly acclaimed Story from Croatia (1991), When the Dead Start Singing (1999) and Infection (2005). In 2006 Papić won the Vladimir Nazor Award for lifetime achievement in cinema, and two years earlier he was given Grand Prix Special des Amériques at the Montreal World Film Festival. His final film Flower Square (2012) won the Freedom of Speech Award at the 36th Montreal World Film Festival.