Danilo Šerbedžija’s Tereza37 is Croatia’s Oscar entry
In contention with six other films, director Danilo Šerbedžija’s Tereza37 has been selected as Croatia’s submission for the 94th Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Awards in the category of Best International Feature.
Each year the Croatian Film Workers’ Association (HDFD) selects a feature film that will represent Croatia at the Oscars in the category of Best International Feature.
On Thursday, 7th October, after a secret ballot in the second round, the fifteen-member Committee of the Croatian Film Workers’ Association decided by a simple majority that director Danilo Šerbedžija’s Tereza37, which is a Focus Media production, will represent Croatian cinema at the 94th Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Awards.
Tereza37 had its world premiere at last year’s Pula Film Festival, taking home six Golden Arenas, and made its international debut at the 36th Warsaw Film Festival. Since then, the film has toured festivals around the world (in USA, Lebanon, Sweden, Spain, Montenegro, Serbia, France, Italy, etc.), consistently garnering accolades, the latest of which is the award for Best Screenplay (Lana Barić) at Otranto Film Festival. In addition, director Danilo Šerbedžija received the annual Vladimir Nazor Award in the field of cinematic art for Tereza37.
The film follows 37-year-old Tereza who lives in Split. After several miscarriages, she finds out she might not be genetically compatible with her husband. Feeling pressured by her surroundings, she starts re-examining her marriage that has gotten into a rut, triggering a series of events that will change her life, in the spirit of her new-found freedom and personal truth.
The cast is headed up by Lana Barić, Ivana Roščić, Leon Lučev, Dragan Mićanović, Marija Škaričić, Goran Marković and Goran Bogdan. The film’s producer is Irena Marković (Focus Media), while Tereza37 was supported by the Croatian Audiovisual Centre, the Croatian Radiotelevision, the City of Zagreb and the City of Split.
The HDFD Committee this year voted on seven submissions, which were:
- Once We Were Good for You (Branko Schmidt, production Telefilm)
- Love Around the World (Anđela Rostuhar, Davor Rostuhar, production KEK)
- Murina (Antoneta Alamat Kusijanović, production Antitalent, RT Features)
- A Blue Flower (Zrinko Ogresta, production Interfilm)
- Tereza37 (Danilo Šerbedžija, production Focus Media)
- The Staffroom (Sonja Tarokić, production Kinorama)
- The Dawn (Dalibor Matanić, production Kinorama)
Cover photograph: Tereza37
(photograph author: Nikola Predović)
