How the War Started on My Island
Encyclopedia
How the War Started on My Island is a 1996
Croatia
n black comedy
film directed by Vinko Brešan
and starring Vlatko Dulić, Ljubomir Kerekeš
, Ivan Brkić, Predrag Vušović, Ivica Vidović
, Božidar Orešković and Matija Prskalo. The film was shot on location in Primošten
and Šibenik
.
in mid 1991, after the Croatian Parliament had proclaimed the country's independence, seceding it from Yugoslavia. However, army garrisons around the country are still held by the Yugoslav People's Army
(JNA), which does not acknowledge the parliament's decision. The JNA garrisons are largely manned by conscripts hailing from all over Yugoslavia who are serving their compulsory military service
, and headed by senior officers who ignore Croatian demands that the JNA should leave Croatian territory and release Croats
under their command. In this backdrop, the film begins with the arrival of art historian Blaž Gajski (played by Vlatko Dulić) to a small unnamed Croatian island with the intention of rescuing his son Zoran (Leon Lučev
) who is serving at the local JNA barracks.
Gajski finds the situation on the island tense - the police have surrounded the barracks, locals are picketing the garrison, and the local commanders go in to negotiate a peaceful surrender of the compound with barracks commander major Aleksa (Ljubomir Kerekeš
). However, Aleksa brushes them off, has the barracks rigged with explosives and threatens to blow everything up in case of any attempts to take the garrison by force. In response, islanders stage a non-stop festival in front of the compound, with rock bands and marching bands playing music, and with islanders reciting poems and giving speeches (including Aleksa's own wife) in the hope of convincing Aleksa to back down.
Meanwhile, the locals' commander has the garrison's power and phone lines cut. The locals then intercept an army radio transmission and, posing as army command, tell Aleksa not to do anything until a "colonel Kostadinović" arrives to give him detailed instructions, in order to buy more time to wear him down. After failing to get in the garrison or contact the commander, Gajski tries to get help from the locals in getting his son released, but everyone on the island seems completely engrossed by their own role in the events. In the resulting stalemate, he manages to get in the barracks posing as a JNA officer, retrieves his son and defuses the situation.
, and later transferred to 35 mm film
before being released to theaters), the film's blend of comedy and drama was well received by Croatian audiences. During its cinema run the film was seen by around 364,000 people in the country, which made it the most popular Croatian title of the 1990s, as well as one of the most popular Croatian films of all times.
The film won Grand Prize at the 1997 Cottbus Film Festival of Young East European Cinema and three Golden Arena Awards at the 1996 Pula Film Festival
(Best Director
, Best Actress in a Supporting Role and Best Costume
).
1996 in film
Major releases this year included Scream, Independence Day, Fargo, Trainspotting, The English Patient, Twister, Mars Attacks!, Jerry Maguire and a version of Evita starring Madonna.-Events:...
Croatia
Croatia
Croatia , officially the Republic of Croatia , is a unitary democratic parliamentary republic in Europe at the crossroads of the Mitteleuropa, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean. Its capital and largest city is Zagreb. The country is divided into 20 counties and the city of Zagreb. Croatia covers ...
n black comedy
Black comedy
A black comedy, or dark comedy, is a comic work that employs black humor or gallows humor. The definition of black humor is problematic; it has been argued that it corresponds to the earlier concept of gallows humor; and that, as humor has been defined since Freud as a comedic act that anesthetizes...
film directed by Vinko Brešan
Vinko Brešan
Vinko Brešan is a Croatian film director who emerged into international renown with three critically acclaimed and award-winning films that, each in its own way, broke some of the perceived taboos of Croatian cinema in the 1990s....
and starring Vlatko Dulić, Ljubomir Kerekeš
Ljubomir Kerekeš
Ljubomir Kerekeš is a Croatian theatre, television and film actor.Kerekeš began acting in 1980 in his hometown of Varaždin and between 1982 and 1996 was a member of the theatre ensemble at the Croatian National Theatre in Varaždin...
, Ivan Brkić, Predrag Vušović, Ivica Vidović
Ivica Vidovic
Ivica Vidović was a Croatian and Yugoslav actor who appeared in many classic films in the cinematic output of the former Yugoslavia....
, Božidar Orešković and Matija Prskalo. The film was shot on location in Primošten
Primošten
Primošten is a town in Croatia, and a part of the Šibenik-Knin County. It is situated in the south, between the cities of Šibenik and Trogir, on the Adriatic coast. 97.03% of the citizens are Croats.-History:...
and Šibenik
Šibenik
Šibenik is a historic town in Croatia, with population of 51,553 . It is located in central Dalmatia where the river Krka flows into the Adriatic Sea...
.
Summary
The film is set in CroatiaCroatia
Croatia , officially the Republic of Croatia , is a unitary democratic parliamentary republic in Europe at the crossroads of the Mitteleuropa, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean. Its capital and largest city is Zagreb. The country is divided into 20 counties and the city of Zagreb. Croatia covers ...
in mid 1991, after the Croatian Parliament had proclaimed the country's independence, seceding it from Yugoslavia. However, army garrisons around the country are still held by the Yugoslav People's Army
Yugoslav People's Army
The Yugoslav People's Army , also referred to as the Yugoslav National Army , was the military of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia.-Origins:The origins of the JNA can...
(JNA), which does not acknowledge the parliament's decision. The JNA garrisons are largely manned by conscripts hailing from all over Yugoslavia who are serving their compulsory military service
Conscription
Conscription is the compulsory enlistment of people in some sort of national service, most often military service. Conscription dates back to antiquity and continues in some countries to the present day under various names...
, and headed by senior officers who ignore Croatian demands that the JNA should leave Croatian territory and release Croats
Croats
Croats are a South Slavic ethnic group mostly living in Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and nearby countries. There are around 4 million Croats living inside Croatia and up to 4.5 million throughout the rest of the world. Responding to political, social and economic pressure, many Croats have...
under their command. In this backdrop, the film begins with the arrival of art historian Blaž Gajski (played by Vlatko Dulić) to a small unnamed Croatian island with the intention of rescuing his son Zoran (Leon Lučev
Leon Lučev
Leon Lučev is a Croatian actor.Lučev had his feature film debut in Vinko Brešan's 1996 comedy How the War Started on My Island...
) who is serving at the local JNA barracks.
Gajski finds the situation on the island tense - the police have surrounded the barracks, locals are picketing the garrison, and the local commanders go in to negotiate a peaceful surrender of the compound with barracks commander major Aleksa (Ljubomir Kerekeš
Ljubomir Kerekeš
Ljubomir Kerekeš is a Croatian theatre, television and film actor.Kerekeš began acting in 1980 in his hometown of Varaždin and between 1982 and 1996 was a member of the theatre ensemble at the Croatian National Theatre in Varaždin...
). However, Aleksa brushes them off, has the barracks rigged with explosives and threatens to blow everything up in case of any attempts to take the garrison by force. In response, islanders stage a non-stop festival in front of the compound, with rock bands and marching bands playing music, and with islanders reciting poems and giving speeches (including Aleksa's own wife) in the hope of convincing Aleksa to back down.
Meanwhile, the locals' commander has the garrison's power and phone lines cut. The locals then intercept an army radio transmission and, posing as army command, tell Aleksa not to do anything until a "colonel Kostadinović" arrives to give him detailed instructions, in order to buy more time to wear him down. After failing to get in the garrison or contact the commander, Gajski tries to get help from the locals in getting his son released, but everyone on the island seems completely engrossed by their own role in the events. In the resulting stalemate, he manages to get in the barracks posing as a JNA officer, retrieves his son and defuses the situation.
Reception
In spite of being filmed as a television production (the film was shot on 16 mm film16 mm film
16 mm film refers to a popular, economical gauge of film used for motion pictures and non-theatrical film making. 16 mm refers to the width of the film...
, and later transferred to 35 mm film
35 mm film
35 mm film is the film gauge most commonly used for chemical still photography and motion pictures. The name of the gauge refers to the width of the photographic film, which consists of strips 35 millimeters in width...
before being released to theaters), the film's blend of comedy and drama was well received by Croatian audiences. During its cinema run the film was seen by around 364,000 people in the country, which made it the most popular Croatian title of the 1990s, as well as one of the most popular Croatian films of all times.
The film won Grand Prize at the 1997 Cottbus Film Festival of Young East European Cinema and three Golden Arena Awards at the 1996 Pula Film Festival
Pula Film Festival
The Pula Film Festival is the oldest Croatian film festival which is held annually in a Roman amphitheater known as the Pula arena since 1954. The festival is usually held in the summer, in July or August....
(Best Director
Golden Arena for Best Director
The Golden Arena for Best Director is an award given for best director at the Pula Film Festival, which was until 1992 the Yugoslav equivalent of the Academy Awards. Since 1992 and the breakup of Yugoslavia the competition narrowed to Croatian films only...
, Best Actress in a Supporting Role and Best Costume
Golden Arena for Best Costume Design
-List of winners:The following is a list of winners of the Golden Arena for Best Film Editing at the Pula Film Festival.-Yugoslav competition :-Croatian competition :-External links:* at the Pula Film Festival official website...
).
External links
- How the War Started on My Island at CroatianFilm.com
- How the War Started on My Island at Filmski-Programi.hr