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Oscar Nominee
Cannes Film Festival laurel - Best Short
European Short Film laurel
Cesar Award Laurel

THE MAN WHO COULD NOT REMAIN SILENT

A FILM BY NEBOJŠA SLIJEPČEVIĆ

Available to watch on

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Synopsis

drama, short / 14' / 2024

In the middle of winter, a passenger train is stopped by paramilitary forces. As they arrest innocent civilians, only one man out of 500 dares to stand up to them. This is the true story of a man who could not remain silent.

Written and directed by Nebojša Slijepčević
Produced by
Antitalent
Co-produced by
Contrast Films
Les Films Norfolk
Studio Virc

Languages: Croatian, Serbian
Subtitles: English, French

TEASER: The Man Who Could Not Remain Silent

TEASER: The Man Who Could Not Remain Silent

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Awards & Selections

Director's Statement

The film is based on a horrific crime committed in Bosnia 30 years ago. There are three sides to every crime: the perpetrators, the victims, and the witnesses. I was particularly interested in the third group.

We approached the film as if it were happening today, and as if this situation  was happening to us, here. It's easy to imagine that the passengers on the train are someone else, but they could easily be us, and in a way - they are.


Acts of violence take place around us daily. Locally, it’s not as extreme as during the war in former Yugoslavia, but globally - it is even more extreme. And each of us is faced with the question posed by the film’s protagonist: should we stand up to violence even if we are not its immediate target.

Reviews

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Based on a real-life massacre in 1993 where Bosnian Muslims were removed from a train by the Serbian White Eagles, the story follows the one individual who attempted to stand up to the paramilitary group. The film has been hailed for its exceptional cinematography and strong performances by the cast.

filmmaking par excellence… tightly crafted story about resistance revealed through a masterclass of writing, performance, cinematography, direction and sound design... leaves its audience with the serious and real-world consequence of choosing speaking over silence

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masterfully portrays a historical act of heroism, drawing the viewer into a suspenseful, human-centered narrative that questions our own responses to injustice

a brilliantly condensed examination of the meaning and dimensions of guilt, moral indolence, and the degree to which we can endure and normalize injustice

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Director's Biography

Nebojša Slijepčević was born in 1973 in Zagreb, Croatia. He graduated in Film Directing from the Academy of Dramatic Art in Zagreb.

 

His documentary feature Srbenka (2018) was shortlisted for European Film Awards and won numerous awards at international film festivals, among them the Heart of Sarajevo Award as well as the Audience Award at the Sarajevo Film Festival, and a special mention of the Buyens-Chagoll jury at Visions du Réel 2018.

 

His feature documentary Gangster of Love (2013) won the Audience Award at Zagreb Dox and premiered internationally at Hot Docs and Karlovy Vary. It was one of the biggest box office hits in Croatia.

 

Nebojša directed numerous TV documentaries, series, and short films. He teaches at the Academy of Dramatic Art in Zagreb.  

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Production Company

Antitalent is a Croatian production company established in 2007.

 

It aims to develop stories in collaboration with writers and directors emphasizing burning social and cultural issues and the impact we want to make on society. 

 

Antitalent's portfolio includes feature and short films, TV dramas, and documentary series. Among their most recent titles, short film The Real Truth About The Fight by Andrea Slaviček premiered at Semaine de la Critique at Cannes 2023.

Feature film Murina by Antoneta Kusijanović was co-produced with RT Features and Martin Scorsese’s Sikelia Productions and premiered at Directors’ Fortnight in Cannes in 2021 where it won the Camera d’Or award. Rok Biček’s short film Penalty Shot premiered at the Locarno Film Festival in 2021.

 

In 2023 Antitalent completed its first drama series The Highlands, which premiered in the Avant Premiere program at Sarajevo Film Festival. It was a NEM Award finalist and was broadcast by the national public service broadcaster HRT in late 2023.

Cast

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Goran Bogdan

as Dragan

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Silvio Mumelaš

as Milan

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Alexis Manenti

as Soldier

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Dragan Mićanović

as Tomo

Lara Nekić

Nebojša Pop Tasić

Priska Ugrina

Dušan Gojić

Jakov Zovko

Martin Kuhar

Mijo Pavelko

Robert Ugrina

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Crew

director and scriptwriter

Nebojša Slijepčević

director of photography

Gregor Božič

production designer

Ivan Veljača

costume designer

Geo Pavlov

make-up artist

Magdalena Boyadzhieva

casting director

Hana Hribar

sound design

Ivan Andreev

editor

Tomislav Stojanović

producers

Katarina Prpić (Antitalent, HR)
Danijel Pek (Antitalent, HR)

Katya Trichkova (Contrast Films, BG) 

Noëlle Lévénez (Les Films Norfolk, FR) 

Boštjan Virc (Studio Virc, SI)

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Upcoming screenings

14 - 18 FEB 2025

Festival des Cinémas Engagés

20 feb - 2 MAR 2025

Dublin International Film Festival

27 feb 2025

Pragueshorts Film Festival

3 MAR 2025

KINO Athens, International Independent Film Festival

5- 9 MAR 2025

Tampere Film Festival

7- 16 MAR 2025

Festival du Film et Forum International sur les Droits Humains de Genève

21- 29 MAR 2025

Movies that Matter Festival

28 MAR - 2 apr 2025

Festival du Cinéma Européen Lille

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