Croatia selects ‘God Will Not Help’ as Oscar entry
- by croatiaweek
- in Entertainment
God Will Not Help (Kinorama)
Croatia has selected Hana Jušić’s historical drama God Will Not Help as its candidate for the Best International Feature Film category at the 99th Academy Awards.
The decision was made on 2 September by the Croatian Filmmakers’ Association (Hrvatsko društvo filmskih djelatnika), which annually selects the Croatian film to enter the Oscar race, the Croatian Audiovisual Centar said.
Produced by Ankica Jurić Tilić and Kinorama, God Will Not Help has already attracted significant international attention and was recently selected as Croatia’s candidate for the Goya Award in the Best European Film category.
The film is set in an isolated shepherd community on Dinara in the early 20th century and follows Teresa, a Chilean woman who arrives claiming to be the widow of the community leader’s brother, who died in a Chilean mine.
Her arrival disrupts the tightly structured community and its established relationships, while also creating an opportunity for change and greater freedom.
God Will Not Help (Kinorama)
International festival recognition
God Will Not Help had its world premiere at the 78th Locarno International Film Festival, where Chilean actress Manuela Martelli and Croatian actress Ana Marija Veselčić received the Leopard for Best Performance in the festival’s main competition.
The film subsequently continued its international festival run, receiving recognition at events including the Sarajevo, Thessaloniki, Sofia, Cologne, Busan, Luxembourg and Vancouver film festivals.
At the Sarajevo Film Festival, it received a Special Award for promoting gender equality.
The film has also been recognised in Croatia. At the 73rd Pula Film Festival, cinematographer Jana Plećaš won the Golden Arena for Best Cinematography, while Stavros Evangelou, Iris Asimakopoulou and Vasilis Chontos received the Golden Arena for Best Music.
Veselčić also won the Breza Award for Best Debut Actress for her role as Milena.
God Will Not Help (Kinorama)
Alongside Martelli, the cast includes Ana Marija Veselčić, Filip Đurić, Mauro Ercegović Gracin, Nikša Butijer, Tina Orlandini, Ivan Skoko, Bogdan Farcaș and Vinko Kraljević.
The film is a Croatian-led international co-production involving companies from Italy, Romania, Greece, France and Slovenia, in addition to Croatia.
The Oscar selection gives God Will Not Help the opportunity to represent Croatia in the international feature film race at the 99th Academy Awards.
