“The Man Who Could Not Remain Silent” becomes first Croatian film to get Oscar nomination 

Čovjek koji nije mogao šutjeti

The nominations for the 2025 Oscars were announced today with a Croatian short film nominated for the first time.

The film The Man Who Could Not Remain Silent, directed by Nebojša Slijepčević and produced by Katarina Prpić and Danijel Pek (Antitalent), has been officially nominated for an Academy Award in the category of Best Live Action Short Film.

The Oscar ceremony will take place on 3 March in Los Angeles.

The Man Who Could Not Remain Silent is one of five films nominated for the 97th Academy Awards, presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

This marks the first Croatian film to be nominated for an Oscar since the country gained independence, the Croatian Audiovisual Centar said.

“I am overjoyed that we’ve received this nomination, although it still feels somewhat surreal. I’ll probably fully grasp what we’ve achieved once we start packing our bags for Los Angeles.

During this long Oscar campaign, the incredible support of the entire film community has meant so much to me.

I especially want to thank all the filmmakers who wholeheartedly rooted for us, spoke about our film, shared clips on social media, and encouraged AMPAS voters to attend our screenings,” said Nebojša Slijepčević upon hearing the news of the nomination.

“With this nomination, Nebojša Slijepčević and the entire team behind The Man Who Could Not Remain Silent have inscribed Croatia in golden letters into the history of world cinema. Members of the Academy recognised the film’s distinctive and powerful artistic style, as well as the significance of its subject matter.

I am grateful for the extraordinary effort and dedication the team put into promoting the film in the United States under very challenging and unpredictable circumstances. It has been an honour to assist throughout this process,” said Chris Marcich, Director of the Croatian Audiovisual Centre.

The film qualified for Oscar consideration thanks to its win of the Palme d’Or at Cannes, as well as the Grand Prix at the Melbourne International Film Festival, and its inclusion in the Manhattan Short Festival’s official selection.

It competed for a nomination in the Live Action Short Film category against 180 titles from around the world. Notably, the film also won the European Film Award for Best Short Film.

To date, The Man Who Could Not Remain Silent has been screened at over 80 festivals worldwide, including the Toronto International Film Festival, Manhattan Short, PÖFF Shorts in Tallinn, the Stockholm International Film Festival, and the Festival du Nouveau Cinéma, among others.

It has been met with widespread acclaim from international film critics and has garnered numerous accolades at these festivals.

These include the Grand Prix at the Melbourne International Film Festival, the Audience Award at the Kurzfilmtage Winterthur, Best Film at the Euro-Balkan Film Festival in Rome, Best Actor (Goran Bogdan) at the Sulmona International Film Festival (SIFF), and Best Cinematography (Gregor Božič) at the Bucharest Short Film Festival, to name just a few.

The film was also shortlisted for the César Award, presented by the French Academy of Cinema Arts and Techniques.

The Man Who Could Not Remain Silent was produced under the banner of Antitalent, with Katarina Prpić and Danijel Pek as producers. Co-producers include Katya Trichkova (Contrast Films, Bulgaria), Noëlle Lévénez (Les Films Norfolk, France), and Boštjan Virc (Studio Virc, Slovenia).

The 3 Oscars Croatians have won