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Fiume O Morte! film image; three shirtless soldiers in a classroom with knives in their mouths and holding grenades

Fiume o Morte!

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Canadian Premiere

The Croatian city of Rijeka rediscovers its own forgotten history in this delightfully unconventional hybrid documentary. In 1919, the decadent Italian poet, lothario, general, and proto-fascist Gabriele D’Annunzio takes great interest in the city known in Italian as Fiume — occupying it and proclaiming himself ruler. His short-lived regency causes an international uproar and local consternation before his ouster. In the present, director Igor Bezinović invites hundreds of locals to take part in a new documentary, turning the film into a citywide occasion of participation and collective storytelling.

A shifting, protean film, Fiume o Morte! moves between absurdist re-enactments and documented record. From whimsical sight gags to a sobering examination of fascism, Bezinović plays with history, inviting the viewer to laugh at the seams between history and invention while recognizing D’Annunzio’s self-aggrandizing vision of rule as an absurd act of invention in itself. This is a charming tour de force of cinematic storytelling that brings a truly fascinating piece of forgotten history to life.

 

Tiger Award (Best Film), FIPRESCI Award, Rotterdam 2025; Oscar Submission: Croatia

Oct 8 & 9: Q&A

 

Presented by

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Supported by

Community Partner

Director
Cast

Izet Medošević, Ćenan Beljulji, Albano Vučetić, Tihomir Buterin, Andrea Marsanich, Massimo Ronzani

Credits
Country of Origin

Croatia/Italy/Slovenia

Year

2025

Language

In Croatian and Italian with English subtitles

Film Contact
Links
18+
112 min
Art, Music & Photography Award Winners Comedy Documentary Experimental & Avant Garde
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Credits & Director

Producer

Vanja Jambrović, Tibor Keser

Screenwriter

Igor Bezinović

Cinematography

Gregor Božič

Editor

Hrvoslava Brkušić

Production Design

Anton Spazzapan, Tiziana De Mario

Original Music

Giovanni Maier, Hrvoje Nikšić

Igor Bezinović headshot

Igor Bezinović

Igor Bezinović is a filmmaker born in Rijeka, now part of Croatia following a long history of shifting borders and foreign occupations. His films include The Blockade (2012) and Veruda (2015), both winners of the Oktavijan prize for Best Croatian Documentary, as well as A Brief Excursion (Big Golden Arena prize for Best Croatian Feature at the Pula Film Festival, 2017) and many shorts of all shapes and sizes. His work has been shown internationally at events including IFFR, DOK Leipzig, Kurzfilmtage Winterthur, Venice Biennale of Architecture, Museum of the Moving Image, Guanajuato IFF, and Viennale, among others.

Filmography: Blokada (2012); A Brief Excursion (2017)

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