Goran Marković
(Split, 1985) is a Croatian theatre, television, and film actor. After graduating from the School of Fine Arts in Split, he enrolled into the Academy of Fine Arts of the University of Split, with a degree in visual communication design. He soon decided to transition to the Acting programme and earned his Master’s degree in 20011. Since 2009 he has been a member of the Drama Department of the Croatian National Theatre in Split. He is known for his roles in feature films Safe Place (2022), Aleksi (2018), The High Sun (2015), and I Believe in Angels (2009), and TV series Glas naroda and Larin izbor. He has received numerous awards and recognitions, such as the Večernjakova ruža Award for his role in the film Safe Place in 2023, the award for best actor in the film Safe Place at the Locarno Film Festival – Concorso Cineasti del presente in 2022, the Golden Arena for Best Actor for the film Safe Place in 2023, and the award for best male for the film The High Sun at the 22nd edition of the film festival in Morocco in 2016.
Mirta Puhlovski
(Zagreb, 1978) is a Croatian producer and screenwriter. She graduated in production studies from the Academy of Dramatic Art in Zagreb, and since 2006, she has been working in TV, film, drama, and theatre production at the association Metar60. Since 2008, she has been the producer of the portal drame.hr, and has produced short and documentary films, including debut films by female directors such as The Beast and Elephants, directed by Daina O. Pusić, Emil, directed by Neda Radić, and Tina & Sendy, directed by Hani Domazet. The debut short and documentary films she has produced have won more than 70 awards, have been screened at renowned festivals, and were candidates for the Academy Awards, EFA and Goya Awards. The debut feature-length documentary film Bigger Than Trauma (2022), which she co-wrote with director Vedrana Pribačić, has earned them a total of 24 awards and was the first documentary film to win the Golden Arena for Best Film at Pula Film Festival in 2023. Her projects are financed by Croatian and European institutions and broadcasting
companies. She has participated in international workshops and project presentations for film producers and authors, and has served as jury member and panellist at several festivals.
Nebojša Slijepčević
(Zagreb, 1973) is a Croatian film director and the first winner of the Palme d’Or in the history of the Republic of Croatia. He graduated in film directing from the Academy of Dramatic Art in Zagreb, and started his career as one of the authors of the acclaimed TV series Direkt. He won the award for best screenplay at the Croatian Film Days and the Audience Award at ZagrebDox for the episode Bez tate (Without Dad). His documentary film In 4 Years received awards at film festivals in Sarajevo and Verona, and the documentary series City Folk has been broadcast by a dozen of European broadcast companies. In 2009, he directed a segment of the fiction omnibus Zagreb Stories, and in 2011, he directed his first animated film Dog/Rabbit. In 2013, he directed the documentary comedy Gangster of Love, about romantic relationships in the 21st century, which won a number of awards in Croatia and around the world. His documentary film Srbenka earned him a number of awards, including the award for the documentary film of the year at Cannes, the Heart of Sarajevo, and the annual national
Vladimir Nazor Award for Best Film in 2018. His work in TV films has earned him three nominations for the Prix Europa Award. He works as the artistic advisor for documentary film at Zagreb film and teaches at the graduate studies in documentary film directing at the Academy of Dramatic Art in Zagreb.
Nina Velnić
(Zagreb, 1980) is a Croatian editor. She graduated in film and TV directing at the Academy of Dramatic Art in Zagreb. She has edited eight short films in her long career, of which the following stand out: So Not You (Golden Prawn in the Checkers Competition at Zagreb Film Festival in 2013) and Špansko Continent as a segment of the omnibus Zagreb Stories, which earned her the award for best editing at Croatian Film Days in 2010. She has worked on a number of TV documentary and fiction films and series (Direkt, Mjenjačnica, Mijenjam svijet, Vijesti iz Laayouna, Sin, Grimizno, Pragovi, Počivali u miru, Da sam ja netko). Her work also includes the documentary film One of Us (2020), which received special mention at ZagrebDox, the Audience Award at Liburnia Film Festival, and the award for best editing at the 30th Croatian Film Days, as well as the documentary series Betonski spavači (2019 and 20223). She has also worked on a Danish and two American postproductions of feature films. In 2024, she completed the editing of the new feature film by Ivona Juka of the working title
Strangers in the Night. She is a member of the Croatian Society of Film Editors and Croatian Freelance Artists Association.
Nina Violić
(Rijeka, 1972) is a Croatian theatre, TV, and film actor and director. She started her acting career in alternative and research theatre, and today is the leading drama actress of the Croatian National Theatre in Zagreb. She wrote and directed two short films, Separation (2014) and Lamb (2019), which saw its international premiere at the BFI London Film Festival and went on to a successful festival distribution. In 2022, she directed her first feature film, Kick and Scream, which won the award for best feature film at the 15th Mediterranean Film Festival in Split. She received numerous awards and recognition for her work: Marul Award for her role of Lara in the production of Miroslav Krleža’s In Agony, directed by Ivica Buljan; award for best actress at the International Small Stages Theatre Festival in Rijeka for her role of Lara in the production of Miroslav Krleža’s In Agony, directed by Ivica Buljan; Fabijan Šovagović Award for her role of Lara in the production of Miroslav Krleža’s In Agony, directed by Ivica Buljan; Croatian Actor Award in 1995; Golden Arena in 1998; Večeranjakova ruža Award in
2002; Ivan pl. Zajc Award in 2003; Golden Lion in Umag in 2007; award at Užice Festival in 2011; Audience Award at teatar.hr in 2013; award by Novi List in 2014; Mila Dimitrijević Award in 2014; Tito Strozzi Award in 2016; Marul Award in 2018; Mila Dimitrijević Award in 2018.
