Best Croatian documentary movies
A curated collection of popular documentary movies from Croatia.
Denis & Denis: The Movie (1985)
Denis & Denis: The Movie (1985)
A little known cyberpunk musical with a love story twist set in a distant future made by Denis & Denis, featuring the most famous songs from their albums "Čuvaj Se" (1984) and "Ja Sam Lažljiva" (1985).
Love Around the World (2021)
Love Around the World (2021)
From the moment we got engaged and set a wedding date, we began thinking about the reasons we chose one another. What was so special about this relationship that we decided to spend our lives together? Would our love be the same if we were born in another time or at another place? What is love exactly? Driven by those questions, we decided to embark on a one year journey around the world to research whether love, one of the highest values in our lives, is universal, or it is completely conditioned by the circumstances around us.
Happily Ever After (2014)
Happily Ever After (2014)
A mercilessly humorous portrait of the filmmaker who, in a desperate attempt to save her relationship, visits all her ex-boyfriends.
Water the Mystery of Life (2011)
Water the Mystery of Life (2011)
Film deals with the problematic of the water exploitation, contamination and manipulation. The documentary points to the realizations and discoveries that water memorizes and that it is conscious.
At the Station in Pula (2001)
At the Station in Pula (2001)
This documentary interviews the singer Djordje Balasevic, his fans and some ex-Yugoslav celebrities before his concert of in Pula Arena on June 6, 2001.
Unwanted Heritage (2016)
Unwanted Heritage (2016)
Monuments are silent witnesses to the times when they were built and the people who built them. Through monuments one can trace the history of human kind. Monuments teach us about different customs, religions, cultures, economies, wars and social norms. Had their monuments not been preserved many peoples would have perished without a trace. Thousands of monuments were built throughout the former Yugoslavia in the 1945-1990 period to commemorate the sites where World War II battles had been fought. These monuments were once favorite destinations for school trips and political gatherings, as well as a necessary part of all family photos. At the present time, the monuments and their symbolism have been abandoned, neglected and destroyed. The main focus of this film is the destiny of these monuments as secondary raw materials.
Yugoslav Secret Services (2012)
Yugoslav Secret Services (2012)
The series will be discussed how the Yugoslav secret service methods mimicked the NKVD, about 2 million files, ie one agent to 10 people), torture, false testimony, show trials, executions without trial, secret places of burial, Titova obsession with the secret services, the structure of the secret service, the awards for the executioners, methods of recruiting staff, collateral victims, etc
The King (2012)
The King (2012)
A feature documentary about one of the greatest sportsmen ever. Darko Kralj (the King) is the only sportsman in the history of sports who has beaten a world record in his category five times in a row at one world championship! A Croatian paralympic, seriously wounded in 1991 during the war in Croatia, Darko Kralj almost died. Doctors didn't expect him to survive. Today, he lives with a wife and three sons, the eldest one being the one Darko is the most attached to. A similar destiny brought them together; the kid has lost his biological father in the war. Tereza, his wife, has her own life story. Towards the end of this unusual life story, we shall get a clearer understanding of where Darko's strength and incredible love for life comes from...
KIX (2024)
KIX (2024)
Handheld skate video meets hardcore social realism in a sensational film with the energy of a three-chord punk song and an unruly group of street kids in front of the camera, shot over 10 wild years of their young lives.
Life 3D: Water, the Element of Life (2013)
Life 3D: Water, the Element of Life (2013)
Immerse yourself in the true sense of the word into life, in true 3D. Water or abbreviated H2O, is actually a chemical compound of the elements oxygen and hydrogen. But this has really something! Water is in fact the most important element on our earth. Without water, the emergence of life on our planet would have been impossible. Sometime before several tens of millions of years it took the first great-fish out of the water to the land of the beginning he evolution. Just a few facts about the importance of this elixir of life: The element of water is in the mythologies and religions of most cultures of central importance and is considered the epitome of life.
The Celts (2011)
The Celts (2011)
A documentary about the Celts, the fans of the Bilogorac football club from the Croatian village of Veliko Trojstvo. Interestingly, the members are not locals, but people from Bjelovar, a city 10 kilometers away that has a much better ranked football team. Dressed in green and white, the Celts spend every weekend escaping from provincial life to support the players.
The Steel Mill Cafe (2017)
The Steel Mill Cafe (2017)
Erna and Dževad are the owners of a pub in the vicinity of a steel mill, a complex that used to be one of the largest of its kind in Eastern Europe. Taking place one week before the pub’s official closedown, the film follows a series of conversations between visitors and frequent guests, who discuss the ways of reaching Germany – a new utopia of former socialist workers.
Croatian Kings (2011)
Croatian Kings (2011)
Documentary series about native Croatian medieval kings, their kingdom and people who lived then. Story of rise of the kings, their peak and fall.
Generation of 68' (2016)
Generation of 68' (2016)
With his film Generation '68, the author makes a homage to the generation with which he shares his youthful enthusiasm and the idea about a revolution that will change the world, while being "realistic and demanding the impossible". At the same time he questions the true impact of these changes on social and - probably more important - private level. Having ideas is easy; making them look credible to the generations that follow is somewhat more difficult. By rejecting the ideals of the 1968 as unworkable, the new generations are coming up with some of their own, maybe even more unrealistic ones...
The Message (2022)
The Message (2022)
"The Message" is found footage video composed of speeches by the presidents of all 195 countries. Their messages become one global message. That message is vague, disturbing and does not guarantee a bright future.
Gangster of Love (2013)
Gangster of Love (2013)
Matchmaker Nediljko Babic, also known as "Gangster", helps a Bulgarian single mother find a new husband in Croatia. But a series of comically disastrous dates discloses the true nature of conservative Croatian men: they would rather die alone than marry a foreigner with a child.
Louder Than Guns (2017)
Louder Than Guns (2017)
Planes, tanks, bombs, assault rifles, media and propaganda – they were all weapons used in the Homeland War. However, it was the songs that were were louder than everything else. Some used them to describe the nightmare around them, others manifested their political loyalty. The national television and radio considered songs an important means of political “struggle”, so they commissioned, financed, recorded and aired them intensively. Even some twenty years after these events, the wartime soundtrack still draws attention and triggers emotions.
What's to Be Done? (2023)
What's to Be Done? (2023)
Zeljko is the labour union leader at Gredelj Train Factory. His deputy, Mladen, has committed suicide after massive public protests and inter-union clashes. Zeljko is torn between the guilt he feels over Mladen’s death and workers’ expectations that he will lead a strike that should thwart a plan by the government, acting on the EU’s behest, to declare the factory bankrupt. WHAT’S TO BE DONE? is structured in three acts. The first act uses observational documentary footage; the second, footage filmed a decade later; while the third is fiction.
FUNNE: Sea Dreaming Girls (2017)
FUNNE: Sea Dreaming Girls (2017)
Sea Dreaming Girls is a gorgeous, joyous and funny documentary about discovering new things and living carefree at any age, as it follows a lively group of nonnas who have never seen the sea. In the tiny Italian mountain village of Daone, a group of grandmothers led by the straight-talking Erminia begin planning a trip in honour of their Rododendro club’s 20th anniversary. They quickly agree on a trip to the sea, where many of their members have never ventured. But how will they raise enough money so that everyone can wiggle their toes in the surf? They sell pies and sweets and even boldly pose for a calendar but when this doesn’t get them the money they need, they have one last idea and it is this one that sends them viral, making them famous across Italy.
The Boss Begins (2018)
The Boss Begins (2018)
"The Boss Begins" is the second project from "The Boss" serial. It is a movie about transition, privatization and the people who worked diligently in the nineties to make sure they and we live in prosperity and happiness. It is the story of Agrokor before Agrokor.
Fiume or Death! (2025)
Fiume or Death! (2025)
Through dramatic reconstruction and documentary asides, the spirit of Italian poet, playwright, journalist, aristocrat and army officer Gabriele D’Annunzio is captured, presenting the nascent fascism in his attempts to forge a new state in the aftermath of the First World War.
The God-daddy (2020)
The God-daddy (2020)
"To make the film Goddaddy was a great challenge, because it covers almost forty years of Milan Bandić's activity, a seemingly hyperactive and Trump-like character of the Croatian political scene. Bandić has been elected six times as the mayor of Zagreb, which is not only the capital city of all Croats, but also the capital city of all Croatian criminals. Three times Milan Bandić has rejected to give us an interview for the film, so we made an audition to find him a double." - Dario Juričan
Factory to the Workers (2022)
Factory to the Workers (2022)
In Croatia in 2005, a machine tools factory was occupied by its workers. Since then, they have operated collectively, becoming the only successful example of a worker occupation in post-socialist Europe. Today, as they seek a new model of collective ownership, the microcosmic world of the factory clashes with the forces of the globalized market economy, having an increasingly brutal impact on wages and the organization of the factory, causing rising disaffection among the workers. Filmmaker Srđan Kovačević returns regularly over a five year period to make a film that charts the evolution of this communal enterprise. Factory to the Workers tells the inside story of the workers who challenged the dominant economic narrative with their actions. After a decade, the same question remains: can a factory in the hands of workers survive at the periphery of capitalism, or do we need a bigger dream?
Croatia: Defining a Nation (2022)
Croatia: Defining a Nation (2022)
Croatia’s achievement in coming 3rd at the 1998 World Cup in France was staggering. A nation barely established took on and beat the world’s powerhouse nations, coming within a whisker of lifting the trophy. But, this is much more than just a story about a talented football team, it is the tale of a nation emerging from the wreckage of the Balkan war and the disintegration of Yugoslavia to stand proudly as an independent country on football’s grandest stage.
Meat (2018)
Meat (2018)
Istrian traditions, singing, culinary delights. All that in the time-honoured ritual of pig slaughter or prašćina. What is the importance of meat today and can we give up its utilitarian rudimentarity in the face of political, ecological, nutritionist, and other contemporary trends?
Rhythm of the Rock Tribe (2007)
Rhythm of the Rock Tribe (2007)
A documentary about rich history of rock scene in Rijeka, Croatia.
Where to? (2017)
Where to? (2017)
Ljiljana is a young woman who drives a taxi in Zagreb, capital of Croatia. Apart from the initial surprise when they meet a female taxi driver, most passengers find her likable and they open up to her. Driving with Ljiljana through the city and listening to conversations she's having with a wide range of travelers, we discover the condition in which transition countries find themselves in when they're facing backsides of capitalism which leads to rising economic emigration but also her personal story that will make us ask ourselves where we are going.
Million Dollar Life (2017)
Million Dollar Life (2017)
After finding out that doctors in Croatia cannot help their daughter who is suffering from terminal leukaemia, the parents of five-year-old Nora Šitum see their last hope in an experimental treatment in Philadelphia. They are given just seven days to pay for their daughter’s treatment – which will cost nearly one million dollars.
