Zvonimir Jurić (born 4 June 1971) is a

Croatia , image_flag = Flag of Croatia.svg , image_coat = Coat of arms of Croatia.svg , anthem = " Lijepa naša domovino"("Our Beautiful Homeland") , image_map = , map_caption = , capi ...

n film director and screenwriter. In 2009, he co-directed and co-wrote the 2009 psychological war drama titled '' The Blacks''.

Early life

Born in

Osijek Osijek () is the fourth-largest city in Croatia, with a population of 96,848 in 2021. It is the largest city and the economic and cultural centre of the eastern Croatian region of Slavonia, as well as the administrative centre of Osijek-Baranja ...

SFR Yugoslavia The Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, commonly referred to as SFR Yugoslavia or simply as Yugoslavia, was a country in Central and Southeast Europe. It emerged in 1945, following World War II, and lasted until 1992, with the breakup of Yu ...

, on 4 June 1971, Jurić finished his primary and secondary education in his hometown. As a teenager the 1980s he appeared in minor roles in a number of TV series produced by TV Zagreb such as the 10-part biographical series ''Nikola Tesla'' (1977), the Partisan series ''Nepokoreni grad'' (1982) and the popular children's series ''Smogovci'' (1982).

Career

After graduating from high school, Jurić spent the 1991–92 semester studying film directing at the

Loyola Marymount University Loyola Marymount University (LMU) is a private Jesuit and Marymount research university in Los Angeles, California. It is located on the west side of the city near Playa Vista. LMU is the parent school to Loyola Law School, which is located ...

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world ...

. In 1992, he returned to Croatia and enrolled at the film directing department of the Academy of Dramatic Art in

Zagreb Zagreb ( , , , ) is the capital (political), capital and List of cities and towns in Croatia#List of cities and towns, largest city of Croatia. It is in the Northern Croatia, northwest of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slop ...

. While a student at the academy, Jurić directed several short films and documentaries. In 2017, he has signed the

Declaration on the Common Language The Declaration on the Common Language ( sh, Deklaracija o zajedničkom jeziku / ) was issued in 2017 by a group of intellectuals and NGOs from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Montenegro and Serbia who were working under the banner of a projec ...

of the

Croats The Croats (; hr, Hrvati ) are a South Slavic ethnic group who share a common Croatian ancestry, culture, history and language. They are also a recognized minority in a number of neighboring countries, namely Austria, the Czech Republic ...

Serbs The Serbs ( sr-Cyr, Срби, Srbi, ) are the most numerous South Slavs, South Slavic ethnic group native to the Balkans in Southeastern Europe, who share a common Serbian Cultural heritage, ancestry, Culture of Serbia, culture, History of ...

Bosniaks The Bosniaks ( bs, Bošnjaci, Cyrillic script, Cyrillic: Бошњаци, ; , ) are a South Slavs, South Slavic ethnic group native to the Southeast European historical region of Bosnia (region), Bosnia, which is today part of Bosnia and Herzeg ...

and

Montenegrins Montenegrins ( cnr, Црногорци, Crnogorci, or ; lit. "Black Mountain People") are a South Slavic ethnic group that share a common Montenegrin culture, history, and language, identified with the country of Montenegro. Genetics Accordi ...

.Signatories of the Declaration on the Common Language
official website, retrieved on 2019-08-29.

Feature film directorial debut

His feature film

directorial debut This is a list of film directorial debuts in chronological order. The films and dates referred to are a director's first commercial cinematic release. Many film makers have directed works which were not commercially released, for example early work ...

(which he co-directed and co-written with Goran Dević) was a critically acclaimed 2009 psychological war drama titled '' The Blacks''. The film deals with a fictional

Croatian Army The Croatian Army ( hr, Hrvatska kopnena vojska or HKoV) is the largest and most significant component of the Croatian Armed Forces (CAF). Role and deployment The fundamental role and purpose of the Croatian Army is to protect vital national i ...

unit who refuse to lay down their arms during a cease-fire in the

Croatian War of Independence The Croatian War of Independence was fought from 1991 to 1995 between Croat forces loyal to the Government of Croatia—which had declared independence from the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (SFRY)—and the Serb-controlled Yug ...

. The film won Jurić and Dević the

Golden Arena for Best Director The Golden Arena for Best Director ''( Croatian: Zlatna arena za režiju'') is an award given for best director at the Pula Film Festival, which was until 1992 the Yugoslav equivalent of the Academy Awards. Since 1992 and the breakup of Yugosla ...

at the 2009

Pula Film Festival Pula Film Festival ( hr, Pulski filmski festival) is an annual Croatian film festival, established in 1954. It is held in a Roman amphitheater known as the Pula Arena. Pula Film Festival is the oldest Croatian film festival and is usually held ...

, the Croatian national film awards. It went on to be selected as Croatia's submission to the

83rd Academy Awards The 83rd Academy Awards ceremony, organized by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), honored the best films of 2010 in the United States and took place on February 27, 2011, at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles b ...

for the

Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film The Academy Award for Best International Feature Film (known as Best Foreign Language Film prior to 2020) is one of the Academy Awards handed out annually by the U.S.-based Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). It is given to a ...

, but it failed to make the final shortlist.

Filmography

*''Zagreb Stories'' (''Zagrebačke priče''; 2002; segment) *'' Sex, Drink and Bloodshed'' (''Seks, piće i krvoproliće''; 2004; segment) *'' The Blacks'' (''Crnci'', 2009; co-director) *'' The Reaper'' (''Kosac'', 2014)

References

External links

Zvonimir Jurić
at Film.hr * {{DEFAULTSORT:Juric, Zvonimir 1971 births Croatian male actors Croatian film directors Croatian screenwriters People from Osijek Golden Arena for Best Director winners Living people Croatian documentary film directors Signatories of the Declaration on the Common Language