Allan Starski
Academy Award–winning production designer
Allan Starski is a highly acclaimed Polish production designer and set decorator who continues to work internationally while being based in Warsaw. He has built a distinguished career in European and American cinema, collaborating with some of the most prominent filmmakers of his generation.
He studied architecture at the Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw and began his career in Polish cinema, where he quickly became a key creative collaborator of Oscar- and Palme d’Or-winning director Andrzej Wajda.
Key Collaborations and Major Works
In 1993, he designed the production for Steven Spielberg’s Schindler's List, earning the Academy Award for Best Art Direction/Set Decoration, a BAFTA nomination, and the Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award for Best Production Design.
- • Starski’s long-standing collaboration with Wajda includes landmark films such as Man of Marble, Man of Iron, The Maids of Wilko, and Danton, which established his reputation as one of Poland’s leading production designers.
- • He later worked on major international productions including Europa Europa, Washington Square, Pan Tadeusz, and Roman Polanski’s The Pianist, for which he received the César Award and another Polish Eagle Award.
- • His credits also include films such as EuroTrip, Oliver Twist, The Body, and Young Hannibal, further expanding his international profile.
Other Achievements and Recognition
In 1987, Starski received an Emmy nomination for his work on Escape from Sobibor. Over the past decades, he has continued to design for internationally produced films, including Fatih Akın’s The Cut and the Polish international production The Coldest Game.
His work is widely regarded for its historical authenticity, visual precision, and strong narrative integration, making him one of the most respected production designers in contemporary cinema.
Nedžad Begović
Versatile Artist
Nedžad Begović is a prominent director and screenwriter behind dozens of feature-length, short, and animated films, as well as television series. His rich and diverse body of work spans various mediums, seamlessly merging cinematic art, applied design, and innovation.
Memberships & International Collaboration
Professional Memberships
- •Association of Filmmakers of Bosnia and Herzegovina
- •ZAMP and AMUS (Association of Music Creators of BiH)
- •ULUPUBiH (Association of Applied Arts Artists and Designers of BiH)
International Media Partners
Successful collaborations with leading European and global broadcasters:
- •ARTE (French-German cultural channel)
- •ZDF (Germany)
- •Swiss Television
- •Point du Jour (France)
Key Awards & Recognitions
Felix Award (European Film Academy Award) – Berlin, Germany (as one of the directors of the wartime documentary project SA-life, produced by SAGA)
Official Academy Award (Oscar) Candidate for Bosnia and Herzegovina
Recipient of numerous prestigious international and regional accolades, including:
- ★The Best World Documentary – Jihlava, Czech Republic
- ★The Best Documentary – Bucharest, Romania
- ★Grand Gold Medal for Best Film – Belgrade, Serbia
- ★Big Stamp for Best Regional Documentary – ZagrebDOX, Croatia
- ★Golden Apple – New York, USA
- ★Heart of Sarajevo – Sarajevo Film Festival (SFF), BiH
Exhibitions & Innovations
- • 30 solo and group exhibitions worldwide (including Tokyo, Venice, Zagreb, Požega, Sarajevo, Houston, Basel, Paris, Athens, and more).
8 Medals for Innovations further confirming his versatile creative expression that extends well beyond film.
Archived Works
The documentary films of Nedžad Begović are permanently preserved and archived in prestigious international film institutions and museums:
- MoMA (Museum of Modern Art) – New York
- Oberhausen Film Archive (Kinothek)
- Paris Film Archive (Cinémathèque)
Nebojša Slijepčević
Author of socially engaged and award-winning films
Nebojša Slijepčević was born in 1973 in Zagreb. He graduated in Film Directing from the Academy of Dramatic Art in Zagreb in 2005, and today he is considered one of the most important contemporary Croatian filmmakers.
He made Croatian film history as the first Croatian director since the country’s independence to win the prestigious Palme d’Or at the Festival de Cannes. He achieved this historic success in 2024 with the short fiction film The Man Who Could Not Remain Silent, which also earned him a European Film Award (EFA), a French César, and a historic Academy Award (Oscar) nomination.
Alongside his long-standing work with the production company Restart, an important part of his artistic identity is tied to his own platform – the Paradox Artistic Organization, through which he develops independent production projects and auteur film forms.
Recent Successes and Most Significant Films
The Man Who Could Not Remain Silent (Čovjek koji nije mogao šutjeti, 2024)
Short fiction film that achieved historic success for Croatian cinema. Following the Palme d’Or win in Cannes, the film was awarded the European Film Award for Best Short Film, the prestigious César, and an Academy Award (Oscar) nomination.
- • Red Slide (Crveni tobogan, 2025) — His latest short documentary film addressing post-war childhood. Premiered at ZagrebDox and screened internationally at the Sarajevo Film Festival.
- • Srbenka (2018) — Feature-length documentary film exploring identity and social divisions. Won more than twenty international awards, including the Heart of Sarajevo, and received the Vladimir Nazor State Award.
- • Gangster of Love (Gangster te voli, 2013) — His first feature documentary, an internationally successful comedy about a traditional marriage broker.
- • Shorts & Television — Notable short titles include Banija and The Box (Kutija). He also co-created the cult documentary series Direkt and directed episodes of City Folk.
Activities in the Film Community
For years, Nebojša Slijepčević has been actively working as a mentor, educator, and promoter of documentary film. Since 2021, he has been employed at the Zagreb Film Institution as an Artistic Advisor for Documentary Film, and collaborates as an external lecturer with the Academy of Dramatic Art in Zagreb and VERN University.
His body of work, awarded with more than forty international recognitions, is recognized for its unique blend of high artistic aesthetics, social engagement, and a strong humanistic perspective.
Ivan Salaj
Director of powerful atmosphere and authentic stories
Ivan Salaj was born in 1969 in Zagreb. He graduated in Film and Television Directing from the Academy of Dramatic Art in Zagreb, beginning his professional career in the early 1990s. Even with his early documentaries and short fiction films, he stood out as an author with a recognizable visual signature and powerful emotional dramaturgy.
Salaj is often described as a director with an exceptional sense of atmosphere and rhythm. At the core of his auteur approach are always complex, lifelike, and imperfect characters, through whom he builds a story free of clichés and imposed formulas. He is particularly valued for his ability to translate complex literary adaptations into visually impressive and emotionally powerful cinematic pieces, while maintaining the intimacy and depth of the original text.
He is currently intensively working on the preparation of his new feature film O ljudima i psima (Of Men and Dogs), continuing his collaboration with leading Croatian producers and authors.
Most Significant Film and Television Works
Ivan Salaj’s oeuvre encompasses cult short films and award-winning feature-length projects. He also serves as the screenwriter for all of his films.
The Eighth Commissioner (Osmi povjerenik, 2018)
His debut feature film based on the novel of the same name by Renato Baretić. The film won five Golden Arenas at the Pula Film Festival and was Croatia's candidate for the Academy Award (Oscar). Audiences and critics alike highlighted its visual splendor and successfully captured atmosphere of the literary source.
- • See You (Vidimo se, 1995) — A fiction film that achieved cult status and is today considered one of the most emotional Croatian films of the 1990s. The story of a group of friends reunited by war under tragic circumstances left a powerful mark on domestic cinema.
- • Women, Madmen and a Few Good Fags (Žene, luđaci i malo dobrih pedera, 2025) — A film based on the novel by Robert Roklicer.
- • Hotel Sunja (1992) — A wartime documentary about Sunja and its defenders on the front lines.
Current Work and Author Status
In addition to his creative work, he actively participates in the education of younger generations of filmmakers through workshops, mentorship, film juries, and professional programs across Croatia.
Today, he enjoys the status of one of the most respected Croatian directors of the middle generation, an author whose projects stand out for their high production standards, visual quality, and strong auteur signature.
ZVONIMIR KARAKATIĆ is a programmer from Požega, Croatia, born in 1976. He had his first encounter with amateur filmmaking at the age of five, acting in a production by the local "Gimnazija" film club. He has been actively involved in photography since primary school and in filmmaking since his high school days, serving as an assistant across all stages of independent film production.
For nearly 30 years, he has been a dedicated member of the film club—now known as the GFR FILM-VIDEO association, where he serves as president. He is the director of several amateur films, including "Saturday Night Fever" ("Groznica subotnje večeri"), which was awarded the Gold Medal at the 31st Croatian Amateur Film and Video Festival. He also co-authored "How can I help you?" ("Izvolite molim"), which was screened at the 2004 Days of Croatian Film. In 2008, he directed the documentary "Kino moje malo" ("My Little Cinema").
Furthermore, Zvonimir has been actively involved in the organization of almost every edition of the Croatian One-Minute Film Festival in Požega.