Croatia’s official submission for the Best International Feature category at the 94th Academy Awards is Danilo Šerbedžija‘s Tereza37, which competed in the 2020 Warsaw Film Festival and has picked up a variety of awards on the festival circuit. In anticipation of For Your Consideration screenings, I had the opportunity to converse with Serbedzija (son of acclaimed actor/director Rade Serbedzija) and Lana Barić, the writer and star of his third feature. We talk through the origins of the story, a long gestating project which heralds a developing new direction in Croatian cinema as it’s not only one of the country’s few films powered by a female perspective but also tackles taboo subjects through the lens of a formidable, authentic protagonist. Serbedzija and Baric talk through symbols, motifs, shooting schedules, song selections and casting this passion project.
