Croatian party slams film fund for backing Serbian co-production over Vukovar movie

Mario Radić, president of the Croatian party Dom i nacionalno okupljanje (Homeland and National Gathering), sharply criticized the Croatian Audiovisual Centre (HAVC) for its recent funding decisions. He highlighted the decision not to support a feature film project titled "Vukovar" while allocating nearly 950,000 euros to the Croatian-Serbian co-production "Svadba 2."

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It's time for the Ministry of Culture to stop neglecting projects of national importance and start protecting Croatian identity, Croatian history, and the truth about the Homeland War!

Radić stated that this funding choice reveals a significant problem with the priorities of Croatian cultural policy. He argued that when a project about Vukovar, a symbol of Croatian defense, sacrifice, and the creation of the modern Croatian state, is denied production support, it indicates a flawed value system. "Vukovar is not just any topic. Vukovar is the foundation of Croatian freedom and the place where the Croatian state was created," Radić asserted.

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When a feature film project about Vukovar, the symbol of Croatian defense, sacrifice, and the creation of the modern Croatian state, remains without production support, while almost a million euros are allocated to another project, then we are no longer talking about one tender decision. We are talking about a value system that determines the priorities of Croatian cultural policy.

The party leader believes that if Croatian institutions fail to recognize that such projects deserve special support, the issue extends beyond a single tender. He called for a fundamental shift in Croatian cultural policy, emphasizing the need for a Ministry of Culture that actively protects Croatian national interests. "We are not seeking this portfolio for political spoils or to divide positions, but because Croatian citizens have the right to expect their money to be invested in projects that preserve the truth about the Homeland War, Croatian identity, and the values upon which the modern Croatian state was built," he added.

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Vukovar is not just any topic. Vukovar is the foundation of Croatian freedom and the place where the Croatian state was created. If Croatian institutions do not recognize that precisely such projects deserve special support, then it is clear that the problem is not one tender, but the direction of Croatian cultural policy.

The "Vukovar" film project, by authors Jakov and Dominik Sedlar, is intended to be part of a trilogy. The new film is based on real events and testimonies from the final phase of the Vukovar defense. It aims to tell the story through three intertwined narratives: the fate of French volunteer Jean-Michel Nicolier, events in the Vukovar hospital, and a Croatian defender who travels from Zagreb to fight in Vukovar.

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We are not seeking this portfolio for political spoils or to divide positions, but because Croatian citizens have the right to expect their money to be invested in projects that preserve the truth about the Homeland War, Croatian identity, and the values upon which the modern Croatian state was built.