Krsto Papić, a renowned Croatian screenwriter and film director, left an indelible mark on the cinematic world, spanning several decades of his illustrious career.
Born on December 7, 1933, in Vučji Do, near Nikšić, Montenegro, Papić's early life was deeply rooted in the cultural heritage of the region. His early feature films and documentaries were a testament to his involvement in the Croatian and Yugoslav New Cinema movement, often regarded as a Croatian echo of the influential Black Wave artistic movement that flourished within Serbia.
As a prominent figure in the Croatian Spring political movement of the early 1970s, Papić was part of the esteemed Zagreb filmophile circle, influenced by the French New Wave and the "Hitchcockians", a group of film-makers and critics that included notable figures such as Ante Peterlić, Zoran Tadić, Branko Ivanda, Petar Krelja, Vladimir Vuković, and Hrvoje Lisinski.
Papić's two most renowned early feature films, Lisice and Predstava Hamleta u Mrduši Donjoj, were met with fierce criticism from government sources. Lisice, despite not receiving permission to represent Yugoslavia in the prestigious Cannes Film Festival, was instead showcased in the Quinzaine program in 1970. Izbavitelj, a film heavily criticized by Stipe Šuvar, was accused of making allegorical references to both Fascism and Communism.
Papić's subsequent feature films, while more classically narrated, continued to be shrouded in controversy, particularly in the last decade of Yugoslavia. His critically acclaimed film, My Uncle's Legacy, a scathing portrayal of Yugoslavia's political situation under Titoism during the Informbiro period, won a nomination for the Golden Globe in 1989. The film was met with intense political backlash from traditional Party circles and Partisan Veterans' organisations, leading to a delayed production. However, due to the support of intellectuals, newspapers, and Party fractions during the tumultuous times of the Yugoslav federation's dissolution, the film was finally brought to fruition.
Throughout his illustrious career, Papić received numerous accolades, including Croatia's highest Vladimir Nazor Award for live achievement in cinema in 2006 and the Grand Prix Special des Amériques at the Montreal Film Festival in 2004.
