The Birch Tree

Breza

58th TIFF: Greek Premiere

In a small Croatian village during the 20s, a beautiful young woman named Janica marries Marko, a crude villager. He neglects and humiliates her, until vulnerable Janica eventually falls apart. The film narrates the chronicle of a marriage, while depicting the young woman’s relationship with the primitive, almost Pagan milieu in the village and the countryside. The Birch Tree, a landmark film of croatian cinema, portrays the harsh morals prevailing in Croatian provinces in the beginnings of the 20th century.

Screening Schedule

No physical screenings scheduled.

Direction: Ante Babaja
Script: Slavko Kolar, Ante Babaja, Božidar Violić, Slavko Kolar (based on the same-titled short story by Slavko Kolar, as well as his story “The Wedding of Imbra Futac”)
Cinematography: Tomislav Pinter
Editing: Lida Braniš
Music: Anđelko Klobučar
Actors: Manca Košir, Bata Živojinović, Fabijan Šovagović, Nela Eržišnik
Production: Jadran Film
Format: DCP
Color: Color
Production Country: Yugoslavia (Croatia)
Production Year: 1967
Duration: 88'
Contact: Croatian Film Archive
Awards/Distinctions: Best Actor, Best Cinematography – Pula IFF 1967, Yugoslavia (Croatia)

Ante Babaja

Ante Babaja, director and a screenwriter, was born in Imotski, Croatia on October, 6th 1927. After high school he studied economy and law. Thanks to his friendship with Branko Bauer (a pioneer of classical narrative cinema in Croatian cinema of the 1950s) he entered the world of film. In 1961 he directed his first feature film Carevo novo ruho. In the mid 60’s he turned to experimental film, but from 1970s onwards there was a period in which he made only documentaries. He was a regular professor at the Academy for Drama Art in Zagreb. He died on January 14, 2010 in Zagreb.

Filmography

1961 Carevo novo ruho | The King's New Clothes
1967 Breza The Birch Tree
1971 Mirisi, zlato i tamjan | Gold, Frankincense and Myrrh
1980 Izgubljeni zavičaj | Lost Homeland
1992 Kamenita vrata | The Stone Gate