The documentary film Vitić Dances was screened at the Venice Architecture Short Film Festival

The documentary film Vitić Dances, directed and written by Boris Bakal, with editing and co-writing by Martin Semenčić, will be shown in Venice at the Venice Architecture Short Film Festival, taking place from November 13–15.

Vitić Dances has previously appeared at numerous film festivals, including the Lund Architecture Festival in Sweden, the Cuzco Underground Cinema Festival in Peru, the Festival of History and Film in Râșnov, the Cine Del Mar Film Festival in Uruguay, among others. We are proud and thrilled that this story of restoring a modernist architectural masterpiece by architect Ivo Vitić is reaching international audiences.

The film tells the story of the struggle to restore a building on Laginjina Street in Zagreb, designed by Ivo Vitić, one of the key Yugoslav architects. This iconic modernist building becomes a metaphor for society in a “story about us, others, and the space in between.” Filmed over nearly 20 years and edited for five, the documentary dynamically explores the relationship between architecture and society through the example of renovating Vitić’s mixed-use residential and commercial complex in Zagreb. As a result of the community art project led by Boris Bakal and Shadow Casters, the building underwent restoration from 2016 to 2018, marking the largest investment in residential renewal since World War II.

The film premiered at Zagreb’s Kinoteka in April 2024 and has since received numerous awards: a Special Mention at the 2023 Days of Croatian Film, a Special Mention for Memory Preservation and Cultural Heritage at the 18th Balkan New Film Festival in Stockholm (Sweden), the Grand Prize for Best Documentary at the Asian Talent International Film Festival 2024 in Ahmednagar (India), the award for Best Documentary in Ecuador (San Antonio), and awards for Best Film, Best Production, and Best Director at a festival in London.

The film’s producers are Boris Bakal, Adrijana Prugovečki, Tibor Keser, and Ivan Kelava, and it was produced by the multimedia art organization Shadow Casters, in co-production with Croatian Radio and Television (HRT).