Ante Babaja
Encyclopedia
Ante Babaja was a notable Croatia
n film director and screenwriter.
Babaja finished high school in Zagreb
before going on to enrol at the University of Zagreb
where he studied law and economy. He started working in filmmaking in 1949, and his first job was as assistant director to Krešimir Golik on the making of Golik's 1950 feature film Blue 9 (Plavi 9). Babaja's directorial debut was the 1955 documentary short Jedan dan u Rijeci. He went on to film several short films before directing is first feature film The King's New Clothes (Carevo novo ruho) in 1961, a screen adaptation of Hans Christian Andersen
's short tale
.
In the mid 1960s Babaja made several experimental documentary films, before filming The Birch Tree
(Breza, 1967), his most well known film which is today regaded as one of the classic films of Croatian cinema. In the following decades Babaja turned to directing documentary films and only made a handful of feature films. Nevertheless, films such as Gold, Frankincense and Myrrh (Mirisi, zlato i tamjan, 1971) and Lost Homeland (Izgubljeni zavičaj, 1980) were also met with considerable critical acclaim.
He was also a longtime professor as the Zagreb Academy of Drama Arts and in 1988 he was awarded the Vladimir Nazor Award
for Life Achievement.
Croatia
Croatia , officially the Republic of Croatia , is a unitary democratic parliamentary republic in Europe at the crossroads of the Mitteleuropa, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean. Its capital and largest city is Zagreb. The country is divided into 20 counties and the city of Zagreb. Croatia covers ...
n film director and screenwriter.
Babaja finished high school in Zagreb
Zagreb
Zagreb is the capital and the largest city of the Republic of Croatia. It is in the northwest of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slopes of the Medvednica mountain. Zagreb lies at an elevation of approximately above sea level. According to the last official census, Zagreb's city...
before going on to enrol at the University of Zagreb
University of Zagreb
The University of Zagreb is the biggest Croatian university and the oldest continuously operating university in the area covering Central Europe south of Vienna and all of Southeastern Europe...
where he studied law and economy. He started working in filmmaking in 1949, and his first job was as assistant director to Krešimir Golik on the making of Golik's 1950 feature film Blue 9 (Plavi 9). Babaja's directorial debut was the 1955 documentary short Jedan dan u Rijeci. He went on to film several short films before directing is first feature film The King's New Clothes (Carevo novo ruho) in 1961, a screen adaptation of Hans Christian Andersen
Hans Christian Andersen
Hans Christian Andersen was a Danish author, fairy tale writer, and poet noted for his children's stories. These include "The Steadfast Tin Soldier," "The Snow Queen," "The Little Mermaid," "Thumbelina," "The Little Match Girl," and "The Ugly Duckling."...
's short tale
The Emperor's New Clothes
"The Emperor's New Clothes" is a short tale by Hans Christian Andersen about two weavers who promise an Emperor a new suit of clothes that is invisible to those unfit for their positions, stupid, or incompetent...
.
In the mid 1960s Babaja made several experimental documentary films, before filming The Birch Tree
The Birch Tree (film)
The Birch Tree is a 1967 Yugoslav film directed by Ante Babaja.The film won two Golden Arena awards at the 1967 Pula Film Festival, the Yugoslav national film awards, including Best Cinematography and Best Actor ....
(Breza, 1967), his most well known film which is today regaded as one of the classic films of Croatian cinema. In the following decades Babaja turned to directing documentary films and only made a handful of feature films. Nevertheless, films such as Gold, Frankincense and Myrrh (Mirisi, zlato i tamjan, 1971) and Lost Homeland (Izgubljeni zavičaj, 1980) were also met with considerable critical acclaim.
He was also a longtime professor as the Zagreb Academy of Drama Arts and in 1988 he was awarded the Vladimir Nazor Award
Vladimir Nazor award
The Vladimir Nazor Award is an annual award given by the Croatian Ministry of Culture to Croatian artists for highest achievements in various artistic fields. It was established in 1959 and is named after the notable writer Vladimir Nazor...
for Life Achievement.
Filmography
- The King's New ClothesThe King's New ClothesThe King's New Clothes is a Croatian film directed by Ante Babaja. It was released in 1961....
(Carevo novo ruho, 1961) - The Birch TreeThe Birch Tree (film)The Birch Tree is a 1967 Yugoslav film directed by Ante Babaja.The film won two Golden Arena awards at the 1967 Pula Film Festival, the Yugoslav national film awards, including Best Cinematography and Best Actor ....
(Breza, 1967) - Gold, Frankincense and MyrrhGold, Frankincense and MyrrhGold, Frankincense and Myrrh is a Croatian film directed by Ante Babaja. It was released in 1971....
(Mirisi, zlato i tamjan, 1971) - Lost HomelandLost HomelandIzgubljeni zavičaj is a Croatian film directed by Ante Babaja. It was released in 1980....
(Izgubljeni zavičaj, 1980) - The Stone GateThe Stone GateKamenita vrata is a Croatian film directed by Ante Babaja. It was released in 1992....
(Kamenita vrata, 1992)
External links
- Ante Babaja biography at Filmski-Programi.hr
- Ante Babaja biography at Film.hr