Sandbag Dam
Zečji nasip
Zajčji nasip
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A story of forbidden love in the Croatian countryside, where the boundaries of tolerance are too narrow for a tumultuous youthful romance.

Marko lives in a Croatian village with his parents and his young brother Fićo. Although a gifted athlete, he will respect his father's wish and become a car mechanic after finishing school. Two events throw Marko's seemingly stable life out of balance: the village is threatened by flooding, and his forbidden first love, Slaven, returns home for his father's funeral. Marko struggles to stay focused on his girlfriend Petra and an upcoming sporting tournament. While the villagers work tirelessly to build sandbag walls around their homes, Marko builds a wall of his own - one designed to keep his emotions at bay.

"This is a story about forbidden love between two young men in a small village in Croatia, and Croatia is still a very closed-minded country. I wasn't aware of it before I started working on the film. We live in our own bubbles, thinking that tolerance and acceptance are a given; that's not true. When we started auditions, I met many young people and said to them: 'If you have any issues with the subject of the movie, let me know.' Many of them did. I realised that being gay in Croatia makes you feel threatened." (Čejen Černić Čanak)



Talk after Screening
17 Nov at 19:00, Kosovel Hall, guests: Čejen Černić (director), Tomislav Zajec (screenwriter), Lav Novosel (actor), Andrija Žunac (actor), Aleš Pavlin (co-producer), moderator: Damijan Vinter
Section: PERSPECTIVES
Directed by: Čejen Černić
Country, year: Croatia, Slovenia, Lithuania, 2025
Length: 88 minutes
Subtitles: Slovenian
Language: Croatian

Screening in cinema:

Fri, 14.11.2025 18:00 Maribox
Mon, 17.11.2025 19:00 Kosovel Hall
Wed, 19.11.2025 16:15 Kino Bežigrad
Sun, 23.11.2025 16:45 Kinodvor Cinema

VOD service:

Notice
Please note that this film is not available as VOD service.
Screenplay:
Tomislav Zajec
Cinematography:
Marko Brdar
Music:
Domas Strupinskas
Cast:
Lav Novosel (Marko), Andrija Žunac (Slaven), Leon Grgić (Fićo), Franka Mikolaci (Petra), Tanja Smoje (Vanča), Alma Prica (Alenka), Filip Šovagović (Franjo), Luka Baškarad (Ivan), Rada Mrkšić (Baka), Marica Vidušić (Kolegica), Pan Jelić (Edi), Margarita Belan (Sanja), Lana Hranjec (Iris), Gregor Birkić (Zvone), Dino Nikolić (Robi), Ana Ugrina (Maja), Katja Galunic (Lada)
Producent:
Kinorama & Tremora & Perfo
info@kinorama.hr
Sales:
The Open Reel
open@theopenreel.com
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About director
Born in 1982 in Osijek, Croatia, Černić Čanak studied film and television directing at the Academy of Dramatic Art in Zagreb. Her output includes animated, documentary and fiction short films. Made in 2017, her debut feature film, The Mystery of Green Hill, topped the Croatian box office in the first week of its release, was selected for international film festivals and received distribution in the USA, Canada, China, Austria, Germany and many other countries. Sandbag Dam is her second feature film.
Filmography
2017 Uzbuna na Zelenom Vrhu (The Mystery of Green Hill/Skrivnost Zelenega hriba)
2019 Zeko (The Bunny) (kratki/short)
2025 Zečji nasip (Sandbag Dam/Zajčji nasip)