Veljko Bulajić facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Veljko Bulajić
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Bulajić in 1969
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| Born | 22 March 1928 |
| Died | 3 April 2024 (aged 96) Zagreb, Croatia
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| Education | Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografia |
| Occupation | Film director |
| Years active | 1953–2024 |
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Notable work
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Vlak bez voznog reda, Kozara, Bitka na Neretvi, Veliki transport |
| Spouse(s) | Vlasta Bulajić |
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Veljko Bulajić (born March 22, 1928 – died April 3, 2024) was a famous film director from Montenegro. He also received the UNESCO Kalinga Prize. Bulajić spent most of his life working in Croatia. He is best known for directing movies about World War II. These films are part of a style called "Partisan film."
His movies were incredibly popular. The Croatian Public Broadcasting Company said his films were seen by over 500 million people around the world. In fact, the top four most-watched Yugoslav films ever were all directed by him! The MUBI streaming service called him a "creator of epic blockbusters." Veljko Bulajić passed away in 2024 at the age of 96.
Contents
Early Life and War Experience
Veljko Bulajić was born in a village called Vilusi, near Nikšić. This area was part of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes. When he was just 15, he joined the Yugoslav Partisans. This was a group fighting against the invaders during World War II.
Bulajić and his two older brothers were all hurt during battles. At one point, his whole family was even held in an Italian concentration camp. He once shared a sad story about his older brother. His brother was shot and badly wounded by traitors at a railway station. He later died from his injuries.
After the war, Veljko and his surviving brother, Stevan, worked together. They co-wrote the movies Kozara and Battle of Neretva.
After World War II, Bulajić was stationed in Zagreb. There, he discovered his love for filmmaking. He decided to study film in Italy at the Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografia. He learned from famous directors like Cesare Zavattini. He even worked as an assistant to legendary Italian filmmakers Federico Fellini and Vittorio De Sica. After this, he returned to Yugoslavia.
A Director's Journey
Bulajić started his career by making two short films. His first full-length movie was Train Without a Timetable. This film was a drama about people forced to leave their homes. They had to move to new, undeveloped farmland.
His first movie was a huge success. It was shown at the famous Cannes Film Festival. It was even considered for the Palme d'Or, one of the world's top film awards. The film also won four awards at the Yugoslav National Film Awards. These awards are now known as the Pula Film Festival. He also won an award from the city of Zagreb.
His next two films, Atomic War Bride and Boom Town, also won many awards. They received Gold and Silver awards at the Yugoslav National Film Awards. Atomic War Bride was also nominated for a Golden Lion at the 1960 Venice Film Festival. This made it Bulajić's second nomination for a "Big Three" international film festival prize.
In 1962, his film Kozara brought him international fame. He won the Big Golden Arena for Best Film again at the Yugoslav National Film Awards. The film was even shown at the French Louvre museum. It won the Golden Prize at the 3rd Moscow International Film Festival. Bulajić later became a judge at the 4th Moscow International Film Festival. The film was also shown at the San Francisco International Film Festival.
In 1969, he wrote and directed the famous war film Battle of Neretva. It starred well-known actors like Orson Welles and Yul Brynner. Over 350 million people worldwide have seen this movie. It is one of the most expensive non-English language films ever made.
The famous artist Pablo Picasso created one of the posters for the film. This was one of only two movie posters Picasso ever made! Instead of money, Picasso asked Bulajić for a case of Yugoslav wine. The two had met earlier at a festival. The music for Neretva was created by Oscar-winning composer Bernard Herrmann. The film was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film. Important people like President Josip Broz Tito and First Lady Jovanka Broz attended the premiere. Future U.S. President Ronald Reagan also attended the U.S. premiere.
Bulajić said that Neretva's success came from its unique story. Only 15 minutes of the film show fighting. The rest focuses on how wounded people were saved and cared for.
The premiere of Bulajić's film The Day That Shook the World was organized by Italy's First Lady, Vittoria Leone. This movie starred Hollywood actors Christopher Plummer, Maximillian Schell, and Florinda Bolkan.
In 2017, Bulajić started filming what is thought to be his last movie, Escape to the Sea. It stars Game of Thrones actor Tom Wlaschiha. He plays a German soldier lost behind enemy lines in World War II.
In 2020, Bulajić's film Skoplje '63 was named one of the Top 10 Croatian documentary films of all time. This was decided by a group of 38 film critics.
A Book About His Work
A large book about Bulajić's career was published in 2015. It was 435 pages long! The book was put together by Božo Rudez. It was shown to the public by the Croatian Minister of Culture. Many authors from Croatia and other countries contributed to the book. It includes pictures of his actors and descriptions of his artistic skills. Famous people like Orson Welles and François Truffaut wrote about him. The book also has reviews of his films from major newspapers like The New York Times and Le Monde.
Helping Others
Bulajić was one of 141 important Croatians who helped in the Libertas convoy. This was a special mission to help the city of Dubrovnik in 1991. The city was blocked by the navy, and people had very little food or medicine.
Many important people were on the ship, Slavija, including the President of Yugoslavia, Stjepan Mesić. After a long standoff with the navy, their ship successfully broke the blockade. They delivered much-needed supplies to the people of Dubrovnik. Bulajić later said this convoy was one of the most positive global actions at the time.
His Views on Politics
Veljko Bulajić was often seen as the favorite director of Yugoslav President Josip Broz Tito. However, Bulajić had mixed feelings about Tito. He praised Tito for fighting against fascism in World War II. He also admired Tito for standing up to Joseph Stalin in 1948. But he also criticized some of Tito's policies.
Bulajić's older brother, Stevan, was also a writer. He was even imprisoned for criticizing the ruling communist leaders. He said they were shopping at special stores that regular people couldn't use.
In the late 1990s, Bulajić asked for an investigation into missing money. This money was for a film he was making about the siege of Sarajevo. He believed funds were misused. After he spoke out, he was fired from the project.
In 2018, Bulajić spoke at the election campaign launch for Milo Đukanović. He strongly supported Đukanović, who went on to win the election. Bulajić also supported Croatia's independence. Later, he supported Montenegro's independence and joining NATO. In 2019, he said Montenegro joining NATO was "the most important date in Montenegro's history."
He also believed that anti-fascism was in danger in Europe. He felt that nationalist movements reminded him of the 1930s. In 2019, Bulajić signed an appeal asking the world to condemn actions that could harm peace in Montenegro. Many other important figures also signed this appeal.
Awards and Special Recognition
One of Bulajić's biggest honors was the Kalinga Prize from UNESCO. He received it for his documentary film Skoplje '63. This film was about a huge earthquake that destroyed the city of Skopje in 1963. The film also won him the Golden Lion at the 25th Venice International Film Festival. This was his only win at one of the "Big Three" film festivals.
The film Skoplje '63 also won him many other awards. These included the film critics award at the Cannes Film Festival and the Golden Spike at the Seminci Film Festival. It also won at the Edinburgh International Film Festival and the Golden Nymph at the Monte Carlo Television Festival. The Swedish Film Institute even listed it as one of the 15 best films made between 1920 and 1964.
In 2012, the International League of Humanists called Bulajić the "humanists film director of the 20th century."
Bulajić won best director or best film awards at many other festivals. These include the Sitges Film Festival, Cairo Film Festival, Vancouver Film Festival, and Saint Petersburg International Film Festival.
In 2008, the Manaki brothers International Film Festival gave him a special award. It was the Golden Camera 300 for his contributions to world cinema.
In 2010, the Moscow International Film Festival listed Battle of Neretva as one of the 10 most important films about World War II. It was placed alongside famous movies like The Bridge on the River Kwai by David Lean.
Throughout his career, Bulajić worked with many Hollywood stars. These included Orson Welles, Hardy Krüger, Sergei Bondarchuk, Franco Nero, Christopher Plummer, and Yul Brynner.
He also won ten Golden Arena awards at the Pula Film Festival. He received a lifetime achievement award at the MedFilm Festival. He also won Europe's oldest film prize, the Nastro d'Argento.
Bulajić served as a judge at the Cannes Film Festival three times. He is one of only 15 people ever to do this! He also judged at the Venice Film Festival and San Sebastian Film Festival. In 2011, Politico called him "one of the most successful director's of his day."
In 2016, he received a SEE Film Legend Award. This was from the International Committee of the South East European Film Festival.
Bulajić also received several state awards and medals. These included the city of Berlin award. He also got the highest civilian award in Yugoslavia, the Anti-Fascist Council award. Other honors included the "Sacred Ground of Stalingrad" award from the Soviet Union. He also received the July 13th Lifetime Achievement award, which is Montenegro's highest civilian honor. He also won awards from the cities of Skopje and Zagreb. Finally, he received the Vladimir Nazor Award for Life Achievement in Film from Croatia.
Selected Films
- Train Without a Timetable (1959)
- Atomic War Bride (1960)
- Kozara (1962)
- Skoplje '63 (1964)
- Looking Into the Eyes of the Sun (1966)
- Battle of Neretva (1969)
- The Day That Shook the World (1975)
- The Man to Destroy (1979)
- High Voltage (1981)
- Great Transport (1983)
- The Promised Land (1986)
- Donator (1989)
- Libertas (2006)
See also
In Spanish: Veljko Bulajić para niños
