Zagreb – Return to Europe: ESI filming Croatia documentary

Part of the team (from left): Snjezana Vukic and Kristof Bender (ESI), Christian Haake (camera), Atanas Tcholakov (sound), and Fritz Ofner (director). Photo: ESI

Building on the success of the "Return to Europe" series, ESI will co-produce two 52-minutes documentary films this year. To complete the award-winning series portraying change in South Eastern Europe over the last decade, two more countries will be added: Croatia, the first South East European post-conflict country set to join the EU (in 2013), and Moldova, one of the poorest countries in Europe struggling to obtain a credible EU accession perspective. Both films are based on in-depth ESI field research.

After longer shooting sessions earlier this year, mainly in Zagreb and Vukovar, ESI staff travelled again to Croatia with a film team from Geyrhalter Film from 27 to 30 May. Both films will be broadcast in autumn 2012 on 3sat and ORF, the Austrian Broadcasting Association. English and German language versions will be available on DVD.

Last preparations for an interview with Hollywood actor Rade Serbedzija at the island of Brijuni, where since 2001 he organises a theatre summer festival. Serbedzija, a Croatian Serb, left Croatia before the war, lived shortly in Belgrade and then in London and Los Angeles. He was seen in numerous films, including "The Saint", "Eyes wide shut", "Snatch", "Batman" and "Harry Potter". Serbedzija returned to live in Croatia one and a half years ago and now teaches at the drama faculty in Rijeka. Photo: ESI

Interviewing former president Stipe Mesic in Zagreb (read ESI's portrait from earlier this year). Photo: ESI

After shooting: Knut Neumayer (ERSTE Foundation), Rade Serbedzija, Kristof Bender and Snjezana Vukic (ESI). Photo: ESI