Written and directed by: Dana Budisavljević
Co-written by: Jelena Paljan
Director of photography: Jasenko Rasol
Production design: Duško Milavec and Ivo Hušnjak
Costume design: Martina Franić
Makeup design: Dušica Vuksanović
Sound: Julij Zornik
Producers: Miljenka Čogelja and Olinka Vištica
Produced by: The Hulahop production house from Zagreb
Co-produced by: Vlado Bulajić and Lija Pogačnik, the December production house from Ljubljana;Snežana Penev, the This and That production house from Belgrade
Financial support / co-financing: Croatian Audiovisual Centre, Slovenian Film Centre – a publicagency of the Republic of Slovenia, Serbian Film Centre, Eurimages, and the MEDIA programme
The shooting of the live-action documentary film Action D.B. by the screenwriter and director Dana Budisavljević from Zagreb began on Tuesday, 10 October, in the same Croatian city. The film is co-produced by Croatia, Slovenia, and Serbia.
Action D.B. tells the story of one of the most extensive actions aimed at rescuing children duringWorld War II and the extraordinary women who organised it: Diana Budisavljević. The film aboutDiana Budisavljević focuses on a remarkable tale of courage and strength exhibited in the hardestmoments. It contains staged reconstructions, documentary testimonies, and precious archivefootage. The story is based on Diana's diary and historical research. The protagonist of the film DianaBudisavljević was born in a respectable family Obexer from Innsbruck. After she had married themedical doctor Julij Budisavljević, she moved to Zagreb. As a housewife, she dedicated herself to herhusband and their children – until she found out, in the autumn of 1941, about the existence ofconcentration camps where Orthodox women and their children were imprisoned in the capital ofthe newly-established Independent State of Croatia. Convinced that her own life was not any morevaluable than the lives of the unjustly persecuted, she undertook a risky attempt at rescuing thechildren from the camps. More than 10,000 children were then saved during her Action D.B., as she called her efforts herself. Due to the historical circumstances, her story remained undiscovered until recently.
Starring Alma Prica – the first lady of the Croatian National Theatre, who has also worked withTomaž Pandur and is known to the Slovenian public for her exquisite role in the 2013 film Halima's Path – as Diana. Igor Samobor performed in the role of Diana's husband Julij, while some of themost interesting actors from the region like Ermin Bravo, Areta Ćurković, Krešimir Mikić, OzrenGrabarić, Mirjana Karanović, Vilim Matula and others appear in the film as well.
The director Dana Budisavljevič graduated in film and TV editing from the Academy of Dramatic Art,University of Zagreb. Already as a student she organised F.R.K.A., the first student film festival, whilelater she took part in the organisation of the film festival in Motovun. In 2005 she established,together with Nenad Puhovski, the biggest regional documentary film festival ZagrebDox.
Action D.B. will be shot on locations in Croatia and Slovenia. The shooting is slated to conclude in thebeginning of November.
Contact for additional information:
Vlado Bulajić, December - Zavod za kulturne dejavnosti
m. + 386 40 454 681
e. This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
