Alumni
The Academy of Dramatic Art is one of the fundamental sources of Croatian creativity and a numerous talents among both its students and lecturers. The very best artists from the fields of theatre and film have had their creative beginnings at the Academy. It was here that they first gained their knowledge of the craft or transferred their experience, becoming leading experts in Croatian film, theatre and television. Many of them have gone on to receive top international awards.
Directors Branko Gavella, Vlado Habunek, Kosta Spajić, Georgij Paro, Božidar Violić, Joško Juvančić, Dino Radojević, Tom Durbešić, and actors Tonko Lonza, Pero Kvrgić, Sven Lasta, Drago Krča, Izet Hajdarhodžić, Vanja Drach, Fabijan Šovagović, Zlatko Crnković, Božidar Boban, Ljubo Kapor, Neva Rošić, Nada Subotić Kaštelan, Marija Kohn, Nela Eržišnik, along with other gifted artists, founded numerous international theatre manifestations. Some of them are the Dubrovnik Summer Festival, the first modern Gavella Drama Theatre, the most important avant-garde Croatian theatre, the ITD Theatre, the legendary Relja Bašić’s Guest Theatre and a travelling theatre company Histrioni.
The younger generation of directors and actors, former students or current lecturers at the Academy, dominate the Croatian theatre stage today. Some of them also work on world stages, following the successful path of their great predecessors. One can find Krešimir Dolenčić (Shanghai, Dartington) and Petar Selem (Prague, Strasbourg, Torre del Lago, Moscow, Oslo) on opera stages, Ivica Kunčević (the Czech Republic, Poland) on the drama stage, and Rade Šerbedžija, Goran Višnjić and Mira Furlan (Hollywood) in films and on television. Ante Babaja, Nikola Tanhofer, Krešo Golik, Branko Belan, Zvonimir Berković, Radojka Tanhofer and Dušan Vukotić established the film departments at the Academy. These great names were followed by a generation of trained directors, cinematographers and film editors that represent the biggest and best part of contemporary Croatian cinema and television. Many of these young directors, cinematographers and film editors have become noteworthy professionals in the USA: Goran Dukić, Vanja Černjul, Darko Šuvak, Predrag Dubravčić, Igor Martinović, Zoran Drakulić, Maja Vrvilo, Beatrice Sišul, and Nataša Gjuroković.
We will make special mention to the three Oscars awarded by the American Film Academy. The first was won by Dušan Vukotić for best animated film, and the remaining two by Branko Lustig for best films. Both Vukotić and Branko were lecturers at the Academy of Dramatic Art.
- Branko Lustig received his 1st Oscar in 1993 for the production of Schindler’s List, and his 2nd Oscar in 2001 for the Gladiator
- Dušan Vukotić won an Oscar for best animated short film in 1961 for Surogat
- Vanja Černjul won an award for best TV series cinematography from the American Society of Cinematographers (ASC) for Marco Polo in 2016
- Igor Martinović won the award for Best Cinematographer in 2017 in the category of Television Series for HBO’s The Night Of
- Zrinka Cvitešić has been crowned Best Actress in a Musical at 2014 Olivier Awards for her West End debut in Once
- Jure Pavlović’s Picnic won EFA’s Best European Short Film award and RIIFF’s Best short Grand Prize in 2015
- Dalibor Matanić won a CICAE award at Sarajevo Film Festival 2015, six awards at Pula Film Festival 2015, and a Jury Prize at 68th Cannes International Film Festival for his film The High Sun
- Dubravka Turić won the award for Best Short Film for Belladonna at the International Film Festival in Venice in 2015
- Hana Jušić’s Quit Staring at My Plate won the FEDEORA Best European Film Award in 2016 and Award for Best International Film at the 13th London Short Film Festival
- Tihana Lazović won PriFest’s and Prix Alcoa’s Best Actress awards for her role in The High Sun in 2016
- Nina Rac edited Edmond – an award winning film in the British animated short category at the 69th BAFTA awards in 2016
- Tena Štivičić’s play Three Winters opened to great critical acclaim at the National Theatre in London in 2014 and won the prestigious Susan Smith Blackburn Prize for 2015.