Brcko in Zagreb (1917)

Interesting facts

Brcko in Zagreb is a 1917 Croatian short comedy film directed by Arsen Maas.

Background, release and legacy

Brcko in Zagreb was a creation of a group of actors – Arnošt Grund, Irma Polak, Tonka Savić and Stjepan Bojničić – who were members of the ensemble of the Croatian National Theatre in Zagreb, and had also performed in cabaret acts. They felt the time had come to shoot their first film.

The film was produced by Croatia k.d., established in 1917 by Hamilkar Bošković and Julio Bergman, which was the first Croatian film production company. The actors performed virtually as amateurs, with almost no compensation.

Brcko in Zagreb premiered on 28 August 1917 in Metropol Cinema in Zagreb (later known as Capitol Cinema and Zagreb Cinema), making it the first Croatian fictional film. It was shown in a number of cinemas across Croatia and was very popular.

No copies of the film have been preserved, and it is now considered lost, sharing the fate of all other feature films from the earliest days of Croatian cinema, none of which survived in entirety. All that is known about it is based on contemporary newspaper articles and advertisements, as well as several surviving stills.

In 2017, on the 100th anniversary of the film's release, the Croatian Post issued a stamp commemorating the event.

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