Croatia eyes digital revival of thriller stored in Serbia
Croatian Film Archives has begun talks with Belgrade's Centar Film to obtain the original copy of "Rhythm of a Crime", a 1981 Croatian thriller by Zoran Tadić, for digital restoration.
The film, ranked the sixth greatest Croatian film by critics in 2020, was declared a Serbian cultural asset of special significance in 2016, after the Yugoslav Film Archive proposed its protection. The original is stored in Belgrade, while only copies remain in Croatia, CE Report quotes HINA.
Experts say the case exposes long-standing problems, as Croatia never secured rights to films made before 1991. In other post-socialist states, such rights were transferred to cultural institutions similar to the Croatian Audiovisual Centre. Ownership of film copies also remains unresolved, with some private producers claiming rights despite the works being financed with public money.
Produced by Television Zagreb and distributed by Centar Film, "Rhythm of a Crime" is widely regarded as one of the most "Zagreb" films, based on Pavle Pavličić's short story "The Good Spirit of Zagreb".
Critics say its preservation will test Croatia's commitment to safeguarding its film heritage, particularly after a recent government plan to double the pace of restoring 20 national classics, made until 2010, with €2 million of funding between 2026 and 2028.
Film historian Željko Luketić noted that Serbia's 2016 designation accelerated the possibility of restoring and re-screening the film, though he stressed it remains Croatian under international attribution rules, which assign origin by the producing company.
Croatian Radio-Television, successor to Television Zagreb, called the film "one of the most significant works of Croatian cinema and the best Croatian debut feature," adding that while no date for restoration has been set, it supports the initiative to preserve it for future generations.
