How the War Started on My Island
| How the War Started on My Island | |
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| Directed by | Vinko Brešan |
| Produced by | Ante Škorput |
| Written by |
Ivo Brešan Vinko Brešan |
| Starring |
Vlatko Dulić Ljubomir Kerekeš Ivan Brkić Predrag Vušović Ivica Vidović Božidar Orešković Matija Prskalo |
| Music by | Mate Matišić |
| Cinematography | Živko Zalar |
| Edited by | Sandra Botica |
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Production
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Release date
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17 December 1996 |
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Running time
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97 minutes |
| Country | Croatia |
| Language | Croatian |
How the War Started on My Island (Croatian: Kako je počeo rat na mom otoku) is a 1996 Croatian black comedy film directed by Vinko Brešan and starring Vlatko Dulić, Ljubomir Kerekeš, Ivan Brkić, Predrag Vušović, Ivica Vidović, Božidar Orešković and Matija Prskalo. The film was shot on location in Primošten and Šibenik.
The film is set in Croatia in mid-1991, after the Croatian Parliament had proclaimed the country's independence, seceding it from Yugoslavia. However, army garrisons around the country are still held by the Yugoslav People's Army (JNA), which does not acknowledge the parliament's decision. The JNA garrisons are largely manned by conscripts hailing from all over Yugoslavia who are serving their compulsory military service, and headed by senior officers who ignore Croatian demands that the JNA should leave Croatian territory and release Croats under their command. In this backdrop, the film begins with the arrival of art historian Blaž Gajski (played by Vlatko Dulić) to a small unnamed Croatian island with the intention of rescuing his son Zoran (Leon Lučev) who is serving at the local JNA barracks.
Gajski finds the situation on the island tense – the police have surrounded the barracks, locals are picketing the garrison, and the local commanders go in to negotiate a peaceful surrender of the compound with barracks commander major Aleksa (Ljubomir Kerekeš). However, Aleksa brushes them off, has the barracks rigged with explosives and threatens to blow everything up in case of any attempts to take the garrison by force. In response, islanders stage a non-stop festival in front of the compound, with rock bands and marching bands playing music, and with islanders reciting poems and giving speeches (including Aleksa's own wife) in the hope of convincing Aleksa to back down.
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