October 8, 2026
FROM POETRY TO THE CINEMATIC IMAGE:
Stanka Gjurić’s Films Among International Festival Nominations.
The Croatian filmmaker has received a nomination in Bilbao (Basque Country, Spain) for Best Experimental Film, while her piece of filmed poetry, "Nedišući" ("Without Breathing"), reached as far as Taiwan last year.
Croatian writer, poet, columnist, actress and filmmaker Stanka Gjurić continues her journey through the international festival circuit. Her film "Prije povratka" ("Between Returns") has been nominated for an award in the "Best Experimental Cinema" category at the AJR Film Festival in Bilbao, scheduled for December 12, 2026.
This new nomination serves as further international recognition for an artist whose film work has been showcased at festivals across the globe in recent years. Moreover, Stanka Gjurić’s body of film work is particularly compelling because it consistently bridges her two primary artistic domains: literature and cinema.
Gjurić began her independent filmmaking career in 2006. Since then, she has produced a large number of short films spanning various genres including narrative, documentary, experimental, and animated works. In these projects, she takes on nearly every creative role herself, with the exception of music: she writes the screenplays, directs, films, edits, acts, handles sound design, and serves as producer.
Her decision to create films outside of conventional production frameworks is no coincidence. As she explains, she wanted to express her feelings "not only through writing but also through moving images," allowing her words, as well as the nature and people found in her verse and prose, to come to life on film.
In doing so, she consciously chose the path of an independent filmmaker, which enables her to make key artistic decisions herself and maintain complete freedom in the realization of her ideas. "In this chosen way, I can, with total freedom and unburdened, capture my own uniqueness, my true self, through my own perspective and effort," she wrote regarding her filmmaking.
Her debut film, "Batle Thoughts" ("Ubojite misli"), garnered international attention right from the start f her career as an auteur: it was screenedand won an award at the AluCine Film Festival in Toronto, was included in the Short Film Corner at the Cannes Film Festival, and was featured at numerous other international festivals. This marked the beginning of an international festival journey that, over the years, would span many countries and encompass various selections, nominations, and awards.
This deeply personal approach is particularly evident in her latest film, "Between Returns" (*Prije povratka*), which has been included in international festival programs and is currently nominated for Best Experimental Film in Bilbao.
The film belongs to a style of auteur cinema in which a traditional narrative is not the primary focus. Instead, Gjurić constructs the cinematic space through atmosphere, imagery, sound, rhythm, and personal experience. This very approach is characteristic of her work in recent years.
Poetry Transformed into Film
A special place in Stanka Gjurić’s body of work is held by "filmed poetry", a form in which her poems gain a new life through cinematic imagery.
One such work is "Nedišući" ("Without Breathing"), a film based on a poem of the same name by Stanka Gjurić. The film has enjoyed a notable run on the international festival circuit; in 2025, it reached Taiwan, where it was included in the official selection for the Chiayi International, and nominated for a film award.
In March 2025, Stanka Gjurić was also presented with a special "Awarded in Recognition" honor at the festival.
Previously, "Without Breathing" was included in the official selection of the Frome International Climate Film Festival in U.K., allowing the film to present its subject matter, and its unique blend of poetry and cinematic language, to an international audience.
"Withiut Breathing" serves as an excellent example of Stanka Gjurić’s distinctive artistic signature: the poem is not merely a template for the film, but a starting point from which an entirely new visual and emotional world emerges. In this process, the boundary between literature and film becomes almost invisible.
Awards and International Festivals
Among Stanka Gjurić’s films that have garnered attention on the international festival circuit is the short narrative film "Šest plakanja" ("Six Tears"). It has received several accolades, including an award for Best Thriller at a festival in Barcelona and recognition for Best Satirical Drama at a festival in Resistencia, Argentina. The fantasy feature film "Link" has also garnered a number of international selections and accolades. At the Egyptian-American Film Festival in New York, it won two awards for Best direction and for Best Foreign Short Narrative Film, and has been screened at festivals in many other countries.
Stanka’s body of work is clearly not limited to a single form; it spans narrative and documentary film, as well as experimental and poetic pieces.
Among the films that have enjoyed a notable international festival run are the documentary "Bread," the narrative film "Twist," and the one-minute narrative film "Summer Morning." "Bread" was selected for numerous international film festivals, while the erotic comedy "Twist" also secured festival selections, and particularly in the United States. The comedy "Summer Morning" ("Ljetno jutro") was also presented at several international festivals, continuing the consistent presence of Stanka Gjurić’s films on the global festival circuit.
The short documentary "Bon Appétit" ("Dobar tek") won the award for Best documentary at the Cinecibo Festival in Rome, while the children’s feature "Lavograd" won the Jury Prize for Best Short Film at the Europa Film Festival in Spain.
Among her more recent works, "Undo" ("Poništiti") - a poetic, eco-themed documentary, stands out, having also enjoyed a successful run on the international festival circuit. The film was screened at festivals in several countries, and for it, Stanka Gjurić received awards for Best Director and Best Short Documentary at an international festival in India.
One of her latest works, "Echo" ("Eho"), has also been included in the official selections of international festivals, including those in Ukraine and Serbia, and received an Honorable Mention at a film festival in London.
Literature as the Foundation of Cinematic Expression
Stanka Gjurić’s film work is inseparable from her long-standing literary career.
Gjurić is the author of numerous books, poems, and prose works; she is a member of the Croatian Writers' Association and the Croatian Freelance Artists' Association. She began writing poetry at a very young age, and over the course of her decades-long career, she has published poetry, prose, and other literary works - totaling 20 books. It is precisely from this literary background that her need to translate the written word into imagery has emerged.
Rather than using film solely to tell conventional stories, Gjurić often employs it as an extension of her own poetry and literature. Consequently, her films tend to be intimate, visually striking, and experimental, weaving together personal experience, nature, everyday life, memory, time, and social themes.
This distinctive artistic approach has garnered the most recognition outside of Croatia. In recent years, her films have been screened at festivals across Europe, Asia, North and South America, and elsewhere, earning numerous official selections, nominations, and awards.
A New Milestone - Bilbao
Her nomination in Bilbao, therefore, marks another stage in Stanka Gjurić’s journey through the international festival circuit.
The film *Prije povratka* ("Between Returns") is nominated for the award for Best Experimental Cinema at the AJR Film Festival in Bilbao, once again bringing this Croatian filmmaker to the attention of audiences interested in contemporary auteur cinema.
From her own poetry and literature, through the processes of filming and editing, to international film festivals, Stanka Gjurić’s path demonstrates how diverse artistic disciplines can complement one another.
For an artist who creates much of her work independently, taking on a multitude of creative roles, every new selection, nomination, or award serves as further validation of the continuity of her work. Thus, Bilbao is the latest stop on a journey that began with literature, continued with film, and today connects poetry, cinematography, film editing, sound and author's film into a recognizable personal expression of Stanka Gjurić.