Fiume o morte is a comedic docudrama directed by Igor Bezinović that won the Grand Prize, the Golden Tiger, at the prestigious Rotterdam Festival in 2025. Through the reconstruction of one of the most dramatic episodes in the history of the city of Rijeka, the director portrays the spirit of the Italian poet, journalist, aristocrat, military officer, and fascist Gabriele D’Annunzio, who, dissatisfied with the outcome of the Paris Peace Conference, unilaterally occupied Rijeka for a year and a half. The director engages the citizens of Rijeka, who speak the Fiuman dialect, to bring to life the character of the infamous D’Annunzio and his collaborators. Over the course of this hour-and-a-half comedic docudrama, the people of Rijeka reveal what life was like during the 16-month occupation and how the Italian authorities dealt with the rogue officer who seized a foreign city.
The most-watched documentary in Croatia of all time and Croatia’s candidate for the 2025 Oscars.