Danko Volarić

Danko Volarić was born in Zagreb in 1961. In 1983 he obtained his degree in film and TV direction at the Zagreb Academy of Dramatic Arts. Since 1984 he has been working as a film director on Croatian Radio and Television. He has directed and written documentary, educational, children’s and musical programs and quiz-shows.

For his documentary film Meštrović (2009), a biopic in which he reveals the dark side of the great sculptor instead of approaching him with awe, Danko Volarić won Oktavijan Film Critics Award and Audience Award at the Days of Croatian Film 2009. His documentary Life in Fresh Air (2002) follows local elections and the daily routine of the mayor of a small town in the vicinity of Daruvar. In a comical way, the films tackles the main weak points of Croatia of those days, when concepts such as honesty and reputation became inverted. The film was shown at many festivals, including IDFA 2002. It also won Best Directing Award at the Days of Croatian Film 2002 and Special Mention of the Jury at the Astra International Documentary Film Festival in Sibiu.

In 2004, he and Ana Marija Habjan directed documentary film Kristl, a biopic about the prominent figure of the Zagreb School of Animated Film. His Mimara Revisited (2010) is a brilliant satire about the ambitiously conceived museum-collection of the controversial art collector Ante Topić Mimara. The commercial events taking place in the museum reflect the numerous troubles of the fledgling Croatian capitalism.