Directing

Ante Babaja

Born October 6, 1927 · Imoschi, Croazia

Died January 14, 2010 · aged 82

Ante Babaja was a notable Croatian film director and screenwriter. Babaja finished high school in Zagreb before going on to enrol at the University of Zagreb where he studied law and economy.

Known For

The Birch TreeThe Birch Tree · 1967
The Birch Tree
★ 7.61967
MovieDramaRomance
A beautiful but ailing girl is married to a harsh man who doesn't care for her. Only after she dies does he realize that he actually loves her.
Gold, Frankincense and MyrrhGold, Frankincense and Myrrh · 1971
Gold, Frankincense and Myrrh
★ 5.81971
MovieDrama
In an island town, a professor pensioned before his time, together with his wife, takes care of the hundred year old Maddona Makantuna, a dispossessed land owner.
Elbow (As Such)Elbow (As Such) · 1959
Elbow (As Such)
★ 10.01959
MovieDrama
A tale of two brothers from babies to adulthood told without words. One brother is upstaged by the other from the crib onward. Eventually the tables are turned.
Good MorningGood Morning · 2007
Good Morning
★ 8.02007
MovieDocumentary
With the film Good Morning Ante Babaja took one last look in the bloodthirsty jaws also known as Time – with eyes wide open. Until then he did not spare his characters death and transience, and when the time came he directed a childishly inquisitive view on his own inevitable ending. He did it with a small miniDV camera and in a matter of seconds turned from a professional filmmaker to an amateur who films not only when he can and when the conditions are favorable, but always and everywhere because he feels a need to express himself through film and think in terms of film. At the end of his five decades long career, Babaja had the modesty and the inspiration to start again. As an 80-year-old he made his first feature-length documentary film, using digital technology for the first time. Good Morning impressively and consistently rounds up the artistic and life trajectory of a great modernist and paints a unique authorial trace he left in the history of our cinema.
A MisunderstandingA Misunderstanding · 1958
A Misunderstanding
★ 7.21958
MovieDrama
The local postal service makes a mistake delivering a small figurative sculpture to a miller and a miller stone to a museum. The museum curator, not aware of the mistake, starts celebrating this abstract shape, influencing even the local artists to imitate that kind of shapes when portraying people.
Not Everyone Sleeps at NightNot Everyone Sleeps at Night · 1951
Not Everyone Sleeps at Night
1951
MovieDocumentary
Not everyone sleeps at night in Zagreb. An exploration of various night-time jobs.
The Emperor's New ClothesThe Emperor's New Clothes · 1961
The Emperor's New Clothes
★ 6.61961
MovieFantasy
The adaptation of Hans Cristian Andersen's tale filmed on a white background. It is also the first Croatian movie in color.
The CabinThe Cabin · 1966
The Cabin
★ 7.01966
MovieDocumentary
A study of activity surrounding a changing room by a place of swimming.

Filmography

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Good MorningGood Morning · 2007
Good Morning
★ 8.02007
MovieDocumentary
With the film Good Morning Ante Babaja took one last look in the bloodthirsty jaws also known as Time – with eyes wide open. Until then he did not spare his characters death and transience, and when the time came he directed a childishly inquisitive view on his own inevitable ending. He did it with a small miniDV camera and in a matter of seconds turned from a professional filmmaker to an amateur who films not only when he can and when the conditions are favorable, but always and everywhere because he feels a need to express himself through film and think in terms of film. At the end of his five decades long career, Babaja had the modesty and the inspiration to start again. As an 80-year-old he made his first feature-length documentary film, using digital technology for the first time. Good Morning impressively and consistently rounds up the artistic and life trajectory of a great modernist and paints a unique authorial trace he left in the history of our cinema.

Director