Whether in testing times or not, having a positive mental attitude will help not only you, but those around you. Yes, you're probably already bored by the regular TV channels and unless you want to invite a world of worry upon yourself, you really shouldn't be watch rolling 24-hour news coverage of Coronavirus (a quick update, once a day, is more than enough). But, just imagine how much worse this would have been just a few decades ago, without the internet, streaming services and over 50 years of TV and films at your fingertips. Be thankful you're not left with only Mlin or Klik klak to amuse yourselves with and that the highlight of your social gatherings is not Trule kobile! With a world of stuff to watch, here's a quick guide to some interesting online resources.
© Kvart Priča
Get to know the Croatian capital
Kvart Priča is a Youtube show hosted by Zagreb resident Vid Juračić in which he visits most of the neighbourhoods of Zagreb. By far Croatia's largest city, there are distinct differences between its suburbs, from the incomplete socialist project of Novi Zagreb to the oldest streets hugging the city centre or the grand detached residences at the foot of overlooking mount Sljeme. In each episode, Juračić meets some of the residents of each hood who give the lowdown on where they live. Best of all, many of the episodes have subtitles in English.
Check out Croatia's incredible short film scene
The list of Croatian-made feature length movies to have become classics on the international stage is extremely small. However, bubbling under the surface, the country has a rich and vibrant catalogue of documentary films and shorts. Some of the very best (and award-winning) Croatian short films can be seen online for free at www.croatian.film All of the films we've checked out there have English subtitles.
© BBC
Everything you wanted to know about the wars which followed the break-up of Yugoslavia, but were too sensible to ask about while on holiday
The Death of Yugoslavia is an award-winning 1995 BBC documentary series which details the wars which followed the collapse of Yugoslavia, beginning with the catalytic rise of nationalism and ending with the signing of the peace accords. Six chronological installments, each of 50 minutes in length, take us through the period, so it's a deep dive for an English-language and comprehensive look at the conflicts. It uses archived footage and interviews with most of the main political players of the region.
© International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam
Expand your mind with free international documentaries
Eventually you're going to get bored of binge-watching Netflix series and maybe even the re-runs of 'Krv Nije Voda'. Your brain may be demanding a little more stimulus. Check out IDFFA, which has over 200 documentaries online, free of charge. The annual International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam is the world's largest. Held since 1988, in recent years it has expanded to allow up to a quarter of a million visitors. Its website holds many of the documentary films shown at previous editions and you can watch them for very little cost. Best of all, you can find there over 200 documentaries, covering art, culture, sports, health and much more, which are absolutely free. All of the films have English subtitles.
Catch some of the best local and international documentaries for free, courtesy of Zagreb's Restart and Dokukino
Past contributors to the International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam, Restart is a Zagreb-based is a company who produce and distribute documentary films and run Dokukino, a cinema specifically showing documentaries. They have many local and international documentary films available online, which you can check here. In recent days, they've put 20 of their current best online for free. You can see the list of 20 here. You'll need to open a free Vimeo account to access them, if you don't already have one. To watch any of the free selections, choose a film, click on the RENT option, and then APPLY PROMO CODE. The promo code is DOKU-IZOLACIJA. You can also use this process and promo code to watch the entire catalogue at a temporarily discounted price. All of the Croatian/Serbian language films have English subtitles.
Watch five locally-produced documentaries courtesy of ZagrebDox Film Festival
ZagrebDox is Croatia's leading annual documentary film festival and was due to take place this month. Organisers of the festival, Factum, have recently decided to offer five of their own productions from the festival for free online viewing. Again, you'll need to sign up for a free Vimeo account. Choose one of the five films here, again, choose a film, click on the RENT option, and then APPLY PROMO CODE. The promo code is OSTANIDOMA. Again, all of the films have English subtitles.
© Motovun Tourist Board
Take part in an international short film competition, courtesy of Motovun Film Festival
My Darling Quarantine Festival is a new online film festival created by Enrico Vannucci, short film selector at the Venice International Film Festival. Facilitated in Croatia by the country's most atmospheric film event, the picturesquely-located Motovun Film Festival, they will show seven short feature films each week for free, with viewers subsequently invited to vote for the best titles.