The Croatian National Tourist Board and the Consulate General of the Republic of Croatia in Los Angeles on the occasion of the upcoming award ceremony of the prestigious Oscar film award organized a promotional event in Los Angeles, where actors from the tourism and film industry, producers, agents, media and lovers of Croatia gathered. Of course, the main stars of the event were the crew members of the film “The Man Who Could Not Remain Silent”, and the reason for the gathering was the first nomination of a Croatian film for the prestigious Oscar award of the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in the category of best short film!
The goal was to present Croatia as a top tourist destination. "The nomination of a Croatian film for an Oscar is a unique opportunity to affirm Croatia as a film destination. Therefore, we are very pleased that we were given the opportunity to organize, in close cooperation with the Consulate General of the Republic of Croatia in Los Angeles, an appropriate gathering for American journalists from the world of film and the travel sector, but also for those who follow the gastronomy and wine scene. Namely, the guests were served exclusively wines and drinks of Croatian production, which we delivered in cooperation with Croatian Premium Wine Imports from Boston," said Leila Krešić-Jurić, director of the CNTB Representative Office in the USA, adding that everyone hopes for Oscar's arrival in Croatia.
"The Oscar nomination of the winner of the most prominent awards in the world of film, laureate of the European Film Award, the Palme d'Or and the French César, the film “The Man Who Could Not Remain Silent” crowned a great festival season and will greatly contribute to the reputation of Croatia not only as an exceptional tourist destination but also as a film destination, with an emphasis on high quality artistic and production value. Therefore, I am very pleased that, together with the great film crew and the Croatian National Tourist Board, we had the opportunity to gather some of the famous names in the world of the seventh art to celebrate this great success of Croatian cinematography, the first nomination for an Oscar since the independence of the Republic of Croatia", said Renee Pea, Consul General of the Republic of Croatia in Los Angeles.
Nebojša Slijepčević, the director and screenwriter of the nominated Croatian film, which already won the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival and the European Film Award for the best short film, was delighted with the atmosphere and support. "I came here practically straight from Paris and I didn't regret it because everything was very wonderful. From the excellent organization of the event itself to the large number of people who gathered here to support us before the Oscar itself. I am especially glad that a good part of my film crew was there, and that tomorrow we will go through the stress and uncertainty that comes with the awarding of the Oscars together," said Slijepčević.
The event was attended by film producers Katarina Prpić and Danijel Pek, lead actor Goran Bogdan, as well as Oscar winner for music for the animated film "Bao" Toby Chu, director of HAVC Chris Marcich, Leona Paraminski, Kristina Kuzmić, Goran Dukić and many others, while Roko Blažević provided a special musical atmosphere.
How important additional promotion and visibility of our country on the large and important market of the USA is best confirmed by the fact that Americans are our most numerous guests when it comes to distant markets. Namely, last year, more than 776 thousand arrivals and 2.2 million overnights were made in Croatia from this market, which compared to 2023 represents a growth of 9% in arrivals and 8% in overnights, but it is important to mention that American guests are the best consumers with a consumption of around EUR 300 per day during their stay in Croatia.
