Fiume O Morte! Takes Home FIPRESCI Documentary Grand Prix, Outshining Award-Winning Films
FIPRESCI Awards Fiume o morte! as Best Documentary of 2025
In a surprising announcement, the International Federation of Film Critics (FIPRESCI) has named Fiume o morte! the best documentary of 2025. The film outperformed notable contenders, including the Oscar-winning Mr. Nobody Against Putin and Oscar nominee The Perfect Neighbor.
The jury for the Grand Prix consisted of FIPRESCI members from over 50 national sections and individual members representing more than 30 countries. Directed by Igor Bezinović from Rijeka, Croatia, Fiume o morte! explores a unique historical episode when a paramilitary group led by Italian nationalist Gabriele D’Annunzio seized the city of Fiume, now Rijeka.
“Bezinović teams up with 300 residents to create a subversive, punk-style reenactment that dismantles nationalist myths and exposes the spectacle of political performativity,” explained a statement from FIPRESCI.
Despite its recognition at the European Film Awards and other ceremonies, the Grand Prix win is regarded as unexpected. Though it was considered for the Oscar for Best Documentary Feature, the film lacked a significant campaign to enhance its visibility. It triumphed over more commercially recognized films like 2000 Meters to Andriivka, directed by Mstyslav Chernov, and Orwell: 2+2=5, directed by Raoul Peck. The Oscar-winning Mr. Nobody Against Putin, directed by David Borenstein and co-directed by Pavel Talankin, and The Perfect Neighbor, directed by Geeta Gandbhir, were also nominated for the FIPRESCI Grand Prix.
Fiume o morte! is set to screen this Saturday at the Millennium Docs Against Gravity festival, where Bezinović will be present. The director expressed his excitement during the Grand Prix announcement at the festival’s opening night. “It’s amazing to be here and to see the documentary Grand Prix go to our film,” Bezinović said. “Especially because it’s the first time that the FIPRESCI jury decided to give an award to a documentary film and to start a new tradition… I guess that in a few years’ time, we’ll look back and see the list of many films that will be awarded. And for us, it will always be very special because we were the first ones to receive this award.”
He added the importance of FIPRESCI’s recognition in an era where film reviews can come from any social media platform. “Just to have a label of a review that comes from a film expert [like FIPRESCI members], I think it means a lot,” he commented.
