Award-Winning Film Explores the Origins of Fascism in Rijeka

• Igor Bezinović’s documentary-comedy hybrid "Fiume o morte!" examines the 1919 occupation of Rijeka by Gabriele D’Annunzio.
• The film uses archival footage and re-enactments to depict the birth of proto-fascist aesthetics and rituals.
• It highlights themes of political spectacle, the "aestheticization of politics," and the tragicomic nature of early fascist movements.

The 1919 Occupation

• Following WWI, poet and military leader Gabriele D’Annunzio occupied the Croatian city of Rijeka for 16 months.
• Dissatisfied with the Treaty of Versailles, he formed the "Italian Regency of Carnaro" in defiance of international agreements.
• His regime forcibly altered the city's demographics by bringing in thousands of Italian loyalists and engaged in racist violence against Allied soldiers.
• The occupation ended in January 1921 after the Kingdom of Italy and the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes signed a pact to normalize control of the city.

Cinematic Approach and Themes

• The film utilizes 100 non-professional actors to reconstruct events based on extensive photographic and film archives.
• It characterizes D’Annunzio as a precursor to Benito Mussolini, tracing the origins of the Roman salute and mass-mobilization techniques.
• The director frames D’Annunzio's rule as a form of "political theater" rather than standard governance, mirroring Walter Benjamin's theory on the aestheticization of politics.
• By framing the history through a tragicomic lens, the film emphasizes the absurdity of the period while acknowledging its catastrophic historical consequences.

Recognition

• The film won 30 awards, including the European Film Academy's best documentary, the Tiger Award at Rotterdam, and six Golden Arena Awards at Pula.
• It was submitted as the Croatian candidate for the 2026 Academy Awards.