Željko Senečić (18 January 1933 – 2 January 2018) was a

Croatia Croatia, officially the Republic of Croatia, is a country in Central Europe, Central and Southeast Europe, on the coast of the Adriatic Sea. It borders Slovenia to the northwest, Hungary to the northeast, Serbia to the east, Bosnia and Herze ...

n film and television

production designer In film and television, a production designer is the individual responsible for the overall aesthetic of the story. The production design gives the viewers a sense of the time period, the plot location, and character actions and feelings. Work ...

, film director and screenwriter. Senečić studied

painting Painting is a Visual arts, visual art, which is characterized by the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a solid surface (called "matrix" or "Support (art), support"). The medium is commonly applied to the base with ...

at the Zagreb Academy of Fine Arts and

scenography Scenography is the practice of crafting stage environments or atmospheres. In the contemporary English usage, scenography can be defined as the combination of technological and material stagecrafts to represent, enact, and produce a sense of plac ...

at the Zagreb Academy of Drama Arts. His career in filmmaking and production design began in the early 1960s. His most memorable films include the

Palme d'Or The (; ) is the highest prize awarded to the director of the Best Feature Film of the Official Competition at the Cannes Film Festival. It was introduced in 1955 by the festival's organizing committee. Previously, from 1939 to 1954, the festiv ...

and

Academy Award The Academy Awards, commonly known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit in film. They are presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) in the United States in recognition of excellence ...

-winning ''

The Tin Drum ''The Tin Drum'' (, ) is a 1959 novel by Günter Grass, the first book of his Danzig Trilogy. It was adapted into a 1979 film, which won both the 1979 Palme d'Or and the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film in 1980. To "beat a ti ...

'' (''Die Blechtrommel'', 1979; directed by

Volker Schlöndorff Volker Schlöndorff (; born 31 March 1939) is a German film director, screenwriter and producer who has worked in Germany, France and the United States. He was a prominent member of the New German Cinema of the late 1960s and early 1970s. He ha ...

and partially filmed in Zagreb, with Senečić credited as production co-designer) and classics of Croatian cinema such as ''

Rondo The rondo or rondeau is a musical form that contains a principal theme (music), theme (sometimes called the "refrain") which alternates with one or more contrasting themes (generally called "episodes", but also referred to as "digressions" or "c ...

'' (1966), ''

One Song a Day Takes Mischief Away ''One Song a Day Takes Mischief Away'' ( ) is a 1970 Croatian comedy-drama film. Directed by Krešo Golik and based on a novella by , the film achieved considerable critical and commercial success at the time of its release. In 1999, a poll of C ...

'' (''Tko pjeva zlo ne misli'', 1970). Senečić won four Golden Arena for Best Production Design awards, making him one of the most decorated production designers in Croatian cinema. He also co-wrote screenplays for films ''An Event'' (''Događaj'', 1969; directed by

Vatroslav Mimica Vatroslav Mimica (25 June 1923 – 15 February 2020) was a Croatian film director and screenwriter. Early life Born in Omiš, Mimica had enrolled at the University of Zagreb School of Medicine before the outbreak of World War II. In 1942 he j ...

) and ''The House'' (''Kuća'', 1975; directed by

Bogdan Žižić Bogdan Žižić (8 November 1934 – 29 April 2021)Delusion A delusion is a fixed belief that is not amenable to change in light of conflicting evidence. As a pathology, it is distinct from a belief based on false or incomplete information, confabulation, dogma, illusion, hallucination, or some other m ...

'' (''Zavaravanje'', 1998) and '' Dubrovnik Twilight'' (''Dubrovački suton'', 1999).

Selected filmography

;As production designer *''

'' (1966) *''

'' (1970) * ''

The Bloody Vultures of Alaska ''The Bloody Vultures of Alaska'' (German: ''Die blutigen Geier von Alaska'') is a 1973 German Western (genre), Western film directed by Harald Reinl and starring Doug McClure, Harald Leipnitz and Angelica Ott.Pitts, Michael R. ''Western Movies ...

'' (1973) *''

'' (1979) *''

The Glembays ''The Glembays'' () is a 1988 Yugoslav film directed by Antun Vrdoljak starring Mustafa Nadarević and Ena Begović. The film is an adaptation of Miroslav Krleža's 1929 play '' Messrs. Glembay'' (''Gospoda Glembajevi'') and was produced by ...

'' (1988) *''

Charuga ''Charuga'' (''Čaruga'') is a 1991 Yugoslav film directed by Rajko Grlić. Based on the novel by Ivan Kušan, it tells a true story about legendary Slavonian bandit Jovo Stanisavljević Čaruga. During its premiere, ''Charuga'' was described a ...

'' (1992)

References

External links

*
Željko Senečić
biography at Filmski-Programi.hr
Željko Senečić - scenograf oscarovca i dizajner kafića saborskih zastupnika
{{DEFAULTSORT:Senecic, Zeljko 1933 births 2018 deaths Film people from Zagreb Croatian production designers Croatian film directors Croatian screenwriters Golden Arena winners Academy of Fine Arts, University of Zagreb alumni Academy of Dramatic Art, University of Zagreb alumni Vladimir Nazor Award winners Deaths from bladder cancer