Croatia's Nebojsa Slijepcevic tackles weighty social issues

From the dark shadows still cast by the wars that accompanied Yugoslavia's collapse to social exclusion, Croatian film director Nebojsa Slijepcevic is not afraid to shy away from weighty subjects.

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Slijepcevic became Croatia's first ever Palme d'Or winner-and achieved global acclaim - when his "The Man Who Could Not Remain Silent" premiered at the Cannes film festival last year. The short film, which depicts a war crime in Bosnia, was also shortlisted at this year's Oscars and has won a dozen other awards, including a French Cesar and a European Academy prize.

"It was a surprise indeed... it became one the most successful short movies in history considering the number of awards," Zagreb-born Slijepcevic said. The film depicts a real-life event from February 27, 1993 when Serb paramilitaries stopped a passenger train in Strpci, a village in eastern Bosnia.

Nineteen Muslim civilians from Serbia and Montenegro were kidnapped and later killed. Of the around 500 passengers, retired Yugoslav army officer Tomo Buzov, who was travelling to visit his son, was the only one who stood up to paramilitaries. Buzov, an ethnic Croat, was taken along with the others. His remains, like those of most the victims, were never found.