Lidija Špegar
Born in 1978 in Bjelovar, Croatia. She holds an MA in Journalism at Faculty of Croatian Studies and MA in Film and TV directing at Academy of dramatic arts in Zagreb. She works as director, journalist editor and researcher for various film and TV productions. Member of the Croatian Film Directors’ Guild.
Her first documentary Some Things Shouldn’t Be Hidden is part of the audiovisual heritage of Yad Vashem – The World Holocaust Remembrance Center in Israel while Taste of Welfare is used in educational purposes.
Where To? premiered at ZagrebDox 2017. The film, among others, was part of AlJazeera Balkans Documentary Film Festival and was one of the films that represented Croatia in 2019 at the DOK Leipzig program Country Focus Croatia. Where To? also received Dean’s Award at the Academy of Dramatic Arts in Zagreb, Virgin Spring Cinefest Award, Cult Critic Movie Award, Calcutta International Cult Film Festival Award and the audience award at STIFF(Student International Film Festival).
In 2014, 2015, 2016 she attended the screenwriting workshop Palunko at the Croatian Film Association and in 2015 screenwriting workshop at Talent Campus Sarajevo Film Festival. In the same year she received the award for the best screenplay presentation at the pitching forum of the 24th Days of Croatian Film.
She is currently filming the feature-length documentary Underground Top Charts supported by Croatian Audiovisual Center. The project was one of the films that represented Croatia in 2021 Nebulae program of Doclisboa festival where it won Pitch the Doc award.
Filmography (director):
Some Things Shouldn’t Be Hidden / short documentary / Restart / 2014
Taste of Walfare / medium-length documentary / Udruga Igra / 2014
Where To? / medium-length documentary / Academy of Dramatic Arts and Croatian Audiovisual Center / 2017
Wax Figure / short documentary / Udruga Kamera / 2019
Commercials (director):
Reading Suit / Zagreb City Libraries / 2022
In Our Home / Nursing home Centar, Zagreb / 2005
Other work:
Hitna je bitna / short documentary / director / portal radnickaprava.org / 2019
Moj život /multimedia theater performance /screenwriter/ Udruga gluhoslijepih Dodir / 2008
PUP – pogled iz drugog kuta (2007) / educational film /collaborator and actress/ Udruga Igra / 2007
Education:
Screenwriting school Palunko (2014-2016), Croatian Film Association
Sarajevo Talent Campus (2015) /screenwriting workshop / Sarajevo film festival
ZagrebDox pro – screenwriting workshop for professionals(2013 and 2014), ZagrebDox – International documentary film festival
Screenwriting workshop (2013-2014), Center for creative writing
Basics of documentary film – workshop (2008), Udruga Restart
Editing workshop (2008), Revija amaterskog filma
Documentary film workshop (2008), Jewish Film Festival London-Zagreb
Screenwriting, directing, camera, lighting and editing workshop (2007), Kino klub Zagreb
Screenwriting workshop (2007), Blank filmska produkcija
Photography, digital photography and Photoshop course (2000), Cultural center Zagreb
Television:
Startaj Hrvatska / story editor / reality – TV / Euron Film & Tv za NovuTV / 2022
Fittest family / story editor / sports competition show/ OHT Productions za RTL / 2019
RTL Zvijezde / story editor / singing competition show / OHT Productions za RTL / 2018
321 kuhaj / cooking competition show / story editor / OHT Productions za RTL / 2017 – 2018
The Farm / story editor / reality show / NovaTV / 2017
Assistant director / program for youth, entertainment, sports, music / HRT – Croatian Radiotelevision / 2015 – 2017
Radio:
Web journalist / Radio 101 / 2012 – 2016
