God Will Not Help
| God Will Not Help | |
|---|---|
 Festival release poster | |
| Croatian | Bog Neće Pomoći |
| Directed by | Hana Jušić |
| Written by | Hana Jušić |
| Produced by | Ankica Jurić Tilić |
| Cinematography | Jana Plećaš |
| Edited by | Jan Klemsche |
| Music by |
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Production company | Kinorama |
Release date |
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Running time | 137 minutes |
| Countries |
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| Languages |
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God Will Not Help (Croatian: Bog Neće Pomoći) is a 2025 drama film written and directed by Hana Jušić. It stars Manuela Martelli as a Chilean woman who arrives in a remote Croatian shepherding community in the early 20th century.
The film had its world premiere in the main competition of the 78th Locarno Film Festival on 8 August 2025, where it won the Pardo for Best Perfomance for Manuela Martelli and Ana Marija Veselčić.
Premise
Set in the early 20th century, a Chilean woman, Teresa, arrives in an isolated community of shepherds in a Croatian mountain range, claiming to be the widow of Marco, a local man who had previously emigrated to Chile.[1] She shows his sister, brothers bones she claims are the remains of their deceased brother and says she has come to bury him in his native soil. She soon works willingly and diligently on the sheep and goat farm alongside the family. She speaks only Spanish, but learns a few key words of Croatian to convey the essence of her quest. She is very religious, praying often and seeing and hearing the dead Marco in visions. She feels compelled to make a confession to Iliya, Marco's brother, who had hoped as a youth to become a priest.
Cast
- Manuela Martelli as Teresa
- Ana Marija Veselčić
- Filip Đurić
- Mauro Ercegović Gracin
- Nikša Butijer
Production
In February 2020, Jušić was announced as one of the participants of TorinoFilmLab Script Lab to develop the screenplay.[2] She was also selected to develop the film during the Cinéfondation Residence in Cannes in 2020.[3] The project participated at the Venice Gap-Financing Market, held during the 79th Venice International Film Festival in September 2022.[4] In March 2024, the project received a €390,000 production grant from the Eurimages.[5][6]
Principal photography began in August 2024 and concluded in October 2024. It took place in Mount Dinara, Mount Svilaja, and the island of Krk.[7]
Release
God Will Not Help had its world premiere at the 78th Locarno Film Festival on 8 August 2025, competing for the Golden Leopard.[8][9] Prior to the premiere, New Europe Film Sales acquired the film's international sales.[10] It will also compete in the Competition Programme - Feature Film at the 31st Sarajevo Film Festival.[11]
Accolades
| Award | Date of ceremony | Category | Recipient | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Locarno Film Festival | 16 August 2025 | Golden Leopard | Hana Jušić | Nominated | [12] |
| Pardo for Best Performance | Manuela Martelli | Won | |||
| Ana Marija Veselčić | Won | ||||
| Sarajevo Film Festival | 22 August 2025 | Heart of Sarajevo | God Will Not Help | Pending | [13] |
References
- ^ "Hana Jušić's God Will Not Help premiere in main competition at 78th Locarno Film Festival". Croatian Audiovisual Centre. 9 July 2025. Retrieved 15 July 2025.
- ^ Vourlias, Christopher (3 February 2020). "TorinoFilmLab Announces 2020 ScriptLab Participants (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved 15 July 2025.
- ^ Corvin, Ann-Marie (25 June 2020). "Female Coming-of Age, LGBTQ Stories Feature Strongly in this year's Cinefondation Residence Pitches". Variety. Retrieved 15 July 2025.
- ^ Roxborough, Scott (30 June 2022). "Venice Picks Projects for Gap-Financing Market". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 15 July 2025.
- ^ "Co-production funding in 2024". Council of Europe. Retrieved 15 July 2025.
- ^ "Eurimages to support one Croatian project and two minority co-productions". Croatian Audiovisual Centre. 28 March 2024. Retrieved 15 July 2025.
- ^ "Završeno snimanje filma Bog neće pomoći Hane Jušić". Croatian Audiovisual Centre (in Croatian). 7 October 2024. Retrieved 15 July 2025.
- ^ Stojiljković, Marko; Abbatescianni, Davide (9 July 2025). "Hana Jušić's God Will Not Help set to premiere at Locarno". Cineuropa. Retrieved 15 July 2025.
- ^ Balaga, Marta (8 July 2025). "Radu Jude, Abdellatif Kechiche Head to Locarno as Swiss Fest Announces Lineup: An 'Ambitious and Exciting Edition'". Variety. Retrieved 15 July 2025.
- ^ Goodfellow, Melanie (8 July 2025). "Locarno Title 'God Will Not Help' Sets Sales With New Europe". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 15 July 2025.
- ^ Petkovic, Vladan (23 July 2025). "Fifty films to compete for awards at the Sarajevo Film Festival". Cineuropa. Retrieved 3 August 2025.
- ^ Szalai, Georg (16 August 2025). "Locarno Film Festival Top Award Goes to 'Two Seasons, Two Strangers' by Sho Miyake". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 17 August 2025.
- ^ "31st Sarajevo Film Festival: 50 films to compete for the Heart of Sarajevo awards". Sarajevo Film Festival. 23 July 2025. Retrieved 28 July 2025.