Željko Senečić

Born

1933-01-18

Died

2018-01-01

Birthplace

Zagreb, Croatia

Biography

Željko Senečić was a Croatian film and television production designer, film director and screenwriter. Senečić studied painting at the Zagreb Academy of Fine Arts and scenography 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 and Academy Award-winning The Tin Drum (Die Blechtrommel, 1979; directed by Volker Schlöndorff and partially filmed in Zagreb, with Senečić credited as production co-designer) and classics of Croatian cinema such as Rondo (1966), One Song a Day Takes Mischief Away (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) and The House (Kuća, 1975; directed by Bogdan Žižić). Senečić also started directing short films in the late 1970s and then proceeded to make several feature films in the 1990s, such as Delusion (Zavaravanje, 1998) and Dubrovnik Twilight (Dubrovački suton, 1999).