In 1919, when the Paris Peace Conference decided to hand Fiume (today’s Rijeka) over to Yugoslavia, Italian poet, aristocrat, and general Gabriele D’Annunzio seized the city and ultimately declared war on his own country. The 16-month occupation is reconstructed with the participation of Rijeka’s residents and astonishing century-old archival footage. Winner of the top prize at the Rotterdam Film Festival, this retelling of one of postwar Europe’s strangest episodes is a stark reminder of how close radical and fascist ideas remain to reality.
