Jan Cvitkovič is a Slovenian film director, screenwriter, and producer. He is best known for his international success in films such as Class Enemy (Razredni sovražnik, 2013), A Trip (Potovanje, 2007), and Bread and Milk (Kruh in mleko, 2001).
Cvitkovič was born in 1971 in Ljubljana, Slovenia to a family of journalists. He earned his degree in film and television directing from the Academy of Theatre, Radio, Film and Television in Ljubljana in 1997.
He began his career in television, directing the series Zadnja postaja (The Last Station, 1998), which was awarded the Slovenian TV Prize for best series. In 2001, he directed his first feature film, Bread and Milk, which was a box-office success and earned the Best Director award at the 2001 Festival of Slovenian Film in Portorož.
His next feature film was A Trip (2007), a road movie that follows two young men as they travel through Slovenia. The film was a critical and commercial success, winning several awards, including the Grand Prix at the 2007 Trieste Film Festival and the Best Director award at the 2007 Raindance Film Festival.
In 2013, Cvitkovič released his third feature film, Class Enemy, a psychological drama set in a Slovenian high school. The film won several awards, including the Silver Bear at the 63rd Berlin International Film Festival and the Best Film award at the 2013 Festival of Slovenian Film.
Cvitkovič has also directed several documentary films, including The Right to Die (2005), an exploration of euthanasia, and The World According to Stanko (2009), a portrait of a Slovenian farmer.
Cvitkovič is considered one of the most important Slovenian filmmakers of his generation. His films are known for their realism, their psychological insight, and their examination of the complexities of contemporary life. He has become a major influence on a new generation of Slovenian filmmakers.
