When Tomo boarded the train at Belgrade station he didn’t expect it would be for the last time, even in the midst of the Bosnian war. Tomo’s fate was sealed by an act of bravery to prevent a massacre that would epitomise the conflict and in doing so saving a life. His story is brought to life in the award winning short film ‘The Man Who Could Not Remain Silent.’ Written and directed by Croatian filmmaker and teacher Nebojša Slijepčević, the story of Tomo’s bravery in what would be labelled as the Strpci Massacre, is finally told. Nebojša’s film has been nominated for an OSCAR in the category of Best Live Action Short. As we wait for the winner of the coveted gold statue to be announced in less than a month the question begs ‘who is Tomo Buzov?’

IN THE BEGINNING

Tomoslavu Buzov was born on 20th February 1940 in Kaštel Novi, Croatia – formerly a part of Yugoslavia. His father was killed in service during World War II leaving him to be raised by his mother, along with his brother and sister. Before moving to Belgrade in 1976, Tomo met and married Koviljka Buzov, and together they had a son named Darko.

Tomo was an army officer serving in the Yugoslav People’s Army (JNA) before retiring in 1992 shortly before the start of the Bosnian War, Darko would follow in his father’s footsteps, joining the Croatian Army and was stationed in Podgorica, the capital of Montenegro where he undertook his training.

A MOMENT OF COURAGE

On 27th February 1993 Tomo boarded the train from Belgrade to Bar in Montenegro to visit Darko. The journey was smooth and uneventful until it arrived at Strpci station near Višegrad, on Bosnian territory. There it was boarded by members of the Avengers (Osvetnici) paramilitary unit, commanded by Milan Lukić. They began questioning ethnic Bosnians and herded them into a truck. Sitting next to Tomo on the train was a 17 year boy being questioned by soldiers. Tomo rose from his seat and demanded to know what the soldiers were doing and what interest they had in this boy and the other Bosnians. He was told to mind his own business and as the soldiers tried to take the boy, Tomo stood in the way.

Refusing to let Lukić’s men take the boy, Tomo instructed him to stay seated. Buzov was taken along with 19 ethnic Bosnians. They were taken to a dilapidated building, beaten, and tortured. Tomo and the prisoners were executed and their bodies were disposed of in the Drina River. This became known as the Strpci massacre, one of many incidents that precipitated the ethnic cleansing of Bosnian Muslims by Serbian forces during the conflict.

REMEMBERING A HERO

There is more to this story than can be told in a blog post, so many stories during the war and the trials afterwards. Tomo’s heroism has been commemorated in his home country. A memorial plaque on his former residence in Novi hometown of Kaštel Novi pay tribute to Tomo as does the dock named after him. But it was the short film written and directed by Nebojša Slijepčević that brought his story to international attention. When ‘The Man who Could Not Remain Silent premiered at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival capturing the hearts of audiences and the jury. It was awarded the Short Film Palme d’Or.

Now the world’s eyes are focused on Tomo’s story as the film has officially been nominated for an Academy Award. Nebojša’s film has broken ground as the first Croatian film to be nominated for an in that category, and the first Croatian film overall to get nominated for an Academy Award since the independence of Croatia. A win for Nebojša would be tremendous for Croatian cinema, It would also open Tomo’s story to the world reminding us that speaking out at a time of conflict and crisis is courageous. Tomo’s legacy is a story that inspires courage immortalised in an evocative and harrowing piece of cinema.