Eduard Slavoljub Penkala

Eduard Slavoljub Penkala is a 5-minute animated film that highlights the impressive contributions of Croatian inventor Eduard Slavoljub Penkala in the realm of technology and engineering. The film, designed for younger audiences, emphasizes Penkala’s construction of Croatia’s first airplane in 1910, a model of which is displayed in the permanent exhibition at the Nikola Tesla Technical Museum. Using simplified explanations of physics, the animation addresses the frequently asked question: How does an airplane, with all its weight, stay in the air?

The film serves both as part of the museum’s permanent aviation exhibition and as an introduction to educational workshops where participants, inspired by Penkala’s achievements, build their own model airplanes. Produced in 2022, the animation is presented in Croatian with English subtitles, ensuring accessibility to a wider audience.

Production: Technical Museum Nikola Tesla, 2022.


Director: Katrin Novaković, a Croatian-German filmmaker and animation expert known for her work in animation and visual performance.

Location: Zagreb

Country: Croatia

Project link: https://tmnt.hr/hr-hr

Year: 2024