Juraj Lerotić (1978) was born in Kiel, Germany, before moving to Croatia. He studied early childhood education and theology and later graduated from the Academy of Dramatic Art in Zagreb with a Film and TV Directing degree. His first short film Then I See Tanja (2010) was awarded the Golden Pram at the Zagreb Film Festival. He wrote, directed, and starred in his debut feature film Safe Place (2022), which premiered at the Locarno Film Festival in the Concorso Cineasti del presente program, where he won the award for Best Director and Best Debut Feature Film. He also won two awards at the Sarajevo Film Festival, including a Sarajevo Heart for Best Film and Best Actor.