May 31, 2022 - The New York Times put together a list of movies hitting theaters and streaming services in the United States this summer, including the Croatian film Murina, directed by Antoneta Alamat Kusijanović, which won the Caméra d'Or in last year's edition of the prestigious Cannes Film Festival.

Almost a year has passed since Murina, directed by Dubrovnik-born Antoneta Alamat Kusijanović, began its run of success at major international film festivals, beginning with the prestigious Cannes Film Festival, where it took home the Caméra d'Or. The award recognizes the Best First Feature Film.

Before Murina, Antoneta Alamat Kusijanović directed the short film Into the Blue, awarded at international film festivals in Berlin and Sarajevo, which also starred her muse, Croatian actress Gracija Filipović. In a spiritual sequel to Into the Blue, Murina tells the story of Julija (Filipović), a teenage girl who decides to replace her controlling father with his wealthy foreign friend during a weekend trip to the Adriatic Sea.

The main locations of the film include the idyllic island of Koločep, the starkly beautiful Kornati archipelago, and the pebble cove of Dubovica near Hvar.

The debut feature film by Alamat Kusijanović, who also wrote the screenplay, was produced by legendary filmmaker Martin Scorsese, who recently shared his feelings for the Croatian film:

''When RT Features brought me Antoneta Alamat Kusijanović's short film Into the Blue, I was quite impressed: here was a director with a picture she needed to make, who was clearly in it for the long haul. When I read the script for the feature that Antoneta developed from the short, I wanted to help get it into production. It was a long road: Antoneta was in the midst of editing when COVID arrived, it set her back for a whole year, but she got there.

I'm so impressed by Murina: by the raw immediacy of the conflict between father and daughter, which feels like it could only happen in such an elemental setting; by the psychosexual tensions between all the characters, so beautifully acted; and by the sheer physical force of the picture.

I'm excited for audiences to see Murina for themselves, and to witness the emergence of an extremely talented young filmmaker''.

Murina, in addition to taking the prestigious award at Cannes, was also recognized at the Hamptons International Film Festival, the Slovene Film Festival, and the Sofia International Film Festival, as well as being screened at numerous important film festivals around the world, such as the Toronto Film Festival. Unfortunately (and controversially), the film directed by Alamat Kusijanović was not selected by the respective committee to represent Croatia in the last edition of the Academy Awards.

Almost a year after its premiere in Cannes, the multi-award-winning Croatian film continues to tour the world, and this time it hits US theaters on July 8 this year, something that the renowned New York Times has highlighted by including it in their Summer 2022 watchlist.

The film's success also came through individual accolades. Murina's lead, the talented young actress Gracija Filipović, was honored at the 72nd Berlin International Film Festival with the Shooting Stars Award, given to the 10 best young actors on the continent. Likewise, director Antoneta Alamat Kusijanović has been officially announced as part of the jury of the 28th Sarajevo Film Festival, along with Austrian director Sebastian Meise, French director Lucile Hadžihalilović, Serbian actor Milan Marić, and Israeli producer Katriel Schory.

Congratulations to Antoneta, Gracija, and the entire Murina cast and crew for all the continued success!

For everything you need to know about filming in Croatia, in your language, be sure to check Total Croatia's page.

For more, check out our lifestyle section.

April 8, 2022 - The Croatian short documentary 'Noon Shot', about Stjepan Možar, the gunner of the famous Grič cannon in Zagreb, is directed by Stanka Gjurić and has been selected at the Lift-Off festival in London.

Zagreb is a city that is characterized, among many things, by the symbols and sights that one can find in different corners of the Croatian capital. One, in particular, generates a huge sense of belonging among its inhabitants and has recently returned to its operations after a long time of silence: the Grič cannon. The first time the cannon was fired to announce noon in the city of Zagreb was in 1877, as part of an initiative promoted by the writer, publicist, and city councilor, Đuro Deželić. The cannon has been the pride and joy of the citizens of Zagreb for over a century, and according to legend, it even saved the city from an invasion by the Ottoman Empire. If you want to know more about the legend, click here.

It was originally located in the building of the Hydrometeorological Institute, and today it is located in the Lotrščak tower on Grič. It is a mountain cannon type Howitzer M116, caliber 76mm, and its range is 7929 meters, and the volume of the shot is 140 decibels.

The cannon stopped during the First World War and resumed its activity, not until 1928. Since then it has not stopped announcing noon in Zagreb, until almost two years ago during the earthquake that hit the Croatian capital in March 2020.

It took two months for the cannon to restart, and it has been firing at noon between May 11, 2020, and December 29 of that same year. It last fired just 20 minutes before the earthquake that affected the Sisak-Moslavina region, with the epicenter in Petrinja, and which was also strongly felt in Zagreb. The cannon, which finally returned to work this year on February 14th, had been inactive since then.

Filmmaker Stanka Gjurić, director of the Croatian short documentary 'Noon Shot'

The history of the canyon is very rich in details and the interest it generates is irrefutable, and that is how the idea was born for the Croatian filmmaker Stanka Gjurić to make a short documentary. However, it is not about the cannon that the Croatian short documentary revolves. The film is about Zagreb gunner Stjepan Možar (today, unfortunately, deceased) who came to the Lotrščak tower on Grič every day to shoot from the cannon and thus mark noon (Možar fired from the Grič cannon every day for 35 years).

Stanka Gjurić's short documentary, 'Noon shot' has entered the official selection of the global network of the Lift-Off film festival in London (Great Britain). Lift-Off Global Network is based at one of the most famous film studios on the planet. Their headquarters at Pinewood Studios in the UK is at the heart of the film industry.  The Lift-Off Film Festival Global Network is the only worldwide exchange of true independent cinema. 

Congratulations to our artist on her hard work, perseverance and, of course, success in presenting her own films around the world: France, Italy, Greece, Portugal, Spain, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Switzerland, Slovenia, Egypt, Canada, Serbia, USA, South Africa, Argentina, India, Russia, Austria, Brazil, Great Britain, etc. With her short films, to date, Gjurić has won 15 international awards.

Learn more from Croatian filmmaker Stanka Gjurić HERE.

If you are looking for the most complete information to enjoy Zagreb, be sure to check out Total Croatia, Zagreb in a Page guide HERE. Available in nine languages!

For more, check out our lifestyle section.

March 23, 2022 - With the 94th Academy Awards just around the corner, Total Croatia News takes a look at some of the major Croatian film festivals celebrating the best of Croatian and international cinema, paving the way for major film festivals in the world.

This Sunday, at the Dolby Theater in Hollywood, the 94th edition of the Academy Awards will be held, celebrating the best of the film industry in 2021. In recent years, the role of international cinema in the film industry has been growing progressively. This was evident at the 92nd Academy Awards, where the Oscar for Best International Feature Film was awarded for the first time, replacing the previously named Best Foreign Language Film. More importantly, it was the fact that it was the first time that a non-English language film had won the prestigious Oscar for Best Picture. This was the case of 'Parasite', from South Korea, directed by Bong Joon-ho, who also won the statuettes for Best Director and Best Original Screenplay.

It seems that, in this last decade, the Academy has decided to reorient its vision of cinema towards a more globalized one, in which we can notice the presence of international films in different categories, thus nominating films, directors, actors, actresses, and scripts from all over the world.

Unfortunately, it could not be the year for Croatian cinema again as it failed to find a place among the best international films. No Croatian film has ever been nominated for Best International Film yet. This year, in particular, saw quite a bit of controversy in the selection process, after ''Murina'', directed by Antoneta Alamat Kusijanović, was not chosen by Croatia as its representative in the race for the Oscars, despite its enormous international recognition at festivals such as Cannes, where it won the Caméra d'Or for Best First Film. Instead, the Croatian candidate was ‘‘Tereza37’’, directed by Danilo Šerbedžija.

The Pula Film Festival, one of the most important Croatian film festivals. (Photo: www.pulafilmfestival.hr)

The road for Croatian filmmakers to the world's major film festivals is long and very competitive, but in recent years the international public has set its sights on this region of the continent, due to its richness in stories stemming from its turbulent past and present. The Bosnian film ''Quo Vadis, Aida?'', nominated in 2021, and the Macedonian film ''Honeyland'', nominated in 2019, are proof of this.

But despite the fact that the dream of every director is to show their stories to all corners of the world, it always starts here, at home. Many start out at student film festivals, or at film festivals organized by their towns or counties. If one investigates enough, they would realize that there are film festivals almost everywhere in Croatia. The Croatian Audiovisual Center, for instance, currently co-finances 60 Croatian film festivals and other audiovisual events. These Croatian film festivals serve various functions: they are particularly important for promoting Croatian audiovisual creation and serve as a platform for screening artistic content and non-commercial film forms, which makes them relevant on a local, regional, national, and, in some cases, international level.

In this article, we review ten Croatian film festivals with great recognition and importance not only for aspiring filmmakers but also for a large audience willing to enjoy good Croatian cinema. Many of these festivals also include workshops and special events for aspiring filmmakers. Pay close attention to the dates of these Croatian film festivals, you may still be in time to buy your ticket, or even submit your own movie or short film!

Zagreb Film Festival

Zagreb (23 – 30 October, 2022 | 20th Edition)

Zagreb Film Festival is one of the central and most visited cultural events and the largest among the Croatian film festivals. It is held during November in Zagreb and presents to its audience the best of newer independent international and local film production. From its beginnings, ZFF’s mission is to discover and promote contemporary independent film and debut films of directors from all over the world. For almost two decades, it has offered a festival, and later also a distribution platform, and it has screened works that are often left out of the programs of multiplex cinemas.

Photo: www.zff.hr

The festival has also played a key role in educating generations of audiences who enjoy film art. The festival program offers diverse film and educational content for all ages and interests, and serves as a platform for the networking of professionals: each edition of the festival gathers around 200 film experts from Croatia and around the world who come to Zagreb to present their films or participate in the festival’s educational programs.

Split Film Festival – International Festival of New Film

Split (1 – 9 September, 2022 | 27th Edition)

Photo: Split Film Festival/Facebook

The Split Film Festival – International Festival of New Film focuses on new, creative, experimental, radical, and subversive films, videos, and new media works. It screens all forms and genres, with a special focus on works diverging from the mainstream film and video production model, regardless of whether it concerns traditional filmmaking techniques or the use of the most recent digital technology.

The competition programme is divided into two parts: feature films and shorts. The festival’s side programme presents web projects, interactive works, performances, special programmes, and retrospectives of local and international filmmakers.

Pula Film Festival

Pula (16 – 23 July, 2022 | 69th Edition)

Photo: www.pulafilmfestival.hr

Pula Film Festival is one of the oldest ongoing film festivals in Europe and the world. Launched in 1954 as the main festival of Yugoslav films, Pula Film Festival became Croatia’s national film festival in 1992. Its main competition programme includes feature fiction films. Alongside other city locations, the festival’s programme takes place in Pula’s amphitheater, popularly called the Arena. It is organized by the Pula Film Festival public institution.

STIFF – Student International Film Festival

Rijeka (November 25 – 28, 2022 | 9th Edition)

Photo: www.studentfilmfestival.eu

STIFF is Croatia’s first International Film Festival dedicated entirely to student films. Established by the SKC Rijeka (Student Cultural Center) and Filmaktiv – the purpose of the festival is to strengthen the student film industry by allowing an insight into the work of other fellow student filmmakers, encouraging the development of new ideas, and establishing international collaborations in the field of media production. STIFF’s main goal is to present the best of student film production from all around the world and help them get their audiences. It strives to educate audiences about the quality of work of emerging filmmakers.

Mediterranean Film Festival Split

Split (16 – 25 June, 2022 | 15th Edition)

Photo: www.fmfs.hr

Mediterranean Film Festival Split takes place annually in June in the city of Split, the second-largest city in Croatia. The Festival's focus are feature and short fiction and documentary films from Mediterranean countries. Besides feature films, great attention is dedicated to the program of short films and the promotion of young authors and their work. The Festival also organizes lectures, workshops, exhibitions, and other side events. In 12 years of its existence, the Festival has become the most visited cultural event in the city of Split. Kino Mediteran project is also part of the FMFS. It is a network of cinemas in 30 small Croatian coastal towns, mostly on islands. 

Croatian Film Days

Zagreb (10 – 14 May, 2022 | 31st Edition)

Photo: www.dhf.hr

The Croatian Film Days are a national festival founded in 1991 devoted to showcasing Croatia’s annual production of short- and medium-length feature, documentary, experimental, animated, and commercial films. The festival is of a competitive nature, with awards handed out by the festival jury, members of the Croatian Film Critic’s Association, and the audience. The organizer is the Croatian Film Association.

Motovun Film Festival

Motovun (26 – 30 July, 2022 | 25th Edition)

Photo: www.motovunfilmfestival.com

The Motovun Film Festival is dedicated to films made within small film industries and by independent productions. The programme consists of feature and short fiction and documentary films. The festival is jointly organized by the Motovun Film Festival, the Istria County, and the Municipality of Motovun.

Vukovar Film Festival – Danube region film festival

Vukovar (Summer, 2022 | 16th Edition)

Photo: www.vukovarfilmfestival.com

Vukovar Film Festival screens films from the Danube and neighboring countries – Slovenia, Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Montenegro, Czech Republic, Greece, Croatia, Hungary, Moldavia, Germany, Romania, Slovakia, Serbia, and Ukraine. It is the only festival that takes place literally on the Danube. The competition programme accepts feature, short fiction, and documentary films, and the jury hands out awards for all three categories. The festival is organized by Discovery Film, the City of Vukovar, and the Croatian House of Vukovar.

ZagrebDox

Zagreb (3 – 10 April, 2022 | 18th Edition)

Photo: ZagrebDox © Julien Duval

ZagrebDox is an international documentary film festival launched in 2005. The Festival is intended to provide audiences and experts insight into the recent documentary films, stimulate national documentary production, and boost international and regional cooperation in co-productions. The festival's competition program has international and regional categories. Besides the competition program, ZagrebDox has a number of non-competition programs – retrospectives and films focused on specific subjects, genres, techniques, and esthetics.

Brač Film Festival

Brač (Summer, 2022 | 8th Edition)

Brač Film Festival is an international feature film festival for emerging filmmakers from Europe and the Mediterranean. Key goals of the Festival are promotion of the first time feature film directors, presentation of short student films, development of film literacy amongst children and youth, and connecting young film professionals with experienced ones. The short film program is the only competition program, where the audience gives prizes for the best short film.

Learn about other Croatian film festivals at the Croatian Audiovisual Centre official website HERE.

For more, check out our lifestyle section.

January 6, 2022 – Oscar-nominated film director and writer, the legendary Croatian American Peter Bogdanovich, has died aged 82. Conceived in Zagreb, he grew up in New York where he had an illustrious five-decade career that included hit movies like The Last Picture Show, Paper Moon and She's Funny That Way.

Croatian American Peter Bogdanovich at the Castro Theatre in San Francisco in 2008, by Eliaws

Although he was conceived in Zagreb, it was perhaps natural that Croatian American Peter Bogdanovich should Americanise his name. His parents left the Croatian capital before their son was even born. Peter would grow up in New York, where he absorbed the culture and climate of the world-famous metropolis. In particular, he fell in love with its cinema.

As a young man, Bogdanovich was obsessed with movies. Early on, he scored a job as a film critic which allowed him to immerse himself in the world of movies. Within this era, he struck up a lifelong friendship with Orson Welles. Bogdanovich famously regarded Welles' Citizen Kane as the peak of cinema. Also at this time, Bogdanovich was given his first break as a film director by famous producer Roger Corman.

Orson Welles (left) and Peter Bogdanovich (right)

The 1960s saw a revolution in the world of American cinema. Tired old formats such as historical epics and musicals were being swept aside. In their place arrived films by a fresh crop of restless, modern directors. For the most part, they were influenced by the much more radical and real European new wave cinema. Their films appealed to young audiences with gritty realism, unflinching violence and extreme flights of fancy.

Among these new American filmmakers you can find the now-classic names of Martin Scorcese, Woody Allen, Robert Altman, John Boorman, David Lynch, Terrence Malick, Francis Ford Coppola, Sam Peckinpah, Ridley Scott, Steven Spielberg, James Cameron, John Carpenter, Brian De Palma and Stanley Kubrick. Croatian American Peter Bogdanovich was definitely among them.

He started his career as a director by making a documentary about John Ford, the pre-eminent director of western movies. It is to Croatian American Peter Bogdanovich's enduring credit that this documentary remains one of the greatest examinations of Ford and his work.

Classics of legendary filmmaker, Croatian American Peter Bogdanovich

The Last Picture Show, with Jeff Bridges and Cybill Shepherd

From there, Bogdanovich jumped to making his first proper film, 'The Last Picture Show'. Featuring Jeff Bridges, Cybill Shepherd and Cloris Leachmant, it was released in 1971. Universally acclaimed, the coming-of-age drama is as classic as Americana comes. It features a fine Hank Williams soundtrack and was the first lead-starring role of future great Bridges. This one film alone ensured Bogdanovich's name would forever be associated with cinema's exciting, new American movement.

Barbra Streisand and Ryan O'Neal starred in Bogdanovich's second film, the romantic comedy 'What's Up, Doc?' He reunited with Ryan O'Neal in 1973 for the film 'Paper Moon'. O'Neal’s daughter, Tatum, won an Oscar for best supporting actress with this film. After several immediate hits, Bogdanovich felt he could afford to be choosey about his next projects. He turned down The Godfather, The Exorcist and Chinatown.

Set shot from classic 1985 emotional drama Mask, with Cher (centre) and Bogdanovich (right)

His later films included the classic emotional drama 'Mask', starring Cher, and 'The Cat’s Meow', starring Kirsten Dunst. A legend among the next generation of filmmakers, Bogdanovich appeared as an actor in cameo roles for cult director Quentin Tarantino and in The Sopranos series.

Croatian American Peter Bogdanovich plays Dr. Elliot Kupferberg in Episode 4, Season 3 of The Sopranos

In 2010, he joined the faculty of the University of North Carolina School of the Arts and in 2014 made his last feature film, the comedy 'She’s Funny That Way' starring Jennifer Aniston and Owen Wilson. In 2018, he released his final film, a documentary about Buster Keaton - 'The Great Buster: A Celebration'.

Peter Bogdanovich is survived by his two children Antonia and Alexandra (Sashy), his sister Anna Bogdanovich and three grandchildren.

To read more about Croatian filmmaking and movies, look here

December 15, 2021 - The first Japan-Croatia Film Festival will be held in the Tokyo Photographic Art Museum from 17 to 19 December, the Croatian Audiovisual Centre (HAVC) reported on Tuesday. Four Croatian films will be screened.

The four films that will be screened are "Fishing and Fishermen’s conversations" by Milan Trenc, "Accidental Luxuriance of the Translucent Watery Rebus", an experimental animated film directed by Dalibor Rebić, as well as the comedy titled "Po Tamburi" directed by Stanislav Tomić, and "Lada Kamenski" by Sara Hribar and Marko Šantić.

First Japan-Croatia Film Festival Official Banner - Croatian Audiovisual Center

Croatian Ambassador to Japan, Dražen Hrastić was quoted as saying that he is looking forward to this opportunity for Japanese cinema-goers to enjoy Croatian films during the festival organized by the Japanese-Croatian Society.

"Accidental Luxuriance of the Translucent Watery Rebus", Dalibor Rebić

"We are pleased that many film lovers in Japan will be able to enjoy Croatian titles that will be screened as part of the festival organized by the Japanese-Croatian Society. Croatia is at the crossroads of different cultures and religions and has a rich and challenging history. A world-famous tourist destination with its natural beauty, cultural heritage, and excellent athletes, Croatian filmmakers are also inspired by all this, so at the end of this challenging 2021 I have no choice but to invite everyone to join this festival and enjoy some of the best Croatian cinematographic achievements", said Dražen Hrastić, Croatian Ambassador to Japan.

"Po Tamburi", by Stanislav Tomić

The society's representative Edouard Katayama Tripković said that the purpose of this society is to build stronger bonds between the two countries through culture, arts, sports, technology, and trade.

"Lada Kamenski" by Sara Hribar and Marko Šantić

"The goal of the Japanese-Croatian society is to build a deeper connection between Croatia and Japan through culture, art, sports, technology, and trade. On this occasion, the focus is on strengthening our cultural ties through four great Croatian films. time and different cultural elements, I hope that the Japanese public will learn more about Croatia and become interested in it through film titles shot in Croatia. Our inspiration for the organization of this festival is the belief that mutual understanding will result in the bilateral exchange between the two countries and contribute to further development of our relations", added Edouard Katayama Tripković from the Japanese-Croatian Society.

To read more about lifestyle in Croatia, follow TCN's dedicated page.

December 1, 2021 - With Seck Zeen Hong in the leading role, "Crisis" is the first Korean-Croatian film and first Croatian film starring an Asian actor in the main role. Shot in Zagreb during the pandemic, the coming of age drama about a young Korean man seeking to adapt to a new society has already been selected at two film festivals.

In a year where Croatian cinema has not gone unnoticed at international festivals, a short fiction film arrives to join the celebrations and mark a couple of historical milestones along the way. Crisis (Kriza in Croatian, 위기 in Korean), was created and produced by Benjamin Noah Maričak, directed by Boris Vuković, and written by Karla Leko; as part of their graduate work at the University of Zagreb - Academy of Dramatic Art, and it is the first Croatian-Korean film and the first Croatian film starring an Asian actor in the main role. The film was shot in the city of Zagreb during the current pandemic, and it was completed on June 23 of this year.

Official English Poster for Crisis

With a runtime of 14 minutes and 58 seconds, and featuring both Croatian and Korean languages, Crisis follows the day in the life of 20 something-year-old Ji-Hu (Zeen Hong) who is working for his father's Korean restaurant in the heart of Zagreb, as the delivery boy, during the beginning stages of the worldwide lockdown caused by the COVID-19 global pandemic. Throughout his delivery runs across Zagreb, he will not only have to deal with the constant pressure from his father and an odd variety of customers but also trying to adjust in a world where he still hasn’t found his place yet.

Seck Zeen Hong stars as Ji-Hu, a young Korean in his twenties, trying to adjust in the Croatian capital of Zagreb and dealing with pressure from his father, played by You Kwang Kim. Seck Zeen Hong becomes the first Asian actor to play a leading role in a Croatian film.

Everything seems to indicate that the coming of age family drama filmed in the Croatian capital has been well received, since to date the short film has been selected in the official program of two film festivals, confirms the producer and creator of Crisis, Benjamin Noah Maričak. The Asian premiere of the first Korean-Croatian film will be at the Dhaka International Film Festival (DIFF), the largest film festival in Bangladesh. The short film, which features photography by Marko Milohnić and editing by Marta Bregeš, will be part of the festival's official program in the Short & Independent Film Section. The DIFF will be held from January 15th to 22nd, 2022.

In addition, for the local public, Crisis was also accepted in the official program of the CIiklop Film Festival, which will take place in Benkovac, near the city of Zadar. The dates of the Ciklop Film Festival will be from December 18th to 22nd of this year. The official program with the full list of selected films will be published very soon.

Crisis is the first Korean-Croatian film, and it was shot entirely in Zagreb. In this still from the film, you can see the famous brutalist residential buildings known as Rakete, built in 1968.

Here are the names of the cast and team behind the making of the first Korean-Croatian film, Crisis:

Cast

• Ji-Hu: Seck Zeen Hong (홍 석진)
• Father: You Kwang Kim (김 유광)
• Party Girl: Lara Nekić
• Slaven: Igor Jurinić
• Girls at Party: Lucia Luque Akrap, Laura Anić-Kaliger, Laura Bošnjak, and Dora Dimić Rakar
• Man in Tracksuit: Fabijan Pavao Medvešek
• Woman in Apartment: Alemka Sappe
• Teenager 1: Tara Dorotić
• Teenager 2: Klara Fiolić
• Man in Tram: Željimir Sappe
• Postman: Anđelko Katanec
• Bike Thief: Noa Nikolić

Crew

• Director: Boris Vuković
• Screenwriter: Karla Leko
• Producer and Creator: Benjamin Noah Maričak
• Cinematographer: Marko Milohnić
• Editor: Marta Bregeš
• Production Designer: Cinita Macuka
• Costume Designers: Jana Friščić and Ela Leko
• 1st AD: Filip Dizdar
• Hair and Make-up: Tea Pavec and Mia Popovska
• 1st AC: Urh Pirc
• 2nd AC / Best Boy: Tin Ostrošić, and Rene Recek
• Gaffer: Domen Martinčič
• Sound Recordist: Jan Kapetanović
• Boom Operators: Juraj Franolić, and Stjepan Hren
• Script Supervisors: Rudolf Ravbar, and Noa Nikolić
• Sound Mixer: Marko Klajić
• Color Grading: Marko Milohnić
• VFX: Marino Vuletić
• Assistant Editor: Stjepan Hren
• Title Designer: Tamara Milošević
• Production Assistants: Noa Nikolić, and Vedran Bošnjak

Thus begins the festival circuit for a project carried out by young filmmakers and artists, which explores existentialist and very human themes in a very complicated period of our history. We wish them the best and much success!

For everything you need to know about filming in Croatia, in your language, be sure to check Total Croatia's page.

To read more about lifestyle in Croatia, follow TCN's dedicated page.

November 11, 2021 - The Octavian Award is the only Croatian film award that continuously follows the entire domestic cinematography, which makes it the most relevant and representative Croatian film award. Films competing for the 30th Octavian Awards are all premiered in Croatia during 2021 in Croatia, from January 1 to December 31.

As reported by tportal.hr, the Croatian Society of Film Critics is organizing the 30th Octavian Awards. Since 2019, HDFK has decided to award prizes independently in order to ensure greater media visibility for the awarded films and also for the activities of the film society as such. The Octavian Award is the only Croatian film award that continuously follows the entire domestic cinematography, which makes it the most relevant and representative Croatian film award. The list of previously awarded films and authors can be found on the official website of HDFK.

Photo: Ravno do DNA

All filmmakers and production companies are invited to submit their films for the 30th Octavian Awards via this APPLICATION FORM.

All submitted films will be watched and evaluated by a ten-member selection group of HDFK, and then the ten best films in each category will be evaluated by the remaining, pre-registered, members of the Society. Films in all categories are rated with a score of 1 (one) to 5 (five) via a ballot with a list of all competing films, and then the average score is calculated. The film with the highest average rating is the winner of Octavian, but this rating must not be lower than 3.50. In order for Octavian to be awarded in each individual category, at least ten (10) critics must vote. Ratings are published on the official websites of the Company www.hdfk.hr and zonafilma.com.

The ratings will be made public during the awards ceremony for the authors of the best films in early 2022.

Films competing for the annual Octavian Award are all Croatian premiered and publicly shown during 2021 in Croatia, from 1 January to 31 December.

The annual Octavian Award is given in these categories:

• Octavian for a feature film
• Octavian for a feature-length documentary
• Octavian for (short and medium-length) feature film
• Octavian for (short and medium-length) documentary
• Octavian for (short, medium, and feature) animated film
• Octavian for (short, medium, and feature) experimental film
• Octavian for (short, medium, and feature) feature film
• Octavian for best minority co-production

The Octavian Prize film application process will run until November 30, 2021.

The Octavian Prize Regulations can be found HERE.

 For everything you need to know about filming in Croatia, in your language, be sure to check Total Croatia's page.

For more on lifestyle in Croatia, follow TCN's dedicated page.

October 1st, 2021 - The film ''Your Pag'' was directed by the experienced Antea Ratković and greatly highlights the attractions of the island, such as its destinations, landscapes, activities, gastronomy, and people. At the recent Viva Film Festival in Sarajevo, it won the Silver Klapa in the tourism category.

At the international documentary film festival Viva Film Festival, held in Sarajevo, the promotional film "Your Pag" won second place in the competition of tourist films: the Silver Klapa. The inclusion in the festival program alone was a success in itself because as many as 1,775 films from 131 countries were submitted in three categories: ecology, tourism, and religion.

Photo: Viva Film Festival Official Facebook Page

31 works from 28 countries found their place at the Festival, including "Your Pag". After the award received in Poland, the tourist film of the island of Pag thus again won international recognition.

Let us remind you that the promo film was shot last year at numerous locations on the island of Pag. This is the result of cooperation between the tourist boards of Novalja, Pag, Stara Novalja, Kolan, and Povljana. The message of the film is "No Man is an Island..yet we are all looking for one…" and shows everything that makes the island of Pag and the people who live on it recognizable.

The film "Your Pag" is directed by Antea Ratković, who already has experience in shooting tourist promo films for which she was awarded, Moonstone Production d.o.o. was in charge of production, and Libra d.o.o. for the script.

''Your Pag'', directed by Antea Ratković

A total of ten works from the same number of countries were in the competition of tourist films. In addition to the Croatian representative, there were also films from Austria, Colombia, France, Egypt, Greece, Spain, Turkey, Serbia, and Russia, where the first prize went, the Golden Klapa.

The international festival of ecological, tourist, and religious film Viva Film Festival was held for the seventh time. It is a documentary and short film festival hosted by Sarajevo, but the program is held throughout Bosnia and Herzegovina. It was founded by an international team of film professionals, ecologists, diplomats, religious leaders, and scientists, and the first edition was held in 2015.

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ZAGREB, 29 Aug, 2021 - The 17th edition of the International Experimental Film and Video Festival 25FPS will take place in Zagreb on 23-26 September.

The 2021 Competition Programme features 27 innovative films from different parts of the world, including three from Croatia.

The topics the authors of this year's selection dealt with include the impact of different social crises and turmoil on our personal identities and relations with others.

This year, the Grand Jury consists of Australian director Pia Bord, German curator Katrin Mundt and Croatian multimedia artist Ivan Marušić Klif.

Each of them will award a Grand Prix, and the films are also competing for the Critics' Jury Award and the Audience Award. Croatian films are also competing for the Green DCP Award, handed out by the 25 FPS Association for Audio-Visual Research.

Admission to all screenings and festival programmes is free.

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August 24, 2021 - The Vukovar Film Festival will start tomorrow in its fifteenth edition and highlights a program full of must-see films and documentaries.

As reported by Večernji list, this year's 15th Vukovar Film Festival from August 25th to 29th brings a total of 41 film screenings with five documentaries, which will be shown at several locations in the city.

The artistic director of the festival, Dean Sinovčić, said at the press conference that the Vukovar festival is best known for its program, according to which no festival in Croatia "can compete" with it.

Vukovar Film Festival Official Facebook Page

He stated that a dozen films from the festival program are classic comedies to get people back in a good mood and that five films from the recently concluded Cannes Film Festival and several films from the Berlin and Venice festivals will be screened.

''Thus, we keep the quality that the Vukovar festival has offered in all previous years'', Sinovčić pointed out.

Festival director and executive director of Discovery film Igor Rakonić said that the festival opens with the film "Blue Flower", directed by Zrinko Ogresta, as the winner of this year's Pula Film Festival. He added that due to the announced cooling in the coming days, the screenings of films scheduled for screening on the terrace of the Agency for Waterways and the park of Eltz Castle will be moved to Hrvatski dom and Cinestar.

''The idea of ​​this year's festival is to stay strong in film, we hope that next year the pandemic will pass and that we will start living normally'', he added.

Regarding the implementation of epidemiological measures, Rakonić said that epidemiological measures would be respected at the festival, with a reduced number of spectators, but that vaccinated persons would certainly not be separated from unvaccinated ones.

Vukovar Mayor Ivan Penava expressed satisfaction that the festival has maintained continuity, as well as because this year's, unlike last year's, which was held in a closing atmosphere, is now returning to a more normal atmosphere.

Considering that this year's festival is being held in the conditions of a pandemic, the organizers point out that this year there will be no usual awards ceremony, as well as accompanying entertainment and music activities.

They note that this does not apply to the traditional festival workshops that will be held, namely the Danube screenwriting workshop, the one-minute film workshop in one frame and the film workshop "From idea to realization".

The organizers of the Vukovar Film Festival are the company Discovery film, the City of Vukovar, and the Hrvatski Dom Vukovar.

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