ZAGREB, 24 March 2022 - Croatia's cultural and creative industries have recorded sharp declines in revenues since pre-pandemic 2019, of 8.5 per cent on average, with some segments, such as music, film and art, having seen their revenues plunge by as much as 40, 35 and 25 per cent respectively, a conference was told in the eastern city of Osijek on Wednesday.

A study on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the Croatian cultural and creative industries, which the Ministry of Culture commissioned from the Zagreb Institute of Economics, also shows that some segments, such as video games, have seen increases in revenues since 2019, said Nenad Marčec, director-general of the Croatian Association of Composers.

Last year was still about 12% below the 2019 levels, but given that there were not many concerts and the tourism industry and cinemas operated at a reduced capacity, this is acceptable because a lot of revenues were generated from YouTube, Netflix and some other platforms that now have a large number of subscribers in Croatia. In 2015, there were about 2,000 subscribers to these services, and now there are 200,000, which is "a tectonic shift" that occurred during the pandemic and helped authors weather this crisis, he said.

Asked by the press what he expected from the new Copyright Act, Marčec said that it entered into force in December 2020 and would ensure the implementation of new directives on copyright on the digital market, which regulate the responsibilities of Facebook, YouTube, TikTok and Instagram for the use of copyright and make it possible for authors to get their fees. He said that these services had become multimillion companies that paid the authors hardly anything and the new law should benefit the authors.

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January 13, 2022 - Despite the summer season still being far away, there is no time to lose in the ''Pearl of the Adriatic'', as there is much to plan ahead in the first third of the year. Thus, the first course of the year was held for directors of cultural institutions in Dubrovnik.

A meeting with the directors of cultural institutions in Dubrovnik was held today in the Great Hall of the City, led by Deputy Mayor Jelka Tepšić and Head of the Administrative Department for Culture and Heritage Julijana Antić Brautović, with the aim to plan ahead of the first third of the year, reports Dubrovački Vjesnik.

The first regular course of this year focused on the programs and work plans for the first three months of 2022, as well as the upcoming events. The directors informed about the ongoing activities and announced the programs that the cultural institutions of the City of Dubrovnik are preparing for the Feast of St. Blaise, as well as the programs for the Night of Museums, which will be held on January 28.

This event, which is extremely popular in Croatia and Dubrovnik, should take place mostly "online" this year due to the current epidemiological situation and in accordance with current measures. according to the instructions of the Croatian Museum Society.

A special topic was the preparation of the program to mark the 750th anniversary of the Dubrovnik Statute, as well as numerous other projects that should be implemented during 2022.

If you want to learn more about what the Pearl of the Adriatic can offer you on your next trip, such as activities, tours, points of interest, tips, transport, restaurants, and more; then you should check Total Croatia's guide, Dubrovnik in a Page. Now available in your language!

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ZAGREB, 13 March 2021 - Prime Minister Andrej Plenković said on Saturday that it was good that his cabinet made it possible for cultural institutions to keep open their doors during the COVID pandemic.

While visiting the exhibition about Croatian comic strips in the Museum of Contemporary Art (MSU) in Zagreb, Plenković said that in the circumstances marked by the COVID-19 pandemic, the Croatian government had on purpose kept cultural institutions open.

This was beneficial to visitor numbers and eventually to the financial operations of this museum, said Plenković during his visit to the Zagreb-based MSU.

This has been also a contribution to having as normal life as possible despite the circumstances, he said and added that museums and cultural institutions across Europe have been or are still closed.

During the tour of the exhibition, Plenković recalled that some of Croatian comic strip authors gained international reputation.

The MSU says on its web site that the exhibition To Be Continued… Comics and visual culture in Croatia "sets the so-called Ninth Art of comic strips, cartoons and graphic storytelling in its European and international context, bringing together its history, evolution, and canonical authors."

"The exhibition examines the way in which perceptions of comics have changed over time, the role of comics in shaping popular and mass culture, and the professional and personal networks within which comics are created and find their way to the audience."

The exhibition, opened in mid-December, closes on Sunday, 14 March.

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