July 29, 2022 – think of Croatia in the summer. Fun in the sun, refreshment in the shade, perfect swimming temperatures, and a sandy beach. All that followed by a night out at a film festival, craft beers and some quality rock music in the forest. Dalmatia or Istria? Surprise surprise, and once again, welcome to Vukovar! We got your weekend sorted.

This Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, the Bara Film Association as the organisers of Klein Short Film Festival are bringing something unique and exciting to the venues, pubs, and parks of Vukovar. The event of the weekend from the 29^th until the 31^st of July combines short films and good music for the perfect summer atmosphere.

The program for the competition section of Klein Film Festival (photo credit: Klein)

Kicking off on Friday at 20.30 at the City Museum, this international film and music festival presents a variety of short feature, animated, and documentary films. The films were split into two main categories – competition and accompanying programs, with 16 and 35 films, respectively. The category of competition films will feature pieces produced in the last two years, while the accompanying program will consist of representative pieces produced before 2020. The venues include the City Museum and the Serbian Cultural Centre in Vukovar, as well as the Đorđe Očić House in the village of Dalj. The organisers underline that the main focus of the festival is the idea, along with its consistent realisation in the film. The name of the festival is an homage to Hugo Klein, a theatre professor, theorist, and psychiatrist who was born in Vukovar.

As for the music portion of the festival, there will be something for everyone. The pub Kibic Fenster is opening its back terrace for mini-concerts, while the park forest Adica will host some big names. On Friday, Sinj’s own Mort will be there to remind us that punk is not dead, on Saturday it’s Repetitor, and to round it up, Atheist Rap from Novi Sad will play on Sunday. All concerts start at 22.30.

The main sponsors of Klein Film Festival include the City of Vukovar, SDF (Serbian Democratic Forum), and HAVC (Croatian Audiovisual Centre), and the association also expects international support. Bara Film is a young cultural association of audio-visual artists who hope that this ambitious project will help further support and enrich their work.

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

February 6, 2021 – The legendary Canadian actor Christopher Plummer has died. In his most famous role, he played Zadar-born naval commander Georg von Trapp in 'The Sound Of Music'

The legendary Canadian actor Christopher Plummer has died aged 91. He passed away peacefully at home, surrounded by family and friends, following a fall. In a seven-decade-long career, he came to be regarded as one of the greatest actors in the world. In his most famous role, he played the Zadar-born naval commander Georg von Trapp in 'The Sound Of Music'.

Born on 13 December 1929 in Toronto, Christopher Plummer grew up in Senneville, Quebec. He initially established himself as an actor on the stage and although he famously moved into film acting, he frequently returned to the theatre and also acted for television.

Christopher Plummer was the oldest actor in the world to receive an Oscar. He received the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor at the age of 82 for a role in the Mike Mills film 'Beginners' (2010), in which he played opposite Croatian Goran Višnjić. He became the oldest actor to receive a nomination for an Oscar, aged 88, for the film 'All the Money in the World'.

Goran Višnjić and Christopher Plummer in Mike Mills' 'Beginners' (2010). Christopher Plummer received an Academy Award for the role © Olympus Pictures

Christopher Plummer was one of a very small number of actors to have won an Academy Award, an Emmy Award and a Tony Award. In America, this achievement is known as the Triple Crown Of Acting. Christopher Plummer is the only Canadian actor to have achieved this. Among his many decorations, he earned an Academy Award, two Emmy Awards, two Tony Awards, a Golden Globe Award, a Screen Actors Guild Award, and a British Academy Film Award.

Christopher Plummer's life as a famous actor began when he was in his early 20s. In 1953, he took a major theatre role in French playwright André Roussin's 'Nina'. He debuted both on Broadway and on television in the same year, the latter within a production of 'Othello'. He continued to be cast for roles in Shakespeare plays throughout the 1950s and subsequent decades. He earned his second Emmy nomination in 1964 for 'Hamlet'.

In 1958, Christopher Plummer's film career began when he played a young writer in Sidney Lumet's 'Stage Struck'. He played the Roman emperor Commodus in Anthony Mann's epic 'The Fall of the Roman Empire (1964). One year later, he appeared in a role that would make him famous forever all over the world.

Christopher Plummer in the Roman epic 'The Fall of the Roman Empire (1964) © Paramount Pictures

Although he later had misgivings about the role, Christopher Plummer's depiction of Zadar-born, Rijeka-trained Naval commander Georg von Trapp in 'The Sound Of Music' (1966) ensured he would be recognised globally for his talent. The film received five Academy Awards and was so popular that many returned to the cinema time and again to watch it. It became the highest-grossing film of all time, eclipsing 'Gone With The Wind' which had held the title for 25 years!

Having conquered Broadway, he set his sights instead on European theatre and moved to London in the mid-1960s. He enjoyed simultaneously a successful stage and film career, appearing in several famous movies about the Second World War and was consistently hired for theatre roles by some of the leading directors of the day, including Laurence Olivier, Jonathan Miller, and Neil Simon.

In the 1970s the list of Christopher Plummer's blockbuster appearances included 'Waterloo' (1970), as the Duke of Wellington, 'The Man Who Would Be King' (1975), as Rudyard Kipling and 'The Return of the Pink Panther (1975). In 1975, he appeared as Archduke Franz Ferdinand in the movie 'The Day That Shook the World', directed by Croatian-Montenegrin filmmaker Veljko Bulajić.

Christopher Plummer as Archduke Franz Ferdinand in the movie 'The Day That Shook the World', directed by Croatian-Montenegrin filmmaker Veljko Bulajić © American International Pictures

In 1977, Christopher Plummer starred in the then-monumental television miniseries 'Jesus of Nazareth', playing King Herod alongside Laurence Olivier, James Earl Jones, Robert Powell, Anne Bancroft, Anthony Quinn, Rod Steiger, Peter Ustinov, and James Mason. He repeated his television success in 1983, taking a lead role in the five-time Emmy Award-winning series 'The Thorn Birds.'

Christopher Plummer was one of the rare actors whose fame and abilities never dwindled. He only ever seemed to get better and more popular. He remained in-demand as a film actor until his death, with a neverending list of successful film endeavours from the last three deacdes including 'Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country' (1991), Spike Lee's 'Malcolm X' (1992), Stephen King's 'Dolores Claiborne' (1995), Terry Gilliam's '12 Monkeys' (1995), Michael Mann's 'The Insider' (1999), Nuremberg (2000), Ron Howard's 'A Beautiful Mind' (2001), Oliver Stone's 'Alexander (2004), Terrence Malick's 'The New World' (2005), Spike Lee's 'Inside Man' (2006), the Disney/Pixar classic 'Up' (2009), 'The Last Station' (2009) playing Leo Tolstoy, 'The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo' (2011), 'Beginners' (2011), Nazi/Holocaust thriller 'Remember' (2015), Ridley Scott's 'All the Money in the World' (2017) as John Paul Getty and in the universally acclaimed, Agatha Christie-inspired 'Knives Out' (2019).

Christopher Plummer (left) and Martin Landau as Auschwitz survivors in Atom Egoyan’s Nazi/Holocaust thriller 'Remember' (2015) © eOne

Christopher Plummer married three times but had only one child, a daughter, the actress Amanda Plummer. She is a Tony winner, like her father, is famous for her role in Quentin Tarantino's 'Pulp Fiction' and is a frequent visitor to Croatia – she is friends with Rade Šerbedžija and his wife Lenka Udovički and appeared in the filmed workshop, 'Core Sample - Goli Otok' with Vanessa Redgrave and Lynn Redgrave at Šerbedžija and Udovički's open-air theatre in the Brijuni islands.

Following the announcement of his death, Christopher Plummer's 'The Sound of Music' co-star Julie Andrews paid tribute to him, stating "The world has lost a consummate actor today and I have lost a cherished friend. I treasure the memories of our work together and all the humor and fun we shared through the years."

The world of theatre and film were united in their praise and mourning for the star, with other tributes coming from Ana de Armas, Jamie Lee Curtis, Russell Crowe, Katherine Langford, Rian Johnson, Chris Evans, Don Johnson (who worked with him on Knives Out), Elijah Wood, Vera Farmiga, Ed Asner as well as his longtime friend and former Shakesperian understudy William Shatner.

Lou Pitt, Christopher Plummer's longtime friend and manager of 46 years, said; “Chris was an extraordinary man who deeply loved and respected his profession with great old fashion manners, self-deprecating humor and the music of words. He was a national treasure who deeply relished his Canadian roots. Through his art and humanity, he touched all of our hearts and his legendary life will endure for all generations to come. He will be with us forever. ”

September 23, 2020 – Following incredible success with Game Of Thrones, Mamma Mia and others, Croatia filming locations prove to be the best again as HBO's Succession wins 7 Emmys

Historic Dubrovnik was always pretty enough to attract people from far and wide. Dubrovnik has a lot of sights to visit. In addition, it offers many activities such as hiking, cycling, sailing, boat ride, Seabob experience etc. But, following its appearance in TV show Game Of Thrones, interest in visiting the walled city went through the roof. Tourists were not the only ones who wanted to come.

HBO drama Succession is just the latest hit to take advantage of the spectacular scenery while filming in Croatia. The show has just bagged no less than seven prestigious Emmy awards for the season partially filmed in Croatia. In the drama series category, it picked up Emmys for Best Leading Male Role, Best Guest Role, Best Casting, Best Directing, Best Screenplay and Best Picture Editing.

Cast members filmed aboard a yacht with beautiful Croatia and its Adriatic waters as the backdrop © HBO

The shooting took place over 12 days in July 2019, primarily on a yacht on which the show's central characters, the Roy family, were taking a holiday. The Croatia filming locations used were the waters around Cavtat, Korcula, Mljet and Sipan. The series ventured into more urban areas of Croatia and, for those scenes, filming locations in Zagreb and Rijeka were sourced. The German-built Solandge was the yacht used in the filming and costs as much as $1.1million (£850,000) to rent for one week.

The Roy family aboard the yacht Solandge in Croatian waters © HBO

Now in its third season, Succession centres on the dysfunctional Roy family, owners of a global media and hospitality empire. It stars British actor Brian Cox as the ailing family patriarch with Kieran Culkin heading up the otherwise all-American cast. A total of 613 people worked on the shooting of Succession in Croatia, of which 595 were Croatian (161 film workers, three trainees and 431 extras).

Solandge is currently one of the most luxurious yachts in the world © Moran Yachts

In recent years, major movies such as Star Wars, Robin Hood and one installment in the long-running James Bond series have joined the likes of Game Of Thrones and Mamma Mia in enjoying Croatia filming locations. However, filming in Croatia goes back much further than that. During the 1970s and early 1980s, no less than three Oscar-winning movies used Croatia filming locations - Fiddler on the Roof (1971), The Tin Drum (1979) and Sophie’s Choice (1982).

You can read more about filming in Croatia and Croatian filming locations by reading our dedicated section here

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August 17, 2020 - Now a much-enjoyed highlight of the city's cultural calendar, the Vinkovci Film Week festival pairs the 14-year-old DORF music documentary festival with the Classical Antiquity Film Nights. Here's what to expect...

At just four years old, Vinkovci Film Week has become a much-loved highlight of the Slavonian town's cultural calendar. Given its age, it's less surprising that it's become so when you find out its component events are actually very well established.

The film week actually pairs a 14-year-old music documentary festival, DORF, with the 8-year-old Classical Antiquity Film Nights. Beginning tomorrow, Tuesday 18 August, and running until Saturday 22 August, here's what you can expect to see...

Classical Antiquity Film Nights at Vinkovci Film Week

Tuesday 18 August

20.30

'The Last Well / Posljednji bunar' directed by Filip Filković (2017, Croatia), is a dystopian tale set in a dry Croatian hinterland, where the last source of drinking water has a significant impact over life. It has won more than 30 festival awards.

Immediately following is 'Lo and behold: reveries of the connected world' (2016, USA) by iconic German-American film and documentary maker Werner Herzog. The viewer is taken on a journey through a series of provocative conversations revealing how the internet has changed (and continues to change) the functioning of the real world and life itself - from business to education, from space travel to healthcare, as well as the very core of our private relationships.

Wednesday 19 August

20.30

Dalibor Platenik's 'Man and Tree / Čovjek i drvo' (2019, Croatia) looks at the life of Vladimir Dimić Joda, who lives in the centre of Zagreb and spends his days hanging out with trees. He started planting trees anonymously more than 30 years ago and has so far planted more than 450 of them. He talks to them, waters them, and tends for them. In doing so, he feels he is returning a debt to Mother Earth. Vladimir Dimić Joda was actually born in Vinkovci and is a frequent visitor to the town.

DORF music documentary festival at Vinkovci Film Week

Thursday 20 August

20.30

'Grace Jones: Bloodlight and Bami' (2018, USA) is a human portrayal of the intangible Jamaican icon. Through her modelling and music, Grace Jones has provocatively and unflinchingly bared all to the public. While examining these elements of her career, this documentary shows what few have ever seen before; the very real person that lies beneath the enigma.

Friday 21 August

20.00

Premiering at the festival, short film 'xYUGOx' (2020, Croatia) follows Croatian-Serbian hardcore punk band The Truth in preparation for a two-week European tour and asks how their straight-edge lifestyle (eschewing alcohol, tobacco, and all other drugs) impacts such an undertaking.

Also premiering here, 'Erik' (2020, Croatia) is a portrait of composer, singer, keyboardist, and award-winning songwriter Erik Balija, whose cerebral palsy restricts only his physical movement, not his spirit.

21.30

Another premiere, 'New York: The Pilgrimage' (2019, Macedonia) follows a Macedonian hip hop obsessive as he makes a once-in-a-lifetime journey to the city which birthed his passion.

'Winners Are Boring / Pobednici su dosadni' (2018, Serbia) is a portrait of life-long music fanatic, publicist, and journalist Žikica Simić, examining the impact the cult radio shows he has helmed have had on many.

'Sonnyboy iz Stubičke Slatine' (2019, Croatia) looks at the life of Krešo Oremuš from rural Zagorje. By day, Krešo is a metal worker. By night, he's a blues music fanatic and one of the country's greatest blues harmonica players.

Saturday 22 August

20.00

'Tusta' (2019, Croatia) is a biography of Branko Črnac Tusta, the leader of infamous Pula punk-rock band, KUD Idijoti. Because of his uncompromising anti-fascist and tolerant stance, this true working-class hero was considered a "communist" in the 1990s, and his music all but banned from Croatian media and music outlets. The band were not deterred. KUD Idijoti were the first Croatian band to perform a concert in Serbia after the war.

This year’s prestigious Eurimages Co-Production Award will be presented to successful Croatian film producer Ankica Jurić Tilić at a ceremony at the European Film Academy in Berlin on December 7th.

This award highlights the importance of co-production partnerships in fostering international dialogue and the contributions of women to the success of film co-productions. The prize is awarded by Eurimages, a Council of Europe cultural assistance fund established in 1988. Since its inception, Eurimages has financially supported 2047 co-productions totaling around € 597 million.

Ankica Jurić Tilić graduated in comparative literature and French language and literature from the Faculty of Philosophy, University of Zagreb and has over 25 years of professional experience.

In 2003, she founded the Kinorama production company, along with two partners. While Kinorama's artistic team is equally composed of new and established talent; special attention is given to first time directors and new voices. Kinorama’s projects are regularly presented at numerous international production markets and developed at film workshops.

As a producer, Ankica has 30 feature film credits, several TV series and many short films. Her most recent Eurimages-backed feature films are: Ne gledaj mi u pijat (Quit Staring at My Plate) - Hana Jušić (Fedeora Award at Venice Days 2016, more than 30 film awards, and Croatian nominee for Oscar) and Zvizdan (The High Sun) - Dalibor Matanić (Jury Award in the Un Certain Regard Cannes Film Festival 2015, 30 film Awards, LUX Prize nomination, and Croatian nominee for Oscar).

Among Kinorama’s recent co-productions are Eurimages-backed films: Izbrisana (Erased) - Miha Mazzini and Dušan Joksimović, Teret (The Load) - Ognjen Glanović, Zora (The Dawn) - Dalibor Matanić and Illyricum - Simon Bogojević Narath.

Ankica is a graduate and lecturer at the international professional school EAVE - European Audiovisual Entrepreneurs, a member of ACE Producers, Producers on the Move and the European Film Academy. She teaches at the Academy of Dramatic Arts in Zagreb and participates as a mentor, panelist and lecturer at many international film events.

Follow our Lifestyle page here to keep up to date on entertainment news in Croatia.

As reported by zagrebinfo, tickets for films from the main competition program of this year's Zagreb Film Festival sold out during the first three days of the festival, and the audience is requesting 'additional tickets' for both morning and afternoon screenings.

The festival’s organizers also reported that they have sold ten percent more pre-sale tickets at the beginning of the festival. In addition to requests for additional tickets, they are continually getting inquiries as to whether the films will receive cinema distribution.

They note that the considerable interest once again shows that the Zagreb audience is very eager for new quality titles and is not ready to abandon the tradition of watching movies together.

The first sold-out season of tickets was opened by Taika Waititi's film “Jojo Rabbit” from the “Together Again” program, and all five screenings of the films from the main feature film competition at Tuškanac Cinema were sold out within the first three days.

"We are extremely pleased that our audience welcomed directors Ena Sendijarević and Ivana Mladenović on Friday and Saturday with such large numbers and interest at the screenings of their debut works 'Take Me Somewhere Nice' and 'Ivana the Terrible'." The organizers also noted that the films “Monos”, “Beanpole” and “Patrick” received an enthusiastic response and they expressed their gratitude to the audience.

The seventeenth edition of the Zagreb Film Festival offers more than a hundred films across 12 programs and runs through November 17th. There are 11 feature films, 10 international films and 10 Croatian short films from the “Checkers” program, which are in the race for the festival awards. The festival takes place in as many as eight Zagreb venues, and is being hosted in some twenty cities across Croatia.

A complete festival program and schedule can be found on the 2019 Zagreb Film Festival website.

Follow our dedicated lifestyle page for more information on events in Croatia.

Ante Gotovina is much more than just a household name like that of an actor or a singer. This hero of the Homeland War was proclaimed innocent at The Hague and released back in 2012. He returned to Croatia and embarked on a normal life before becoming somewhat of an entrepreneur. Thesedays, Gotovina no longer dons a general's uniform, but instead deals in the raising of tuna through his own company.

As Gotovina enjoys the quiet life now, the stories of his heroic past in the face of war have never faded, and a film about him is set to be filmed with Šibenik-Knin County's very welcome financial support.

As Morski writes on the 28th of May, 2019, Šibenik-Knin County Prefect Goran Pauk has signed a co-financing contract for a feature film and the "General" TV series.

"This contract stipulates that Šibenik-Knin County is obliged to provide financial support in the amount of 100,000 kuna to the project of a feature-length film and drama television series called "General'', by the screenwriter and director Antun Vrdoljak in the production of Kiklop filma d.o.o. and Croatian Television,'' reads a quote from Šibenik-Knin County.

In the explanation, it is argued that the theme of the film and TV series is the Homeland War, to which Croatian cinematography still owes a lot, given the historical achievement of the creation of the democratic and independent Republic of Croatia, the fulfillment of a centuries-old dream of the Croatian people.

The film and TV series covers the the war and the life of General Ante Gotovina and his generation of Croatian defenders, detailing both the good times and the extremely bad ones.

"Most of all, because of those who have given us and all future generations the liberty that we've inherited today, the Croatian Defense Forces," they argue in their clarification of their decision to fund the film on Gotovina's life and deeds.

To briefly recall, filming was completed in Šibenik on January the 30th this year, and Šibenik native Goran Višnjić plays General Ante Gotovina.

Make sure to follow our dedicated lifestyle page for much more.

Meet Filip Sertić, a young Croatian actor on the winding way to an international career.

Good news for the popular Croatian film ''Osmi Povjerenik'' (Eighth Commissioner).