June 12, 2022 - International recognition of the highest level from CICAE arrived at the fourth edition of the Zadar Kino Zona (Zadar cinema zone), which now joins Urania Kino in Osijek, Valli Kino in Pula, Art Kino in Rijeka, Zlatna Vrata in Split, Metropolis Kino and Samobor Kino.

At the annual assembly of the only international art cinema association CICAE, held in Cannes during the film festival of the same name, based on the quality and diversity of the film program and cultural significance, a decision was made to give Kino Zona in Zadar membership, reports Slobodna Dalmacija.

Kino Zona joins Kino Urania in Osijek, Kino Valli in Pula, Art Kino in Rijeka, Zlatna Vrata in Split, Kino Metropolis, and Kino Samobor as the seventh Croatian cinema in the membership of this prestigious world organization. 

This membership for Kino Zona in Zadar enables international cooperation with cinemas and festivals around the world, attending seminars, professional training, networking with other members, connecting with distributors and participating in program exchange, selecting films shortly after the world premieres, presenting cinema activities at the Venice Film Festival in Berlin and Cannes as well as guest appearances at festivals in the role of expert lecturers and jury members.'', said the head of the Kino Zona, Andrej Fric.

CICAE (International Confederation of Art Cinemas) was founded in 1955 by the art cinema associations of Germany, France, the Netherlands, and Switzerland to promote cultural differences in cinemas and festivals, lay the foundations, and support the market aimed at producing quality national films considered "high-risk art forms''.

Recognized by the Council of Europe, CICAE chairs the International Council on Film, Television and Audiovisual Communications (IFTC) at UNESCO, is a member of Media Salles, the Coalition française pour la diversité culturelle, and co-operates with Europa Cinemas.

CICAE's responsibility is to network and create a link between cinemas and festivals. Today, CICAE brings together over 3,000 cinemas through national cinema networks, fifty individual independent cinemas in approximately thirty countries around the world, fifteen festivals (including Berlin, Cannes Locarno, Sarajevo, Venice, Annecy, and Hamburg), and a number of art film distributors.

The goals are to encourage art cinemas to come together under common auspices nationally and internationally, to receive support from state administrations, to encourage the distribution of quality films from all countries, in all countries, and to increase audiences and encourage production.

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April 21, 2022  - On Wednesday, April 20th, the Two Palaces complex in Zadar was officially inaugurated in the presence of the Ministries of Culture and the Regional Development and EU Funds. A new home for Croatian culture and Modern art has settled in the centre of Zadar.

Citizens and tourists of Zadar will finally get into the heart of the old town, a new space intended not only for culture but also for exciting events. The Zadar City Library is returning to the city’s heart, and the Zadar Concert Office and the Zadar National Museum will find their place in the Two Palaces complex.

The Main Entrance of the complex (Image: Total Croatia News)

With the slogan “Past and Future of Culture in Zadar”, the inauguration of the Two Palaces was held in the Great Hall with the participation and exhibition of the hosting organizations: Radio Zadar, Zadar Music School, Zadar Chamber Orchestra, Croatian Singing Music Society Zoranić, Zadar Dance Ensemble, Zadar City Music.

On the first and the second floor, the public can admire until June 20th the great exhibition “Make them face the truth” by the ironic and anti-conventional Croatian sculptor Ratko Petrić.

A Ratko Petric sculpture in the Two Palaces (Image: Total Croatia News)

In the exhibition halls of the Rector’s Palace (ground floor), the public will find a selection of exceptional works from the holdings of the Art Gallery of the National Museum of Zadar (NMZ) through the exhibition Modern – Postmodern (until June 4th).

One of the halls of the exhibition Modern – Postmodern (Image: Total Croatia News)

In the new Polyvalent Hall, through the lens of Ante Brkan, we will take a peek into the life of the Dešpalj family. Finally, in the Rector’s Palace, visitors will have the opportunity to go through a permanent exhibition entitled Six Salon Stories NMZ.

The main outdoor stage hosted the Split duo Banana Sound and Alejandro Buendia & Sons, a project by Saša Antić from TBF. Throughout the evening in the Rector’s Atrium, from 19:30 to midnight, there was an entertaining music program with a concert by Oridano Gipsy Jazz.

During the ten days of celebrating the grand opening of the Two Palaces, a series of concerts, film screenings, workshops, lectures, and literary gatherings are scheduled. Among these, we’d like to highlight the performance of the HRT Jazz Orchestra accompanied by American saxophonist Victor Goines, the screening of “Prova d’orchestra”, a discussion on literature with Julijan Matanović and Pavle Pavličić, and a lecture “On Pavle Dešpalj through the prism of musical contribution in Zadar”. You can find the full program here. 

Most of the space in the new complex is intended for exhibition and gallery activities. At the same time, a large Polyvalent Hall is reserved for music and film events, also thanks to the cooperation with the year-round cinema “Kino Zona”, an independent film association cooperating with Two Palaces since the beginning with its own screenings and programs. 

Find here the official Facebook page of Two Palaces.

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