Eleven feature films are competing this year for Golden Arenas as part of the
National Selection of the
59th Pula Film Festival, which takes place during the second week of the festival running from
14-28 July. The national programme opened on
21sth July with
Vlatka Vorkapic΄s feature debut,
Sonja and the Bull. Pula Film Festival is an annual event which traditionally presents most of Croatian feature film production. The festival’s national selection is organised as a competition, and this year seven of the entries were made with the financial support of the
Croatian Audiovisual Centre. Out of four independently made films, two were backed by
HAVC in the post-production phase.
The complete list of national competition films follows:
Flower Square, recently selected in the official competition of the Montreal World Film Festival. The film’s director
Krsto Papic is a veteran of Croatian cinema who often receives international acclaim.
Zagreb Stories Vol. 2, a sequel of the eponymous omnibus from 2009, in which nine young talented directors told seven urban tales about different aspects of life in the Croatian capital. This time six directors tell six stories about different aspects of love: parental, family and, ofcourse, romantic love.
Also, two films that were made by the financial support of
HAVC, but already have been distributed in Croatian cinemas:
Vegetarian Cannibal by
Branko Schmidt, which was hailed by the critics, especially the performance by the leading actor
Rene Bitorajac and
Night Boats, a feature live action debut by
Igor Mirkovic, known for his feature documentary about the new wave in Croatian music, Happy Child, which was a box office success in 2003.
One of the two independently produced films that were later financially backed by
HAVC to cover for post-production costs is
A Letter to My Father, a feature debut by acclaimed Croatian editor, documentarian and avant-garde filmmaker
Damir Cucic. The second title is
Hives, an ambitious project presenting a collaboration between several European film academies: Academy of Dramatic Art from Croatia, NFTS from the UK, Sam Spiegel Film and television School from Israel, FAMU from Czech Republic and IFS from Germany.
No Laughing Allowed by
Davor Zmegac and
Accidental Passer-by, a directing debut by the prolific Croatian independent producer
Jozo Patljak. The film has been filmed in 3D, and it could also be
the first Croatian feature to be screened in Pula in 3D.A special screening of
Sofia’s Last Ambulance, directed by
Ilian Metev, will also take place outside of the official selection. This documentary film was screened at this year’s Cannes Film Festival’s Critics Week, where it won the France 4 Visionary Award, and it recently received the Grand Prix for best documentary film at Karlovy Vary International Film Festival.
Films from the official selection compete for Golden Arenas in the following categories: best film, director, screenplay, leading and supporting actor and actress, camera, editing, set design, costumes, as well as special Golden Arenas for make-up, sound and special effects. The awards in all categories are decided by a jury. In the minority co-production section three Golden Arenas can be awarded, in the same categories as the national selection.
