Pula Film Festival announces its Croatian and international programmes

by Cineuropa

30/05/2016 - The gathering has confirmed the key elements of the Croatian and international film selections for its 63rd edition

Pula Film Festival announces its Croatian and international programmes

An image from a previous edition of the Pula Film Festival

The Pula Film Festival Council has confirmed the key elements of the Croatian and international film selections of the 63rd Pula Film Festival (9-16 July 2016). Applications from Croatian filmmakers reached a record 105 films, of which 31 are features and 74 short films, intended for the Croatian programme.

The artistic board, comprising Hrvoje Pukšec, president, and members Mike Downey and Tanja Miličić, have selected 16 feature-length (seven in the competition, three out of competition, and six minority co-productions) and 18 short (17 in the competition, one minority co-production) films, making up the Croatian programme, and 16 international titles (12 competition and four out of competition).

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The International competition will screen Aloys [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Tobias Nölle
film profile] by Tobias Nölle (Switzerland), Between Sea and Land by Carlos del Castillo (Columbia), Chevalier [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] by Athina Rachel Tsangari (Greece), Evolution [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] by Lucile Hadzihalilovic (France), Illegitimate [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Adrian Sitaru
film profile] by Adrian Sitaru (Romania), Kaili Blues by Gan Bi (China), Mammal [+see also:
trailer
film profile] by Rebecca Daly (Ireland), Mountain [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Yaelle Kayam
film profile] by Yaëlle Kayam (Israel), The Dreamed Ones [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] by Ruth Beckermann (Austria), The Yard [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] by Måns Månsson (Sweden) and Things to Come [+see also:
film review
trailer
Q&A: Mia Hansen-Løve
film profile] by Mia Hansen-Løve (France).

Apart from the current Croatian and international films, this year’s Pula Film Festival also offers the best films from recent Croatian history. Members of different film associations (the Croatian Film Directors’ Guild, Croatian Cinematographers Society, Croatian Producers Association, Film Makers Association of Croatia, and Croatian Society of Film Critics) had the task of selecting the five best films from the last 25 years of Croatia’s independence. They searched for five important pieces and found “the magnificent seven” (owing to the equal number of points that the films received).

Artistic board member Mike Downey said: "We live in interesting times, and after three years on the artistic board, the one thing I have noticed is that the selection of Croatian films has become easier. Why? Well, the quality has just improved year on year, steadily. The first year, there was very little to choose from. I wouldn't have put one film in the arena if it had been up to me. Why advertise one's poverty? But the work done on quality control at the HAVC has been a game changer – not just in domestic Croatian film, but in the money going into international co-productions as well. It means that this year, we have a very strong programme of both Croatian majority and minority productions – and in the times in which we live, this sends a strong signal to the local politicians, the international industry and the public in general, who are returning to Croatian cinema."

For more information on all of the festival’s programmes and the films selected, visit the site.

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