The Fourth Day of the 69th Pula Film Festival

The Fourth Day of the 69th Pula Film Festival

Two films in competition in the Croatian Programme were screened at the Arena last night: The Uncle, directed by David Kapac and Andrija Mardešić, and 4:2, directed by Anđelo Jurkas.

The Uncle, directed by David Kapac and Andrija Mardešić follows a family – mother, father and son – in the late 1980. A beloved uncle has returned home from Germany for the holidays and is handing out gifts. The reunited family enjoys their traditional Croatian Christmas lunch until a smartphone starts ringing. It’s a sign that it is not the 1980s, it’s not quite Christmas time either, and it is not just the served turkey that can be cut with a knife – the tension can, too. The film stars Ivana Roščić, Goran Bogdan, Miki Manojlović and Roko Sikavica.

4:2, directed by Anđelo Jurkas, brings us back to 2018. The eyes of the world are turned to the Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow, the final game of the World Cup between France and Croatia. At the same time, a married couple silently gets into a car in Zagreb and sets off on the old road towards Rijeka. While the football drama of the year is taking place on the macro plane, two people are fighting on the micro plane for the life they have known so far. However, nothing is as it seems. The film stars Bojana Gregorić Vejzović and Ivo Krešić.

The Istrian National Theatre was the location of reruns of films screened at the Arena the day before, as well as short films in the Student Programme, while the film Butterfly Vision, directed by Maksym Nakonechnyi. The film A Girl Returned, directed by Giuseppe Bonito was screened in the Dizalica Programme at Ambrela Beach, and the documentary film about the legendary composer Ennio Morricone, Ennio, directed by Giuseppe Tornatore, was screened at Valli Cinema.

The Croatian Film Directors Guild, in partnership with Pula Film Festival, organised the presentation of projects developed at the Screenwriting Workshop under the mentorship of Snježana Tribuson and Ognjen Sviličić for live-action series, and Saša Ban and Miroslav Sikavica for documentary series. There was a lot of interest from Festival visitors and a great atmosphere at the presentation moderated by Ljubo Lasić, with excellent pitching of projects in development. The authors presented seven projects in their current phase with an original approach and a detailed breakdown. The presentation was done in great detail and on a professional level by Vlatka Vorkapić (crime series Banija), Ivan Grgur (documentary series about trap music Napravit ću scenu), and Lana Kosovac and Amanda Prenkaj (dramedy Roberta, saberi se).

It is of great importance for the film industry and the authors, as well as authors in the future, that pitching for series happens in Croatia and that we follow European and global trends in the way of work and approach to developing projects. This event was an opportunity for authors to practice and prepare for future pitching, and for the audience to learn about this process and the different methods used. It is also very valuable for all potential collaborators and interested producers, who will be working on getting the funds to make the projects happen, to hear from the authors themselves about their motivation, affinities, and reasons for going into a certain project.

Today at the Arena, two films in competition in the Croatian Programme will be screened: High on Life, directed by Radislav Jovanov and Kick and Scream, directed by Nina Violić. At Valli Cinema, the film Sun, directed by Kurdwin Ayub will be screened; and at Kaštel, the 1927 silent film Berlin: Symphony of a Great City, directed by Walter Ruttman, will be screened in the Film Classics Programme with original music performance by Chui, as well as the horror Speak No Evil, directed by Christian Tafdrup, as a special screening. The film Oink, directed by Mascha Halberstad, will be screened in the Pulica Programme at the Istrian National Theatre, as well as  films in the Student Programme. The film Carajita, directed by Silvina Schnicer and Ulises Porre, will be screened in the Dizalica Programme at Ambrela Beach.

The programmes, as well as the detailed schedule of screenings and all other information can be found on the official webpage of the Festival: www.pulafilmfestival.hr.