Brac Film Festival

8th Brac Film Festival starts next week

The eighth edition of the celebrated Brac Film Festival will be hosted in the lovely Supetar on the island next week, from 10th to 13th August 2022. With a programme richer than ever, the festival will show a variety of screenings at the outdoor summer cinema in town, from feature-length films to shorts, as well as a good selection of kids’ films. Brac Film Festival will offer a wonderful cinematic experience on one of Croatia’s most beautiful islands!

Brac Film Festival

Short Films

Short films will proceed the main feature each day, starting at 9.30pm. These short films have been produced by students of local film academies, and the Brac Film Festival gives them an excellent opportunity to screen their works. 2022’s festival will see shorts such as “Pištolji i kacige” (“Gunz and Helmets“), “Kriza” (“Crisis”), “Džonika” and “Sound Mixer” shown.

Main features at Brac Film Festival

The opening evening of the festival will see the screening of the film “Divljaci” (“Savages“), directed by Dario Lonjak. This action comedy tells the story of three Croatian football fans who accidentally end up in a terrorist camp!

The second evening the outstanding “Strahinja Banović” (titled “As Far As I Can Walk” in English), directed by Stefan Arsenijević, will be screened.

On the third night “Zbornica” (“The Staffroom“), by Sonja Tarokić, will be shown; this film has been declared “one of the best Croatian films in recent times” by critics.

The sports drama “Zlatni dječak” (“Golden Boy“) is the main feature screening on the final night of the festival. Directed by Ognjen Janković, the film tells the story of a 20-year-old promising soccer player who, upon entering the professional world, finds it increasingly difficult to reconcile his private life with the demands of sport at the very top.

Brac Film Festival

Films for children

Children’s films will be screened at the festival every day at 9pm. Aimed at kids aged 6 and upwards, both Croatian and foreign films will be shown – these include “Ljeto kada sam naučila letjeti” (“The Summer I Learned to Fly“) which tells the tale of 12-year-old Sofija who enjoys an adventure she couldn’t have dreamed of during her summer holiday on Hvar.

The other kids’ films that will be shown are “Comedy Queen”, “Nelly Rapp: Monster Agent”, “Even Mice Go To Heaven” and the well-known “The Egg“.

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Brac Film Festival

More info on Brac Film Festival

Full details on the festival can be found on the official website – bracfilmfestival.hr/en.

Tickets for all film screenings can be purchased at the box office on the Riva in Supetar. Tickets start being sold from 8th August.

Brac Film Festival
10th – 13th August 2022
bracfilmfestival.hr/en

Murina

Award-winning Croatian film Murina on national UK release from 8th April

Winner of the prestigious Caméra d’Or Prize at the 2021 Cannes Film Festival, Croatian film Murina will be on national UK release from 8th April. From Croatian director Antoneta Alamat Kusijanović, the film tells the story of teenager Julija and the strained relationships with her mother and father, and the arrival of an old family friend to their Croatian island home.

Murina film poster

About Murina

The film follows restless teenage Julija and the tensions that arise between her and her oppressive oppressive father Ante when an old family friend arrives to visit them. When Ante attempts to broker a life-changing deal, their tranquil yet isolated existence leaves Julija wanting more from this influential visitor, who provides a taste of liberation over a weekend laid bare to desire and violence.

Murina film still
Murina film still

Murina stars Gracija Filipović as Julija, Leon Lučev as Ante, Danica Čurčić as Nela and Cliff Curtis as Javier.

Director Antoneta Alamat Kusijanović says about the film:

In Murina I wanted to explore the tensions of a family invaded by a foreigner, an outsider who propels a girl’s inner power to confront the limitations of the mentality she’s known her whole life.

Antoneta goes on to say:

Julija lives in a physical paradise on a Croatian island, but in a society obsessed with getting rich quick by selling away its own essence, where a daughter’s strength is mistaken for her father’s weakness, and land’s value is mistaken for profit.

Julija has an intuition for these dynamics, and for me that is a divine spark I see in young girls. She is like the murina, the moray eel, an animal that will bite its own flesh to break free from a fisherman. Her power is her faith in herself, in nature, and in the unknown. Her power is that she refuses to be silenced.

Murina was executive produced by Martin Scorsese, and Murina’s producers’ other credits include Call Me By Your Name and Frances Ha, with the cinematographer also behind The Lost Daughter and Happy as Lazzaro.

As well as the Caméra d’Or Prize at the Cannes Film Festival, Murina was also part of the official selection at the 2021 Toronto International Film Festival, the 2021 São Paulo International Film Festival and the 2021 CPH: PIX.

The film has been given five stars by Culturefly who say it is “sultry and absorbing”; Flickering Myth say it is “heart-stopping” and give it 4 stars, as does Total Film.

Watch the official trailer for Murina below:

About the director

Writer-director Antoneta Alamat Kusijanović is Dubrovnik born and currently based in New York. Antoneta graduated with an MA from the Academy of Dramatic Arts in Zagreb and an MFA in Screenwriting and Directing from Columbia University in New York. She is an alumna of the Berlinale Talent Lab, Sarajevo Talent Lab, La Femis Producing Atelier, and the Marcie Bloom Fellowship and is a member of the Academy.

Antoaneta Almat Kusijanović

Murina is Antoneta’s first feature film, although her 2017 short film Into The Blue was nominated for a Student Academy Award, and won awards at the Berlin International Film Festival, Sarajevo Film Festival, Oberhausen Film Festival, and the Festival de Premier Plans, Angers, among many others. Antoneta’s other credits include If We Must Die (short), Christmas Tree (short), Eye for an Eye (short) and Nonina (short).

Murina was developed with support from the Résidence du Festival Cannes, Cinéfondation, First Films First by the Ghoethe-Institute, and Jerusalem Film Lab is produced by Martin Scorsese Sikelia, RT features and Antitalent.

More info

Be sure to check local listings to see where Murina is playing near you from 8th April, or online at www.modernfilms.com/murina. (Screening details to be updated soon.)

For more details, check out Murina on the Modern Films website on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

Pop Up Summer Garden

Enjoy summer in Zagreb at Pop Up Summer Garden – starting today!

The second edition of the beautiful Zagreb summer-long event, Pop Up Summer Garden, starts today, 7th June 2018. Located just a few minutes away from Ilica Street in the centre of Zagreb, the event fits perfectly into its wonderful surroundings, the beautiful Tuškanac woods. Pop Up Summer Garden is one of the best ways of relaxing in the heat of the city!

Pop Up Summer Garden

Following last year’s successful inaugural event, Pop Up Summer Garden brings together summer refreshment and entertainment for both locals and visitors to the city. There will be plenty of music, events, creative art and floral installations as well as a large selection of tasty food and drinks. Guests can expect performances by numerous DJs and acoustic bands of all genres; a varied programme of films; plus activities such as workshops, themed weeks, special guest appearances and other interesting events. Top-notch cocktails will be prepared by renowned barmen from one of the most popular bars in Zagreb, Swanky Monkey Garden, and Spizza restaurant will be making delicious snacks.

Pop Up Summer Garden

Pop Up Summer Garden

Films at Pop Up Summer Garden

Film lovers in particular will be given a special treat with a film festival organised by the Summer Stage Tuškanac; a perfect complement to Pop Up Summer Garden.

The film program on Summer Stage Tuškanac, organised by the Centre for Culture and Film Augusta Cesarca, starts on Saturday, June 9th with a screening of the animated film “Isle of Dogs”. This particular production comes from the world animated Zagreb film festival, Animafest.

Live music at Pop Up Summer Garden

At the opening of Pop Up Summer Garden today, 7th June, guests can dance into the night to the sounds of the best soul / r’n’b / funk musicians of the Croatian band SoulShadows SoundSystem. Dance rhythms continue with DJ Fiddly Digits & Nobs performing as Filthy Dancing Live. Friday 8th June is reserved for the Croatian band Ljetno Kino and DJ Oberan.

Pop Up Summer Garden

Pop Up Summer Garden

Summer in the City

Escape the concrete jungle and the heat of summer by heading to the green oasis of Pop Up Summer Garden. The event will be open until mid-September, so guests can cool down in the Tuškanac woods with cocktails, music, movies and lots of fun almost all summer long.

Pop Up Summer Garden

More on Pop Up Summer Garden

Full details of Pop Up Summer Garden, including the complete programme and event announcements, can be found on the official Facebook & Instagram accounts. Check them out, and start planning your summer in Zagreb!

Animafest

25th Animafest in Zagreb to screen feature and short films!

One of the most famous animation film festivals in the world – Zagreb’s Animafest – will return to the city in 2015 in June for its 25th edition. However, this year’s festival is proud to announce that for the very first time, both feature and short films will be shown. (Previously editions alternated each year between the two disciplines.)

Animafest

As one of the friendliest gatherings for all fans of animation and those that work in the industry, this year’s festival will see over 350 films presented across various genres. There will be a complete overview of the best from the international animation scene, which will feature powerful cinemas, great names, Oscar winners and world premieres, as well as pieces from up and coming new talent and student works, and retrospectives of animation masters.

There will also be plenty besides just film screenings at Animafest 2015. The fastest-growing form of media – videogames and interactive content – will be on show at the festival. There will also be multi-screen animation installations, water screen projections, interactive phone application and live audiovisual performances. Not forgetting the very many panels, lectures, workshops, exhibitions and case studies of recent animation hits.

Animafest will take place in Zagreb, Croatia from 9th to 14th June 2015. For full details of the festival, please see the official website www.animafest.hr/en.

Animafest
9th – 14th June 2015
Zagreb

Croatian Film Festival

Croatian Film Festival in London, 31st October to 2nd November 2013

Starting tomorrow, there’s an exciting opportunity to see some Croatian films in London! The four-day Croatian Film Festival is being presented by the British-Croatian Society and the Croatian Audiovisual Centre and will take place at the Lost Theatre on Wandsworth Road, London SW8. A diverse mix of subject matters will be presented through these films, featuring a combination of dramas and comedies, and many of the films shown have won multiple awards both in Croatia and internationally. Most will be feature films, although there will also be one short film shown. And – don’t worry, English-speaking friends! All films will be shown with English subtitles.

Croatian Film Festival

The Croatian Film Festival will kick things off at 6pm on Thursday 31st October with a screening of Pismo ćaći (A Letter to My Dad), described as a drama-documentary hybrid that’s based on real events but structured like a live-action feature film. At 8pm the same day, the romantic comedy Sonja i bik (Sonja And The Bull) will be shown; Zagreb-girl and animal-rights activist Sonja challenges the Dalmatian countryside residents on their bullfighting…and they in turn, challenge her to stand in front of a bull.

On Friday 1st November at 6pm, the comedy-drama Nije kraj (Will Not Stop There) will be screened, followed by the experimental short film From To at 8.30pm. At 8.45pm, it’s Neka ostane među nama (Just Between Us).

On Saturday 2nd November at 5pm, it’s the turn of Lea & Darija – an inspiring and true coming-of-age tale of two thirteen year old girls who were dancing and acting stars in Zagreb on the eve of World War II. At 7pm on Saturday, it’s Ljudožder vegetarijanac (Cannibal Vegetarian), a medical crime thriller. At 9pmNa putu (On The Path), the tale of a young Bosnian-Muslim couple, Luna and Amar, in post-war Sarajevo who have to deal with Amar’s increasing Muslim radicalisation. Zrinka Cvitesic, who plays Luna, was nominated for Best Actress at the 2010 European Film Awards for this role.

More details on the films showing at the Croatian Film Festival in London can be found on the Lost Theatre website at www.losttheatre.co.uk/index.php/11-current-shows/200-croatian-film-festival-welcome-croatia where you can also book tickets for any of the screenings.

Tickets cost £10 (£8 concessions) for all films, and you can also buy a full festival pass for £25. (Tickets bought online/by phone have an additional booking fee.)

You can also find the programme online on the British-Croatian Society website: www.britishcroatiansociety.com/London%202013%20ENG.pdf

See you there!

Croatian Film Festival
31st October – 2nd November 2013 2013
Lost Theatre
208 Wandsworth Road
SW8 2JU

Nearest tube: Stockwell or Vauxhall