Without traditional fireworks, with a limited number of spectators, and in compliance with all epidemiological measures, the 68th Pula Film Festival was opened in the Pula Arena on Saturday night with a festive program and screening of the Croatian film “Murina” directed by Antoneta Alamat Kusijanović, reports Jutarnji List.
The envoy of the Croatian president, special advisor for culture Zdravko Zima, said at the opening that Pula was recognized and will remain so in the future – as a unique place of pilgrimage for many film workers. As he pointed out, it is a city mentioned because of its many sights, because of the film festival and the Book Fair, and he concluded the address by assessing that “art is permanent, and human lives are short.”
State Secretary at the Ministry of Culture Krešimir Partl, as an envoy of the Prime Minister and Minister of Culture and Media, said that the 68th edition of the Pula Film Festival is taking place in different challenging circumstances of the coronavirus pandemic. He pointed out that the pandemic had suspended numerous projects, but as he said, “although there are fewer films, they are of high quality and have already been awarded at festivals” and therefore believes that the program can be beautiful.
“Behind us is a challenging year that has particularly hit the culture and audio-visual sector. However, I believe a better time is ahead of us, and the Government will do everything in its power to help normalize and restart economic and cultural activities,” said Secretary of State Partl.
He said that the Ministry of Culture is proud of this year’s Croatian program, the authors, producers, artists, and employees who managed to complete the shooting and production of films presented at this festival in difficult circumstances.
The mayor of Pula, Filip Zoričić, said that the pandemic had left its mark on the cultural sector and that the connection between film and Pula was deeply rooted in the city’s tradition.
“The festival is part of our past and part of the future. Pula is a city of film, and we will work to extend the film story of three thousand years of Pula through quality programs throughout the year,” said Zoričić. He expressed the desire for the festival to outgrow its framework and become an even more important social and cultural moment of modern and urban Pula.
“Pula is a city of culture, Pula is the Croatian Rome, which especially evokes respect and culture. The film sums up all the arts, and that is a special feeling of freedom, the freedom we always have to talk about. The film and the book give us the opportunity to travel, dream, fantasize, ask questions and give some answers,” said Mayor Zoričić. As he pointed out at the end of his speech, “the Pula Film Festival is a world festival, a European, regional, Croatian, but above all a Pula Film Festival.”
Like every edition, films will be shown on the most beautiful natural stage under the open sky until Friday.
Members of the Croatian Program Jury are Polish screenwriter and director Pawel Pawlikowski, actress Zrinka Cvitešić, director Danilo Šerbedžija, assistant professor at the University of Split Academy of Arts Mirko Pivčević, and artistic director of the Chicago International Film Festival Mimi Plauche.
The festival opened with a screening of the Croatian film “Murina,” debutant Antoneta Alamat Kusijanović, the first screening of the film after its world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival, where it won the Camera d’Or award for the best debut film. This is one of the greatest successes of Croatian film.
1,500 spectators in the Arena could enter without COVID certificates.
The Pula Film Festival is held in 15 locations, four of which are reserved for the film program with more than 90 screenings, and of the films in competition, there are six Croatian and ten co-productions.
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