Major award for the most beautiful cinema in Zagreb.
The Europa Cinema in Zagreb is the winner of the award for the best film programme in 2016, which is awarded by Europa Cinemas, the network of European cinemas. The most popular independent urban cinema has won this prestigious title of a European cinema with the best film programme in the competition of as many as 1078 cinemas from 644 cities and town in 41 European countries, which currently make the aforementioned network, reports Lider on November 7, 2016.
The award for the best film programme is the most important annual award given by the Europa Cinemas, and the highest award that a cinema can receive at the European level, as well as one of the most important awards ever given to a Croatian cultural institution.
“We are very happy and proud that the European conema community has recognized our work and give us this important prize. It also inspires us for our future work and represents an obligation to be even better in the future. I hope that we will soon, with the support of the Zagreb city authorities, reconstruct the main hall of the most beautiful theatre in Croatia, which we now know has the best film programme in Europe”, said the director of Europa Cinema Boris Matić.
The award will be presented to the cinema management, represented by director Boris Matić, executive director Hrvoje Laurenti, programme coordinator Selma Mehadžić, and producer Lana Ujdur by Nina Peče, a member of the Managing Bard of the Europa Cinemas and the director of the Ljubljana Kinodvor, at the opening ceremony of the 14th Zagreb Film Festival which will be held on 12 November at the Europa Cinema.
Europa Cinema was built in 1924/25 by the wealthy Müller family from Zagreb and designed by architect Srećko Florschütz with the aim of constructing the most beautiful, important and modern cinema in the region. The cinema was officially opened on 8 April 1925 with Fritz Lang’s Die Niebelungen and the local film Dalmatia, Land of Sun. The City of Zagreb acquired it in October 2007 after a successful action by Zagreb Film Festival and Croatian Film Association. The Croatian film and cultural public and all film aficionados appealed to the city government to acquire this theatre and allocate it for use to cinematic purposes. Early in 2008, Cinema Europa management was trusted to Zagreb Film Festival, with the goal of making this cinema the regional centre of film and film art. In 2013, the Ministry of Culture reached a decision to make Cinema Europa a protected cultural heritage site and national treasure. The cinema’s interior and its lavish stucco decorations and post-Art Nouveau classicist details are considered one of the city’s most beautiful spaces.
