August 6, 2019 – The film General about General Ante Gotovina premiered in Split at the Bačvice Summer Cinema on Victory Day.
“I am glad to be here at the promotion of General, and I am glad that such a movie about the Homeland War, about the people at war, was finally made. I believe it is good,” Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense of the Republic of Croatia, General Damir Krstičević, told Slobodna Dalmacija before the Split premiere. The Dalmatian spectacle of Antun Vrdoljak’s latest film was held at the Bačvice Summer Cinema, organized in cooperation with the 65th Split Summer Festival, the Pula Film Festival, and Kino Mediterranean.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v=IzE8qBGdRZ4
“I am really pleased that the premiere of the film is all over Croatia, and especially in Split, today, when we celebrate the Victory and Homeland Thanksgiving Day and the Day of Croatian Defenders.
Split, and all of Dalmatia gave a lot in the Homeland War, especially in the defense, and later in the liberation of all of Dalmatia and Croatia.
Split is the home of the 4th Guards Brigade and is also the home of other military units in the area. Once again, a huge thank you to Croatian veterans for winning the Homeland War, and the greatest gratitude to the families of our fallen, dead and missing Croatian veterans,” Krstičević added.
There were many well-known faces at the premiere of the film, including many political figures like Split-Dalmatia County Mayor Blaženko Boban, Split Mayor Andro Krstulović Opara, Split-Dalmatia County HDZ President Ante Sanader, but also music manager Ivan Bubalo and painter Zvonimir Mihanović.
“The interest in the film is great. Gotovina is a symbol of the Homeland War. It is one thing that every war has to have – heroes. We can be grateful to Vrdoljak for making this movie. Because, he remains, like a movie screen. Everything you write and film is something that remains. This is certainly very important for the young and new generations and for creating patriotism in Croatia. The premiere on this date is just as big a deal. Congratulations to the organizers who made it today,” Sanader said.
The film’s director Antun Vrdoljak also attended the Split premiere.
“When Ante Gotovina was arrested, in your naivety you think, like, I can help with a movie in The Hague.
But as long as you do the work, you believe in it. And here it is, Ante is back, and we made a movie about it. To my credit, I’m also a brigadier. So one rank less than a general.
The friendships of war last a very long time and are very deep. There is one sentence in the movie ‘life is important in war’. And she asks him ‘Your life?’ He replies, ‘no.’
This is exactly the whole point of the movie,” Vrdoljak noted.
Shortly before the screening, the audience was addressed by Srećko Šestan, director of the 65th Split Summer Festival and the HNK intendant in Split.
“It is my pleasure that, after a brief interruption in screening the best films from the Pula Film Festival, Split will once again become the center of our excellence in cinema. I want to thank everyone who helped us launch three evenings with Croatian premieres. It is a special pleasure to thank Mr. Antun Vrdoljak, my dear friend,” Šestan emphasized.
Translated from Slobodna Dalmacija
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