Upcoming Hollywood tentpoles “Independence Day: Resurgence,” “Ice Age: Collision Course” and the rebooted “Ghostbusters” will launch into the Balkans as out-of-competition titles from Croatia’s Pula Film Festival, the country’s top film event.
The festival, now in its 63rd edition, boasts a Roman amphitheater (pictured) that serves as its main screening venue.
The international competition will include some of the year’s fest-circuit standouts, such as “Chevalier,” by Greek director Athina Rachel Tsangari; Columbian helmer Carlos del Castillo’s “Between Sea and Land,” which made a splash at Sundance; and “Things to Come,” by France’s Mia Hansen-Love, which won the Silver Bear for best director in Berlin.
The Croatian program, which forms the fest’s core, will launch 16 feature films, six of which are minority co-productions. A record 105 Croatian entries, including shorts, were submitted, indicating the healthy state of local production.
“The increased quality of Croatian cinema over the last three year, has made the experience of curating Pula so much more creative,” Mike Downey, one of the three members of the fest’s artistic board of directors, said in a statement.
“There is also a marked improvement in the minority co-productions, making it a very balanced national program,” he added. The other two members of the fest’s artistic board are Hrvoje Puksec and Tanja Milicic.
The 63rd Pula Film Festival will run July 9-16.
CROATIAN PROGRAM – Feature Films
Generation ’68, Nenad Puhovski
Ministry of Love, Pavo Marinković
Shooting Stars, Ivan – Goran Vitez
On the Other Side, Zrinko Ogresta
All The Best, Snježana Tribuson
Confusions, Lana Kosovac
Trampoline, Katarina Zrinka Matijević
Out of competition:
The Blue Cage, Bruna Bajić
Life is a Trumpet, Antonio Nuić
The Liberation of Skopje, Rade and Danilo Šerbedžija
Minority co-productions:
A Good Wife, Mirjana Karanović
Full Contact, David Verbeek
Houston, We Have A Problem!, Žiga Virc
Lazar, Svetozar Ristovski
Interruption, Yorgos Zois
Sparrows, Rúnar Rúnarsson
INTERNATIONAL PROGRAM
Aloys, Tobias Nölle, Switzerland (Berlinale Panorama – FIPRESCI award)
Between Sea and Land, Carlos del Castillo, Columbia (Sundance Film Festival – Audience Award, Special Jury Prize)
Chevalier, Athina Rachel Tsangari, Greece (London, Cartagena, Thessaloniki – Best Film)
Evolution, Lucile Hadzihalilovic, France (San Sebastián – Best Cinematography, Special Jury Prize)
Illegitimate, Adrian Sitaru, Romania (Berlinale – C.I.C.A.E. award)
Kaili Blues, Gan Bi, Kina (Locarno – Best Emerging Director, Best First Feature – Special Mention)
Mammal, Rebecca Daly, Ireland (Sundance Film Festival)
Mountain, Yaëlle Kayam, Israel (Venice, San Francisco, Göteborg)
The Dreamed Ones, Ruth Beckermann, Austria (Austria Diagonale – Best Film)
The Yard, Måns Månsson, Sweden (Göteborg – Lorens Award)
Things to Come, Mia Hansen-Love, France (Berlinale – Silver Bear, Best Director)
OUT OF COMPETITION
Chronic, Michel Franco, Mexico (Cannes Film Festival – Best Screenplay)
Planet Single, Mitja Okorn, Poland
Independence Day: Resurgence, Roland Emmerich, USA
Ice Age: Collision Course, Mike Thurmeier and Galen T. Chu, USA
Ghostbusters, Paul Feig, USA
