Festival’s Council unanimously adopted the programme concept of the 56^th festival that will run from 18 to 25 July 2009, with a warm-up programme at Kaštel from 11 to 17 July that will premiere 7 films from the Europolis-Meridians Programme.

 

The entire international programme shall be screened at the Pula cinema and the Arena simultaneously with the principle National Programme and the sidebar programmes.

At a conference presided over by the Minister of Culture mr. sc. Božo Biškupić, the Pula Film Festival Council unanimously adopted the report on the 55^th Festival submitted by the Festival’s director Zdenka Višković-Vukić and the artistic director Zlatko Vidačković.

 

They stressed out the importance of the comeback of the real festival atmosphere in Pula, positive repercussions in the media, renovation of the Pula cinema, new film projector at the Arena, and invitations to take part at international festivals received after the screening of Croatian films at Pula.

 

What was particularly emphasized was the increase in the number of spectators of the National Programme at the Arena and the Europolis-Meridians international programme at Kaštel and at the cinema. This year the Festival was visited by 43 800 spectators, which is the highest figure in the independent Croatia.

 

The Festival has so far attracted the widest attention of international media covering film. The most powerful film industry magazine, Variety, has for the first time published reviews of three Croatian films from the Festival Programme, and the Festival has also been covered in notable articles in Screen International.

 

Financial report on Festival’s positive business operations was also unanimously adopted.

In National Competition No One’s Son (Niciji sin) by Arsen Anton Ostojic triumphed with 6 Golden Arenas and the Critics' Award, while Will Not End Here (Nije kraj) by Vinko Bresan follows with 4 Golden Arenas and the Publics' Award.

BEST FILM:

The Grand Golden Arena for the best film No One’s Son (Niciji sin)

Publics' Award Golden Gate of Pula Vinko Bresan for Will Not End Here (Nije kraj)

Critics' Award Oktavijan Arsen Anton Ostojić for No One’s Son (Ničiji sin)

Foreign Critics and Selectors Award - Goran Rusinovic for Buick Riviera
Young Cinephiles Award - Zrinko Ogresta Behind the Glass (Iza stakla)

Other categories:
Golden Arena for directing Arsen Anton Ostojic for No One’s Son (Niciji sin)
Golden arena for the script Goran Rusinovic and Miljenko Jergovic for Buick Riviera
Golden Arena for the leading actress Jadranka Dokic for Behind the Glass (Iza stakla)
Golden Arena for the supporting actress  Nada Gacesic-Livakovic for Kino Lika
Golden Arena for the leading actor Alen Liveric for No One’s Son (Ničiji sin)
Golden Arena for the supporting actor Leon Lucev for Will Not End Here (Nije kraj)
Golden Arena for camera Davorin Gecl for Behind the Glass (Iza stakla)
Golden Arena for editing Sandra Botica Bresan for Will Not End Here (Nije kraj)
Golden Arena for music Mate Matisic for No One’s Son (Ničiji sin)
Golden Arena for scenography Mario Ivezic for Will Not End Here (Nije kraj)
Golden Arena for costume design Zeljka Franulovic for Will Not End Here (Nije kraj)
Golden Arena for make up Mojca Gorogranc for Kino Lika

Golden Arena for sound Damir Kljucaric and Blaz Andracic for No One’s Son (Ničiji sin)

Golden Arena for special effects in the film. Drago Poldrugac and Marko Poldrugac for No One’s Son (Ničiji sin)

Breza, the award for best debut - Areta Ćurković for Kino Lika

International Competition:

JURY AWARDS
Golden Arena for the best film The Girl Cut in Two by Claude Chabrol
Golden Arena for the best director to Mike Leigh  for Happy Go Lucky
Golden Arena for the best acting role Liu Weiwei for In Love We Trust

Young Cinephiles Award
The Unknown by Giuseppe Tornatore

Take a look at the screening schedule for the screenings in the Arena and on other locations (PDF). As a gift of City of Pula for the Festival 55th jubilee, a ticket for the Arena costs only 10 kunas (for 1 evening - 2 films), while for the rest of screenings the entrance is free.

55th Pula Film Festival will be held from Saturday, 19 July till Saturday, 26 July 2008. in the Arena and in the new cinema.

A special international preview programme will be held on the Castle of Pula (Kaštel) fom Saturday, 12 July till Thursday 17 July 2008.
The Cinema Valli will be opened on 18 July.
All Croatian and foreign films will be subtitled in English (or in English language).

Here are the lists of films in the international competition and national competition.

The 55^th Pula Film Festival held a press conference at which it announced the international PoPular Programme in the Arena and the arrival of international guests from the ranks of artistic directors and consultants of distinguished festivals and international film press, presented festival opening credits by Dean Bertoldi, and announced the new name of the Pula cinema – Valli, after the last name of Pula-born world film star Alida Valli.

 

The press conference gathered representatives of organizers, director Zdenka Višković-Vukić, art director Zlatko Vidačković and producer Tanja Miličić, but also deputy mayor Fabrizio Radin, head of the City of Pula Culture Sector Klara Udovičić, and the representative of festival’s partner T-com.

 

Seven Croatian premières shall be presented in the PoPular Programme.  Apart from seven attractive genre films by renowned directors featuring big film stars – Flawless by Michael Radford, Sleuth by Kenneth Branagh, Before the Devils Know You Are Dead by Sydney Lumet, Battle in Seattle by Stuart Towsend, Hoax by Lasse Hallstrom, Vicky Cristina Barcelona by Woody Allen, and Death Defying Acts by Gillian Anderson – there is also some family entertainment here – a cartoon entitled Wall-E that shall be showcased after the awards ceremony.

 

For the first time Festival guests will be Cannes selector Joel Chapron, program manager of the Berlinale’s Panorama section Paz Lazaro, Venice selector Aliona Shumakova, as well as critics of world film magazines Alissa Simon (Variety) and Dan Fainar (Screen International) and many other renowned journalists and selectors.

 

The long-awaited cinema undergoing final renovation and equipping phases was finally given a name. It will be called Valli Cinema, after the famous Pula-born actress, Alida Valli.

 

Head of the City of Pula Culture Sector Klara Udovičić presented the career and the impact made by the actress who participated in more than hundred and twenty films in the course of her career, out of which quite a few with prominent directors such as Alfred Hitchock, Carol Reed, Luchino Visconti, Michelangelo Antonioni, Claude Chabrol, Pier Paolo Pasolini, Bernard Bertolucci, and Dario Argente. Deputy mayor Fabrizio Radin reflected on the cinema from the financial perspective stating that the project has been completely covered in financial terms.

 

The composition of the jury for national and international programmes, International Competition Programme Europolis-Meridijani on the Fortress (Kaštel) and at the cinema, as well as schedule of Croatian films from the National Programme of the 55^th Pula Film Festival shall be announce the next week, after the meeting of the Pula Film Festival Council.

Ongoing construction work on the Zagreb Cinema, this year’s visual identity of the festival and the list of submitted films for the 55th national programme were presented by the director of the Pula Film Festival, Zdenka Viskovic-Vukic, and the producer, Tanja Milicic, at the press conference held on 13 May.

 

The Zagreb Cinema renovation is right on schedule and final works are to start any day now. New projector, screen, chairs and all the necessary equipment have been purchased and deposited in the festival’s warehouse awaiting installation. The renovation is going according to the schedule and it is expected to finish by 15 June. (Check out the gallery - construction work underway). Technical adjustments will proceed from that date until the opening ceremony scheduled for 18 July. The cinema will have 209 seats including an area for disabled people.

 

In addition, a preliminary poster for the 55^th Pula Film Festival was presented at the press conference. The authors are Tomislav Vlainic, Lada Vlainic and Ivan Doroghy of the Zagreb-based DZN studio.

Check out the preliminary jumbo and advertising posters in pdf.

 

Furthermore, films submitted for the national competition programme were announced: Nije kraj (Will Not Stop There), dir. Vinko Bresan, prod. Interfilm; Iza stakla (Behind the Glass), Zrinko Ogresta, prod. Interfilm; Tri price o nespavanju (Three Stories About Sleeplessness), dir. Tomislav Radic, prod. Korugva film; Niciji sin (No One’s Son), dir. Arsen Anton Ostojic, prod. Alka Film; Kino Lika (Kino Lika), dir. Dalibor Matanic, prod. Kinorama; Buick Riviera (Buick Riviera), dir. Goran Rusinovic, prod. Propeller film; and finally Zapamtite Vukovar, dir. Fadil Hadzic, prod. Alka Film. The official programme will be announced after the meeting of the Festival Council in June. 

The 55^th Pula Film Festival will present twelve films of the 17^th Days of Croatian Film, winners of official jury prizes and Oktavijan critics prizes. These films will be screened with English subtitles. Thus will the audience, along with artistic directors and selectors of renowned foreign film festivals, have the opportunity to see the best Croatian short and medium length films, animated films, documentaries, experimental and appropriated films as well as video clips.

 

Check out the list of winners of 17th Days of Croatian Film that will feature in Pula.

 

The national programme of the 54^th Pula Film Festival was presented as part of Mala Pula Programme of the 17^th Days of Croatian Film that ran from 25 to 30 March 2008 at the Student Centre in Zagreb.