The film Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again will see its second Croatian premiere this evening at the Arena, at the 65th Pula Film Festival. It is a sequel to Mamma Mia, filmed in 2008. The second film, which was filmed on the Island of Vis, had Croatian cinema as a great partner, with the assistance from the Croatian Audiovisual Centre. “Hits from Abba were once again brought to life in this film, and the second film is actually a prequel to the story of the first film, a wonderful Mediterranean comedy set in Greece (played by Croatia),” said Boško Picula at the press conference.
Daniel Rafaelić, director of the Croatian Audiovisual Centre, emphasised this is a project he has been proud the most in his term of one and a half years. “This evening in the Arena we will see a regional premiere of a great film, the influence of which is yet to be felt in Croatia,” said Rafaelić, thanking the entire crew.
Director Ol Parker is thrilled withe the experience of filming on the Island of Vis and other Croatian islands: “Vis is such a small island, but it’s so beautiful, and we completely fell in love with it and filmed with great joy. The people are very warm and nice, and we were more than thrilled,” he said. Parker added that he was working on a familiar story with excellent actors, and that nothing was difficult for him. “I was very nervous, because I was working with great names such as Cher, but I pretended to be super confident and acted like I knew what I was doing, so everything turned out fine,” he said and added that Cher is a true star, and acts like one with a reason, but when the lights are off, she is a very down to earth, warm and kind person. “The fact that even Pierce Brosnan, Colin Firth and Andy Garcia stood in line to get a photo with her speaks about how popular she is,” said Parker.
Along with the already mentioned famous actors, the film brought together young actors, who play the leading roles’ younger selves. Josh Dylan plays young Bill, and says his character is romantic, adventurous, without a care in the world. “He likes boats, he is spontaneous, and a true Swede,” he added. Jeremy Irvine spoke about his work with Parker and compared it to working with Steven Spielberg: “They both have a calmness on set that they spread to the whole crew. It is very useful, as working on a film can be very stressful.” He plays the young Pierce Brosnan, who he says is very friendly, and when asked if he is going to be the next James Bond, like Brosnan, he just smiled: “We’ll see,” he said. Hugh Skinner plays the young Colin Firth, who has won an Oscar, and when asked if he is the next Oscar winner, he said: “If I could be Colin Firth, I would. I just play his younger self.” He said his fellow actress Lily James is “annoyingly talented”. “She is an excellent actress, and she also sings and dances beautifully,” he added. When asked about the future of Croatian film, Parker said: “Boundless”. “Your country is astonishingly beautiful, there are so many filming possibilities, and the wonderful people of Croatia make it that much easier,” says Parker, who is also happy with the cooperation with the Croatian Audiovisual Centre. “We got everything we needed for our work on the film, even faster than expected, including both technical and moral support. We are thrilled and very satisfied,” he emphasised. Dylan, on the other hand, is thrilled with Croatian cuisine and Croatian wine, and he has been spending his summer on the Island of Vis for the sixth year in a row with his family, and has made a lot of friends who he visits. When asked if there will be a third sequel and if Croatia would perhaps just be Croatia, instead of playing another country, Parker said it’s yet to bee seen.
