61st Film Festival in Pula
Does anyone even remember Pula without the film festival?
Sixty years seems like – forever. We cannot (and we don’t want to) imagine the summer in Pula without films in the Arena – the connection between film and the city has been deeply and permanently rooted into the very fabric of Pula. There is no doubt that film (the Festival) has made an impact on the social and cultural life of Pula citizens, contributing to Pula’s popularization nationally and internationally. At the same time, the audience in Pula is a sociological phenomenon – loyal to its Festival, it has been following national film, expressing a whole array of emotions collectively and spontaneously.
As a consequence, the Festival (regardless of all the transformations it has undergone and outlived) enjoys longevity. Pula is the best place for national cinema to sound out how films communicate with the audience, at the same time challenging recent artistic achievements and aesthetics. In this context Pula is about to celebrate its 60th edition and a record number of films in national (co)production is the best possible birthday present to a festival that has proved to be simply unique and irreplaceable in the course of its sixty years. We will have the opportunity to see fourteen Croatian films and ten minority co-productions, as well as the especially interesting and recently launched short films programme that introduces many young talents to Pula.
Just like Europe strives for unity in diversity, the Pula Film Festival ensures coexistence of national and international programmes. It is not a coincidence that the friend of the 60th Pula Film Festival is the European Union. Twelve feature-length and eighteen short films from all the member countries of the European Union will be presented as part of this year’s Europolis Programme.
The Pulica Programme gives children the opportunity to enjoy not just selected films but also different film workshops. In addition, this jubilee edition will be remembered for a number of sidebar programmes and events, as well as stage performances.
The sixtieth anniversary is the opportunity to remember and thank all the directors, actors, actresses, and other film professionals who created and who keep creating films and the Festival. Moreover, we will have a chance to welcome some of them in Pula.
