The origins of the Pula Film Festival can be traced back to the post-World War II period, when the Yugoslavian film industry was just starting to emerge. In 1949, a group of filmmakers and film enthusiasts in the city of Zagreb organised the first Yugoslav Film Festival, which aimed to promote the country’s national cinema. The festival was a success and continued to grow in size and popularity over the next few years.
In 1954, the organisers of the Yugoslav Film Festival decided to move the event to the city of Pula, a popular tourist destination on the coast of the Adriatic Sea. The decision to move the festival to Pula was made in part because of the city’s historic Roman amphitheatre, which provided a unique and impressive setting for film screenings and other festival events.
Over the years, the Pula Film Festival has grown in size and prestige, and has become an important event for filmmakers and film enthusiasts from around the world. It is one of the oldest film festivals in Europe.
This year it’s celebrating 70 years of existence. In its jubilee edition, Pula Film Festival will focus on the relationship between film and audience. Alongside fiction film, it will open up to animated and documentary film to become the central meeting place of the Croatian film community. The main part of the programme will have two sections: Croatian Film and Croatian Minority Co-productions, where the films will compete for a total of 20 Golden Arenas: 16 in Croatian Film and four in Croatian Minority Co-productions.
Visit the 70th film under the stars from 15 to 23 July and be part of one of the most important festivals for Croatia and the region, support Croatian film and have fun at other workshops and presentations. Find out more on their official website.
Photo source: Instagram @pulafilmfestival
