The biggest news of the International Programme of the 66th Pula Film Festival is the return of the PoPular Programme, which will show at the Arena, from Monday, 15 July to Sunday, 21 July. The news was announced by the artistic director of Pula Film Festival Zlatko Vidačković. The International Programme of the 66th Pula Film Festival is marked by biographical films about great world artists, with five feature films and five documentary films. The PoPular Programme in the Arena will see screenings of The White Crow, directed by Ralph Fiennes, about the ballet icon Rudolf Nureyev; Tolkien, directed by Dome Karukovski, about the early life of the author of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings; and the autobiographical film Pain and Glory, directed by the cult Spanish director Pedro Almodovar. The Europolis Programme, showing at Valli Cinema, will see screenings of Never Look Away, directed by Academy Award winner Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck, inspired by the life of artist Gerhard Richter; and All Is True, by Kenneth Branagh, about the last years of William Shakespeare’s life.

The documentary part of the programme will see screenings of The Great Buster, by the famed Petar Bogdanovich; John Ford, the Man who Made America, directed by Jean-Christophe Klotz; Making Montgomery Clift, directed by the Anderson-Demmon duo; Nice Girls Don’t Stay for Breakfast, directed by the famed photographer Bruce Weber, about the life of the legendary Robert Mitchum; and we will learn about the most amusing stories from the acting careers of four British theatre and film divas (Eileen Atkins, Judi Dench, Joan Plowright and Maggie Smith) in the film Nothing Like a Dame, directed by Roger Michell.

Programme associate Željko Anzulović underlined the Europolis Programme, which will see screenings of award-winning films: The Wife, directed by Bjorn Runge, starring Glenn Close, who won a Golden Globe for her role of a Nobel Laureate’s wife; the award winner at Valladolid International Film Festival My Masterpiece, directed by Gaston Duprat; the comedy The Bra, directed by Veit Helmer, starring Miki Manojlović; and the award winner at Tribeca Film Festival, Smuggling Hendrix, directed by Marios Piperides. Two episodes of the HBO crime drama series Success will be screened as part of the programme of series filmed in Croatia.

The PoPular Pula Programme at the Arena will offer enjoyment in the films The Faithful Man, directed by director and actor Louis Garrel (famous for his work in Bertolucci’s The Dreamers), starring Laetitia Casta and Lily-Rose Depp; and the love drama The Aftermath, starring Keira Knightley and Alexander Skarsgard, directed by James Kent and produced by Ridley Scott; while the last Festival evening, 21 July, is reserved for the family adventure The Lion King, directed by Jon Favreau.

Festival director Gordana Restović announced the new edition of Vremeplov 3 (Time Machine 3). Cinematographic Activities in Pula, 1896-1918 by film archeologist Dejan Kosanović, a book relevant for Pula and the whole history of cinema in Croatia, will see its second edition. The book was printed in collaboration with the Croatian Audiovisual Centre. Reli Slonim, the CEO of Arena Hospitality Group, said the Group has been a proud supporter of Pula Film Festival for over a decade. The incredible organisation of the Festival, facing numerous challenges in the cultural segment of today’s life, is worthy of admiration and respect of all visitors. Director of the Istrian Regional Centre of Zagrebačka banka Valter Šarić also reaffirmed the now already traditional and expanding support to the Festival and wished the Festival success. Director of the City of Pula Tourist Board Sanja Cinkopan Korotaj mentioned the challenging organisation of Pula Film Festival, an event that has branded Pula as a film festival city, which has been getting more and more interest from foreign visitors. The Mayor of the City of Pula Boris Miletić spoke about the time, not too long ago, when Pula did not have a suitable big screen, or even a cinema, and today enjoys representative infrastructure. He especially thanked the staff involved in the organisation of Pula Film Festival, and emphasised the longstanding excellent cooperation with city societies and institutions.