The second edition of the First Time on Film programme, intended for debutant actors whose first time on film is seen in this year’s festival selection, will take place on 11 and 12 July. Following the success of the first edition last year, the programme continues its development as a platform for supporting young actors at the start of their film careers. The carefully designed workshop will offer the participants an opportunity to learn how to prepare for auditions and castings in a quality manner, present themselves to directors and producers in a professional manner, and how to create a compelling self-tape.
Other than practical knowledge, the programme also includes lectures by renowned foreign film professionals and offers opportunities for direct conversations and networking. The programme also includes a media-visible event, where the Festival’s PR office will help participants to present themselves to the public through the media, further strengthening their professional visibility and positioning on the film scene.
First Time on Film provides young actors with an opportunity to gain practical knowledge, connect with the industry, and strengthen their public presence at an important moment of their professional development, reaffirming the programme as an important platform for supporting new actors on the regional film scene.
WORKSHOP MENTORS
ANILA GAJEVIĆ
Anila Gajević was born in Sarajevo in 1979 where she graduated in Bosnian literature and language. As a former journalist and editor, she founded ZONA in 2008, the first talent agency in Bosnia and Herzegovina, which is today one of the leading agencies in Southeastern Europe and beyond. Her agency represents some of the most prominent actors and young talents from the Balkans, but also from Romania, Bulgaria, Turkey, and Spain. As an agent she has represented actors in numerous international projects, such as Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol, The November Man, Snowpiercer, Skyfall, Gomorrah, Game of Thrones, In Order of Disappearance, Cold War, Jack Ryan, Munich Games, etc. In 2016, the Screen International listed her as one of the Future Leaders: Agents. She received two awards in Bosnia and Herzegovina – Lady Boss and Woman of the Year. She is a member of the Association of filmmakers in Bosnia and Herzegovina and European Film Academy.
TIMKA GRIN
Timka Grin was born in Sarajevo. She has extensive experience of working as a casting director on numerous feature films, shorts and TV series, of which many received awards. She is a member of Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), European Film Academy (EFA), International Casting Directors Association (ICDA), and Casting Society of America (CSA). She gained the most valuable professional experience by working with a number of great directors, such as brothers Dardenne, Jean-Luc Godard, Danis Tanović, Marion Haensel, Ursula Meier, Aida Begić, Marco Bellocchio, Jasmila Žbanić, to mention a few. Timka is also the owner of the company T.G. Casting, which is active in the ex-Yugoslav region, but also internationally, and works for TV and film, for awarded projects and directors, with awarded actors, but also very often looking for and discovering upcoming talents, as well as high-quality actors are already working in acting, but have not been widely seen and discovered.
WORKSHOP LEADER
KATARINA MADIRAZZA
Katarina Madirazza is a Croatian film, TV, and theatre actress. She studied at the Academy of Dramatic Art in Zagreb and Prague Film School. Since 2011, she has been in numerous awarded films, series, and plays, both in Croatia and abroad. In parallel with her professional career, she founded the Petit Theatre in 2014, where she produced her own projects and started the well-known Audition as Networking workshop for actors, which will be held at Pula Film Festival for the second time, and the seventh time overall. The concept of this workshop is unique and it has been received very well as an excellent opportunity for networking and a place for actors to get roles and expand their knowledge. She is herself an actress and used her knowledge from workshops she attended abroad to create this workshop, combining it with what she thinks is missing from this market – auditions.
WORKSHOP PARTICIPANTS
Anđela Alavirević – The Excursion
Vid Bešlić – Women, Loonies and a Few Good Gays
Dora Dimić Rakar – Women, Loonies and a Few Good Gays
Lea Cok – White Wash at Ninety
Đorđe Galić – Beautiful Evening, Beautiful Day
Petja Golec Horvat – Desire Lines
Ramona Ivanda The Second Diary of Paulina P.
Gavrilo Jović – Petty Thieves
Rok Juričić – Desire Lines
Igor Jurinić – Women, Loonies and a Few Good Gays
Tit Medvešek – Women, Loonies and a Few Good Gays
Ana Topolko – The Second Diary of Paulina P.
Ana Marija Veselčić – God Will Not Help / Honey Bunny
Anđela Alavirević
Anđela Alavirević is a young actress from Belgrade, Serbia. She studied acting at the Academy of Arts in Belgrade under the mentorship of professors Milan Nešković and Nikola Rakočević. She has delivered notable performances in the theatre productions Magični grad (The Magic City), Sjaj zvezda na plafonu (The Stars on the Ceiling), and Ljubavnice(Mistresses). She also works as a voice actress, dubbing animated films such as Inside Out, Inside Out 2, Elemental, and many others. While her career has so far been primarily focused on theatre, Miroslav Terzić’s feature film Tri nedelje posle (Three Weeks Later) marks her first major screen role.
Dora Dimić Rakar
Dora Dimić Rakar (Zagreb, 1996) graduated in Acting from the Academy of Dramatic Art, University of Zagreb. During her studies and in the years that followed, she appeared in a number of productions, including O’Dessa, Hotel Portofino, Black-and-White World (Crno-bijeli svijet), and The Two of Us (V dvoje). In theatre, she regularly performs in productions for children and young audiences, and in 2024 she played the title role in I Am Akiko (Ja sam Akiko). In Ivan Salaj’s feature film Women, Madmen and a Few Good Queers (Žene, luđaci i malo dobrih pedera), she portrays Megi, marking her most prominent film role to date and her first major appearance in a feature-length fiction film.
Lea Cok
Lea Cok is a Slovenian actress, born on 25 June 1995 in Ljubljana. She holds an MA in Acting from the Academy of Theatre, Radio, Film and Television (AGRFT) in Ljubljana. While still a student, she began actively working on various projects in television, film, and theatre, and has since built a body of work comprising more than 40 roles. In 2017, she appeared in the film Consequences (Posledice, dir. Darko Štante), which had its world premiere at the prestigious Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF). In 2024/2025, she played the lead role in the feature film Belo se pere na devedeset, based on Bronja Žakelj’s autobiographical novel of the same title. For her portrayal of Bronja, she received the prestigious Golden Mimosa Award for Best Actress at the 2025 Herceg Novi Film Festival, an award she shared with Anica Dobra. Alongside acting, Lea is active in music and has released several original songs, while also working as a screenwriter. She wrote the screenplay for the short film Život = audicija, for which she also took on the role of producer. She is fluent in English and has excellent command of Serbian/Croatian, allowing her to collaborate effectively on regional projects. Her acting approach is based on in-depth character development, and she is interested in further presenting and developing her skills through casting workshops in Pula.
Đorđe Galić
Đorđe Galić studied Czech language and literature at the University of Belgrade and graduated in Acting from the Faculty of Arts in Priština. For the past ten years, he has been a member of KPGT Theatre, and for the last two years he has also performed as a dancer with Theatre Odeon.
His most notable theatre roles include his performance in Ljubavna priča (A Love Story) by KPGT Theatre, based on the novel by Puriša Đorđević and directed by Ljubiša Ristić, as well as his role in Seks, umetnost, komunizam (Sex, Art, Communism) by Bitef Theatre, directed by Bojan Đorđev and based on texts by P. P. Pasolini, Marguerite Duras, and Tanja Šljivar. His role in Ivona Juka’s film Lijepa večer, lijep dan (A Beautiful Evening, a Beautiful Day) marks his first appearance in a feature-length fiction film.
Petja Golec Horvat
Petja Golec Horvat (22), born in Maribor, Slovenia, is a young actress and performer working across film, theatre, and contemporary dance. She was part of the ensemble cast of Selma Spahić’s theatre production The End of the World in Three Acts (Kraj svijeta u tri čina) and made her film debut in Dane Komljen’s Desire Lines (Linije želje). She is currently studying acting at the Academy of Theatre, Radio, Film and Television (AGRFT) in Ljubljana.
Ramona Ivanda
Ramona Ivanda was born on 18 February 2011 in Zagreb, Croatia. She is a second-year student at the 16th Grammar School in Zagreb. She has been professionally involved in dance since the age of two and participates in competitions. She has performed both individually and as part of groups in major venues in Croatia, Europe, and worldwide, as well as in televised broadcasts. She is the current Junior National Champion in Modern Dance (artistic dance). She has been attending the Zagreb Youth Theatre (ZKM) Drama Studio and amateur school drama groups for many years. Her role as Nikolina in the film Dnevnik Pauline P. (Pauline P.’s Diary) left the strongest impression on her, both because of the cast, the demanding nature and professionalism of the project, and the many activities that followed — including interviews and premieres held in almost every Croatian city and town, as well as in Serbia and Slovenia. She loves cameras and stage lights. She is natural, adaptable, an excellent student, and an athletic person. She is fluent in English and also speaks German and French.
Gavrilo Jović
Gavrilo Jović is 24 years old and has been professionally involved in dance for several years. Through dance, he has had the opportunity to perform on various stages and collaborate with numerous artists, while his growing interest in performance and the arts eventually led him to acting. Nearly two years ago, he made his first leading role in a feature film. In addition to dance, he is currently dedicated to developing his music career and working on new creative projects.
Rok Juričić
Rok Juričić was born in Zagreb in 1997. In addition to studying at the Academy of Dramatic Art in Zagreb, he completed a Master’s degree in Screen Acting at the Central School of Speech and Drama in London. Since 2026, he has been a permanent member of the acting ensemble of the Zagreb Youth Theatre (ZKM). He is also actively involved in music. Together with a friend, he founded the music project COMPANY, through which they have released two original songs accompanied by music videos. He performs with the bands Ljetno kino and Plesač sporog stepa. Alongside acting and music, he has a strong interest in screenwriting and, more broadly, in all aspects of filmmaking. He participated in the Talent Campus of the Sarajevo Film Festival in 2020. His selected film and television credits include Desire Lines (Linije želje, dir. Dane Komljen), Sram (Shame, dir. Jelena Gavrilović), Hotel Pula (dir. Andrej Korovljev), Canary Black (dir. Pierre Morel), Pamtim samo sretne dane (I Only Remember Happy Days, dir. Nevio Marasović), and Kućica (The Little House, dir. Jakov Nola). His theatre credits include The Brothers Karamazov (dir. Oliver Frljić, ZKM), Long Day’s Journey into Night (dir. Ivica Buljan, INK Pula), The Blind Leading the Blind (dir. Borut Šeparović, GDK Gavella), The Little Prince (dir. Hrvoje Korbar, Dubrovnik Summer Festival), Rhinoceros (dir. Lenka Udovički, Ulysses Theatre), and Realists (dir. Matko Raguž, Teatar EXIT).
Igor Jurinić
Igor Jurinić began his acting studies at the Academy of Dramatic Art in Zagreb in 2017, after completing secondary education focused on classical music (percussion) and developing skills in piano performance. In the following years, he dedicated himself to a diverse range of projects, demonstrating his talent not only as an actor but also as a musician and dancer. His artistic work encompasses various acting and directing projects, leading him to participate in professional theatre productions, television series, films, and TV commercials. He has performed at prominent theatres such as Satirical Theatre Kerempuh, the Croatian National Theatre in Zagreb, the Zagreb Youth Theatre (ZKM), Komedija City Theatre, Teatar &TD, Histrioni Theatre, Scena Ribnjak, and others.
His notable credits include a role in Dominique Deruddere’s film The Chapel and appearances in television series such as Metropolitanci and Crno-bijeli svijet (Black-and-White World). He also portrayed the young Ivo Andrić in the television series Nobelovac, further demonstrating his versatility as a performer. Throughout and beyond his academic journey, Igor has remained actively engaged in acting workshops, lectures, and masterclasses, showing a continuous commitment to personal and artistic growth.
Tit Medvešek
Tit Medvešek is a Croatian actor and a graduate acting student at the Academy of Dramatic Art, University of Zagreb. After graduating from the School of Applied Arts and Design in Zagreb, he has worked professionally across theatre, film, television, and voice acting. During his studies, he has developed a number of notable theatre roles, collaborating with prominent Croatian and international directors. His theatre credits include Cabaret (Croatian National Theatre in Zagreb, dir. Leo Mujić), Infinite Archive #Unstoppable (dir. Gonzalo Quintana), Queer Opera (dir. Ivica Buljan), Antigone (dir. Aleksandar Popovski), and Anna Karenina (dir. Vasilij Senjin). In film and television, he has collaborated with numerous Croatian authors and directors. His recent projects include the series and films Dnevnik velikog Perice (The Diary of the Great Perica, dir. Vinko Brešan), Gora (dir. Aldo Tardozzi), Sedmo nebo (Seventh Heaven, dir. Jasna Nanut), Ho Ho Ho Hotel (dir. Marko Šantić and Ivan Sikavica), and Luđaci, kurve i malo dobrih pedera (Madmen, Whores and a Few Good Fellas, dir. Ivan Salaj). He is particularly active in voice acting for animated and live-action productions. He has provided voices for the Croatian versions of numerous international titles, including Strange World, Turning Red, Onward, Julie and the Phantoms, Snow White, and Goat. He continues to develop his craft through professional workshops and international training programmes, including the Michael Chekhov Europe International Summer Academy, expanding his artistic expression through theatre, film
Ana Topolko
Ana Topolko was born on 19 June 2010 in Zagreb, Croatia. She is a student at the First Grammar School in Zagreb. She attended acting workshops at Smješko Theatre and Praktikum – Centre for Children and Youth, held under the mentorship of prominent Croatian actresses Monika Mihajlović Rotim and Mirna Mihelčić. She is currently attending acting workshops at Trešnja Theatre. She made her film debut in the children’s film Drugi dnevnik Pauline P., in which she portrayed the character of Marta from class 5.d.
Ana Marija Veselčić
Ana Marija Veselčić (31) graduated in Acting from the Arts Academy of the University of Split and is a permanent member of the Drama Ensemble of the Croatian National Theatre in Split. Her film credits include Koke (dir. Igor Jelinović) and God Will Not Help (Bog neće pomoći, dir. Hana Jušić), for which she received an award at the 78th Locarno Film Festival. Since November 2025, she has been appearing in the television series Divlje pčele (Wild Bees).
