How the War Started on My Island Marks its 30 Anniversary at Pula; Start of Ticket Sales for Films at the Arena
New films by Pedro Almodóvar and Pawel Pawlikovski, as well a Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey, are the most prominent titles the audience will watch during the 73rd Pula Film Festival, with the hit How the War Started on My Island, directed by Vinko Brešan, will close the Festival, and the audience will be delighted to see the film crew there, as well. Online ticket sales for evenings at the Arena has started, and tickets can be purchased online as daily tickets or sets of tickets for all film evenings, with screenings from 9.15 p.m.
PoPular Pula Bringing Contemporary Heavyweights
Pula Film Festival has announced the PoPular Pula programme, which traditionally brings a selection of the latest films bringing together artistic and commercial sensibilities.
This year we will see the new Pedro Almodóvar’s Bitter Christmas and Pawel Pawlikovski’s Fatherland, recently screened at Cannes, authorial heavyweights that rightfully spark great interest among cinephiles and the general public every year,” said programme selector Mario Kozina and added that PoPular Pula will also include the dystopian children’s film Momo, which fully uses the spectacular locations in Pula, including the Arena, to tell an engaging story that will appeal to both children and adults. We should also mention that Momo is part of the already announced children’s evenings at the Arena, a programme that brings good films and music, as well as a number of surprises for the youngest audience. One of the most anticipated films of the year, Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey, will also be screened at the Arena, giving the audience at the Pula amphitheatre a chance to experience the ancient atmosphere of Nolan’s film.
Legendary Line “Aleksa, Come Back” to Ring at the Arena after 30 Years
On the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the screening of the contemporary classic by director and screenwriter Vinko Brešan How the War Started on My Island, the closing of Pula Film Festival will see the screening of the restored copy of the film for the first time, and members of the film crew will also greet the audience. Brešan’s film was shot in 1996 and was until recently the most watched Croatian film in recent times, with total audiences of more than 338.000. Thanks to its humour, satire, and today cult situations and lines, it became part of popular culture in the region. Cast members include Ljubomir Kerekeš, Predrag Vušović, Matija Prskalo, Ivica Vidović, Leon Lučev, Goran Navojec, Rene Bitorajac, and others. At the 1996 Pula Film Festival, the film won the Golden Arena s for Best Director, Golden Arena for Best Supporting Actress (Matija Prskalo) and Best Costume Design (Vanda Ninić), as well as the Golden Gate of Pula audience award, which is certainly an excellent invitation for the audience to come to the Arena and greet the film crew with applause even after 30 years.
“When we saw Brešan’s How the War Started on My Island in 1996, for us, who had experienced the fear and uncertainty of war, had the impression that the war actually ended with the film and that we could have closure after such difficult times with laughter and looking to the future. We are grateful to the authors and the producer, Croatian Radiotelevision, who have made it possible for us to screen the film again in Pula after many years, celebrating 30 years of its premiere,” said artistic director Danijel Pek.
Regional Film Treats
The Regional Programme is a competition programme, introduced to Pula Film Festival last year with great interest from the audience. This year, it includes five films – two from Slovenia, and one from Montenegro, Italy, and Serbia. This programme is open to feature films of all genres not made as Croatian minority co-productions from countries in the region, or countries that are similar to Croatia in terms of culture and production. Black Trumpet, the Montenegrin satirical dark comedy directed by Bojan Stijović and written by Stefan Bošković, who wrote a number of regional television and film hits, will have its premiere at Pula Film Festival. The Regional Programme also includes the Slovenian films Fantasy, directed by Kukla, and Ida, directed by Ester Ivakić, as well as the films Wanderlus, directed by Serbian director Nenad Pavlović, and The Holy Boy, directed by Italian director Paolo Strippoli.
“The selected films are characterised by an original approach to coming-of-age and alternative identities stories, and are coming to Pula having already won awards at festivals. The Regional Programme, combined with the Main Programme, offers a cross section of current trends in filmmaking in the region,” said Mario Kozina.
Second Scene – New Film Programme at Pula Film Festival
This year’s submissions included a significant number of Croatian feature films made without support from public funding.
“A few surprised us with undeniable talent of the author, as well as the fact that they are using their ‘outsider’ position to offer a fresh, authentic view on youth experiences, especially in terms of independence, migration, and identity. Three films stood out that we wish to share with the audience, and also to give their authors incentive for further professional work,” said Mario Kozina. The films screened as part of the Second Scene Programme are: Electrowitch, directed by Maja Čule (Kreativni sindikat), Between Us, directed by Laura Pascu (Blank_filmski inkubator), and Other People’s Things, directed by Moreno Bogdan (Blank_filmski inkubator).
The screening locations of this year’s Pula Film Festival are the Arena, Istrian National Theatre, Valli Cinema, Ambrela Beach, and Brijuni Islands; while the programmes for the public and media, such as conversations with authors, critics’ duels High Noon, concerts, and other events will take place at the Festival Centre, located at the Home of Croatian Veterans. Only films screened at the Arena require tickets, which can be bought online here, and from the start of July at the info point at Giardini and outside the Arena for the duration of the Festival. Ticket prices for single evenings are 6 euro, and 35 euro for a set of tickets for all evenings at the Arena; and all other film and side programmes are free.
