Pula Film Festival: As Many as Two Film Nights at the Arena Providing an Exciting Programme for Children and Youth
Three new Croatian children’s films will be screened in the main programme of the 73rd Pula Film Festival, at two film nights at the Arena devoted entirely to the youngest audience. Lima Len, the famous musician from Galižana, will perform on both nights before the screening, and visitors can expect a number of other surprises at the magical cinema under the stars.
Of eleven Croatian films to be screened in the Main Programme of this year’s Pula Film Festival and compete for the Golden Arenas, three are children and youth films.
“We are especially pleased that this year’s Festival will have as many as two children’s evenings at the Arena. We invite parents to bring their little ones to the screenings and dive into the children’s world of film, imagination, and fun. Along with excellent films, there will also be a side programme and numerous surprises, and we would love for the ‘kids Arena’ to become the favourite place for the youngest cinephiles, a bit like summer holiday fun that is not to be missed. We can’t wait to see children flood the Arena, and their thoughts too be flooded by film, of course,” said Vlatka Kolarović, the director of the Public Institution Pula Film Festival.
The feature-length animated film The Crystal Planet, directed by Arsen Ostojić (Filmosaurus Rex), will have its Croatian premiere, and two children’s feature films will also be screened: Extraordinary, directed by Marina Andree Škop and Vanda Raymanová (PomPom Film), and The Second Diary of Paulina P., directed by Neven Hitrec (Jaka produkcija), which have already captivated young audiences inn Croatian cinemas. The programme also includes the German film Momo, filmed in Pula and across Croatia, based on the novel Momo by Michael Ende, one of the most popular German fantasy and children’s fiction of the 20th century.
“Children’s films are especially important for any country’s film production, because they are often the first and defining encounter of young audiences with domestic film. We can be pleased with production in recent years, as the films have seen great success in cinemas and at festivals, but also stand out in terms of quality and contemporary expression. We are especially pleased that in the last four year of the Festival we have had as many as three feature-length animated films in the programme, which is a remarkable success that until recently, seemed to be mission impossible. Along with the main programme, children’s films have their dedicated programme at Ambrela Beach, which will include some of the children’s film classics, such as Train in the Snow that will celebrate its 50th anniversary this year, the cult film Sinji Galeb, and the Slovenian hit Good Luck, Kekec”, said the artistic director of Pula Film Festival Danijel Pek.
The 73rd Pula Film Festival will run from 9 to 16 July 2026, and children’s nights at the Arena will take place on Friday, 10 July (The Crystal Planet and The Second Diary of Paulina P.), and on Sunday, 12 July (Extraordinary and Momo). The programme will start at 9.15 p.m., with Lima Len performing before the screenings. Online tickets will be available soon.
Pulica – Children’s Film Programme will take place from 6 to 10 July at Valli Cinema, before the Festival, as the already traditional introduction to festival events for the youngest audience. Five European children’s feature films will be screened as part of Pulica: the German film A Summer in Summerby, the Romanian film Atlas of the Universe, the Italian film Sweetheart, the Slovenian film Elvis Škorc, and the Danish animated film Lotte & Lotte – My First Friend.
