Here Are the Winners of the 72nd Pula Film Festival
The award ceremony for the Golden Arena Awards of the 72nd Pula Film Festival was held at the Istrian National Theatre on Wednesday. The Grand Golden Arena for Best Festival Film was presented to the film Peacemaker, directed by Ivan Ramljak, who also co-wrote the screenplay with Dragutin Hedl and Hrvoje Zovko, and produced by Nenad Puhovski (Factum). The Awards were presented to films in the Main Programme (Croatian Film and Croatian Minority Co-productions), in the new Regional Programmes, and in the Student Programme, which became a competition programme this year.
The film Peacemaker will be screened at the Arena on Thursday, 17 July at 11 p.m., while the winning film in the Minority Co-production section, How Come It Is So Green Out Here? (Nikola Ležaić), will be screened at Valli Cinema on Thursday at 8 p.m., the best film in the Regional Programme, 78 Days (Emilija Gašić), will be screened at Valli Cinema at 6 p.m. The audience award, the Golden Gate of Pula, will be presented at the Arena on Thursday, at 9.15 p.m.
The best films in the main competition programme were selected by the five-member jury: Silvestar Kolbas, Tomislav Pavlic, Tihana Lazović, Janko Popović Volarić, and Jelena Paljan.
Awarded films in the category CROATIAN FILM
Golden Arena for Best Sound Design is presented to Julije Zornik for the film Sandbag Dam, directed by Čejen Černić Čanak
“Julij Zornik uses the impressively designed sound landscape to create a sense of the looming danger of the river, suggesting a feeling of tension and unease. These are countered by soft music motives that paint the characters’ inner world, underlining the emotional depth of the story.”
Golden Arena for Best Make-Up is presented to Ivana Pralija for the film Fiume o morte!, directed by Igor Bezinović
“By turning the citizens of Rijeka into historic figures, the make-up in the film Fiume o morte! simultaneously evokes the historic episode and serves as an instrument of irony, becoming one of the key elements creating the original world of this hybrid documentary film.”
Golden Arena for Best Visual Effects is presented to Marin Vuletić for the film Dražen, directed by Danilo Šerbedžija
“The sequences created with visual effects in the film Dražen sum up the passage of time and connect parts of the story, serving as a visually attractive break in the story at the same time.”
Golden Arena for Best Music is presented to Domas Strupinskas for the film Sandbag Dam, directed by Čejen Černić Čanak
“Domas Strupinskas’ music in Sandbag Dam is subtly woven into the rhythm of the film, and it is this restraint that makes it seem powerful and suggestive, as it follows the emotional charge of the story growing like the river that swells.”
Golden Arena for Best Costume Design is presented to Tajči Čekada and Manuela Paladin for the film Fiume o morte!, directed by Igor Bezinović
“The costumes in the film Fiume o morte! paint the historical period on the one hand, and on the other hand, give the film a layer of irony, as well as critical commentary with their occasional deliberate and humorous awkwardness.
Golden Arena for Best Production Design is presented to Anton Spazzapan for the film Fiume o morte!, directed by Igor Bezinović
“By bringing together the past and the present and placing historical elements in contemporary spaces, the production design in Fiume o morte! creates a humorous and absurd contrast that makes the film richer in therms of visuals and meaning.”
Golden Arena for Best Supporting Actor is presented to Andrija Žunac for the role of Slaven in the film Sandbag Dam, directed by Čejen Černić Čanak
“In his restrained acting, Andrija Žunac carries the weight of loss, disapproval, and unspoken emotions, leaving a powerful impression with his unobtrusive presence.”
Golden Arena for Best Supporting Actress is presented to Zrinka Cvitešić for the role of Biserka Petrović in the film Dražen, directed by Danilo Šerbedžija
“With her suggestive portrayal of a mother who is caring and also overprotective at the same time, Zrinka Cvitešić plays a layered and emotionally convincing role.
Breza Award for Best Debutant is presented to Lav Novosel for the role of Marko in the film Sandbag Dam, directed by Čejen Černić Čanak
“Balancing between his own emotions and expectations of the people around him, between strength and fragility, Lav Novosel is commanding in his debut role and shows incredible confidence. By slowly yielding to his suppressed emotions that gush like a flood, he makes us strongly relate to his character.”
Golden Arena for Best Editing is presented to Damir Čučić for the film Peacemaker, directed by Ivan Ramljak
“Using almost exclusively archive material, Damir Čučić connects the documentary fragments into a powerful film story in the film Peacemaker, achieving tension and rhythm specific to the genre of thrillers. This documentary leaves us on the edge of our seats and profoundly shocked in the end.”
Golden Arena for Best Cinematography is presented to Tomislav Sutlar for the film Good Children, directed by Filip Peruzović
“With carefully designed lighting and sophisticated compositions, Tomislav Sutlar builds and atmosphere of melancholy and transience that he consistently uses throughout the film.”
Golden Arena for Best Actor is presented to Filip Šovagović for the role of Nikola in the film Good Children, directed by Filip Peruzović
“In the film Good Children, Filip Šovagović brings to life a character who is funny and a bit sardonic, but always familiar, hiding sadness that gives him vulnerability and depth behind his seeming simplicity and ease.”
Golden Arena for Best Actress is presented to Nina Violić for the role of Saša in the film Good Children, directed by Filip Peruzović
“In the film Good Children, Nina Violić portrays a character of a woman hiding deep inner unease and dissatisfaction behind a cold exterior. Her restrained, precise performance successfully conveys all the complexity of her character, leaving a powerful impression by what she isn’t saying.”
Golden Arena for Best Screenplay is presented to Nikolina Bogdanović and Filip Peruzović for the film Good Children, directed by Filip Peruzović
“With only two characters in a single space, through infrequent and sparse dialogue, and a lot of silence, the screenplay for Good Children shows the relationship between two people – brother and sister – about whom there is more we don’t know than what we know, but we still feel them as extremely layered characters. Within the seemingly simple framework, quietly and without big gestures, the screenplay builds the drama saturated by fine humour with confidence and persuasion.”
Golden Arena for Best Casting is presented to Sara Jakupec for the film Fiume o morte!, directed by Igor Bezinović
“The casting for Fiume o morte! brilliantly brings together fiction and reality, turning the casting process itself into the key dramatic element of the film. By including the citizens of Rijeka and employing an autoironic approach, the cast becomes the extension of the directorial idea, providing the film with complexity and wit.”
Golden Arena for Best Production is presented to Vanja Jambrović and Tibor Keser for the film Fiume o morte!, directed by Igor Bezinović
“The dedication of the production of Fiume o morte! supported the demanding directorial concept and carried the huge endeavour of merging the past and the present, massive scenes, non-professional actors, and costumed action, allowing for a unique cinematic achievement.”
Golden Arena for Outstanding Directorial Approach is presented to Goran Dević for the film Pavilion 6
“By showing scenes of vaccinations during the COVID-19 pandemic from an observing distance, but also with great confidence in people, director Goran Dević let situations happen and speak for themselves. In this collective uniqueness and absurdity, the director primarily found the human need for connection, creating a film that wins audiences over with its wit and warmth.”
Golden Arena for Best Director is presented to director Igor Bezinović for the film Fiume o morte!
“By using various registers of style – from surrealism and irony to humour and ingenuity, skilfully linking fiction and documentary with directing that controls the wealth of material from the first moment to the end and accurately shapes the rhythm and tone of the film, Igor Bezinović has made a playful film that entertains, questions, and eludes expectations all at once.”
The Grand Golden Arena for Best Festival Film is presented to the film Peacemaker, directed by Ivan Ramljak, produced by Nenad Puhovski, written by Dragutin Hedl, Hrvoje Zovko, and Ivan Ramljak, production company Factum.
“The film Peacemaker uses archive material to shape a portrait of a man whose role in history was left untold, even though it could have changed the course of history. By giving the forgotten individual, Josip Reich – Kir, his voice back, the film, unobtrusively but powerfully, speaks about the value of choices that don’t make it to newspaper headlines, but speak of humanity. The story of the man who people wanted to be forgotten has become a film that people can’t forget.”
Awarded films in the category CROATIAN MINORITY CO-PRODUCTION
Golden Arena for Best Croatian Minority Co-production is presented to the film How Come It Is So Green Out Here?, directed by Nikola Ležaić and to producers Marija Lero and Siniša Juričić
“In the film How Come It Is So Green Out Here?, Nikola Ležaić speaks about lost homeland, transience, and belonging with restrained emotion. He speaks about the world one can’t completely leave, nor truly come back to – a world that is disappearing, but remains deeply imprinted in the person coming from it.”
Golden Arena for Best Actress in a Croatian Minority Co-production is presented to Fereshteh Hosseini for the role of Fereshteh in the film Dwelling Among the Gods, directed by Vuk Ršumović
“Fereshteh Hosseini portrays the character of a modern Antigone – determined, resolute, and unwavering. She carries the role with incredible dignity and inner strength, building a character that stays with the viewer for a long time.”
Golden Arena for Best Actor in a Croatian Minority Co-production is presented to Filip Đurić for the role of Nikola Ležaić in the film How Come It Is So Green Out Here?, directed by Nikola Ležaić
“Filip Đurić carries the role with seeming simplicity, without excess gestures or pronounced emotions. As the film progresses, his character discreetly withdraws to the background, leaving space for others and withdrawing deeper and deeper into contemplation on transience and belonging, past and present, life and death.”
Golden Arena for Best Cinematography in a Croatian Minority Co-production is presented to Aleksandar Pavlović for the film How Come It Is So Green Out Here?, directed by Nikola Ležaić
“Cinematography by Aleksandar Pavlović in deeper tones catches the contrasts between the distractions of urban life and peaceful presence of life in the countryside. He doesn’t show this life in the countryside in an idyllic or romantic way – because it is a space of remembrance, melancholic and real, with no illusion of returning.”
Golden Arena for Best Editing in a Croatian Minority Co-production is presented to Vladimir Gojun for the film Little Trouble Girls, directed by Urška Djukić
“Editing by Vladimir Gojun in the film Little Trouble Girls emphasises the nuances of verbal, and especially nonverbal communication between the main characters in a subtle way, building on their relationships through silences, gazes, and absences. His precise rhythm also establishes a delicate balance between the girls and the nature surrounding them, contributing to the poetic atmosphere and layers of the film.”
Golden Arena for Best Supporting Actor in a Croatian Minority Co-production is presented to Nikola Ristanovski for the role of Nikola in the film Dwelling Among the Gods, directed by Vuk Ršumović
Awarded films in the category REGIONAL PROGRAMME
A three-member jury, consisting of Hana Jušić, Jurij Meden, and Nataša Buljan, decided on the awards for films in the Regional Programme
Golden Arena for Best Regional Film is presented to Emilija Gašić for the film 78 Days, directed by Emilija Gašić (Serbia)
“We are presenting the award to this film because of the extraordinarily inspiring merging of skilful narration and original formal approach used to tell a universal story – a story that broke our hearts, but also filled them with hope for the future of film in the region.”
Special Mention in the Regional Programme is presented to Marko Đorđević for the film That’s It for Today (Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina).
“Special mention goes to this well thought-out, warm film that encourages us with its unconventional narrative approach to recognise the exceptional in the everyday and in what is seemingly ordinary.”
Awarded films in the category STUDENT PROGRAMME
A three-member jury, consisting of Gregor Božič, Ornela Čop, and Andrija Mardešić, decided on the winners in the Student Programme.
The best student film is Greek Apricots, directed by Jan Krevatin (Academy of Dramatic Art in Zagreb), with the explanation from the jury that this film, with its precise direction and persuasive acting, draws us into a setting that is underutilised in film stories, but one that we are all very familiar with. “Just another night at a petrol station becomes an allegory of a microcosm that reflects all solitude, boredom, everyday life, and hopelessness of the territory of former Yugoslavia,” concluded the jury in its decision.
The jury presented special mention to the film Spot, directed by Sara Alavanić (Academy of Dramatic Art in Zagreb), explaining that this film, of rough, but unique style in Croatian cinema, promises the author’s future work might have potential to be interesting and different from what we usually see in Croatian film. “The stylistically interesting opening implies that the young author has good film role models and a tendency to the aesthetic of ugliness. She has a convincing command of sounds and textures, and was able to draw us into a world that is repulsive and interesting at the same time,” the jury explained in its decision.
