Pula Film Festival: Main Programme, PoPular Pula and Regional Programme Announced
The 72nd Pula Film Festival will take place from 10 to 17 July 2025, and the Main Programme, with 17 films competing for Golden Arena Awards, as well as PoPular Pula programme, bringing the biggest global hits to the audience in the Arena, have been announced. This year’s novelty is the Regional Programme, a competition programme of Pula Film Festival. Important news for the audience is that the evening programme at the Arena will start earlier this year, at 9.15 p.m.
A total of 57 submissions for the Main Programme have been received at Pula Film Festival, of which 37 for Croatian Film, and 17 for Minority Co-productions. Eleven films have been selected for the Croatian Programme, and seven for Minority Co-productions.
The decision of which films will receive the Golden Arena Awards will be made by a five-member jury: actress Tihana Lazović, screenwriter Jelena Paljan, editor Tomislav Pavlic, actor Janko Popović Volarić, and director and cinematographer Silvestar Kolbas.
“The selection once again shows high quality and diversity in the themes of domestic film production. It is difficult to bring the selected films under a common denominator, but most present their themes and stories to the audience in a very friendly way, regardless of whether they are comedies or dramas. Therefore, I believe that visitors of this year’s Festival will also have great fun with the characters while watching the films, be it by laughing with them or sharing their sadness. This year’s selection for the main programme is special in that it also includes four documentary and an animated film. The auteur approach of the documentary films, their relevant themes, complexity of addressing the theme, and formal and innovative approach to cinematic modes of expression can compete with live action films in the section on an equal footing, while the animated film is reminiscent of the strong auteur tradition of domestic animation,” said Pula Film Festival programme selector Mario Kozina, adding that minority co-productions are traditionally a result of the synergy of domestic and international talent. “This year, we will see a range of films by talented filmmakers coming to Pula with a pedigree from major film festivals, whose vision was substantially complemented by Croatian talent, both in front of the camera and behind it,” he concluded.
CROATIAN PROGRAMME
Bumblebee’s Summer, 2025, directed by Daniel Kušan • WORLD PREMIERE
Good Children, 2024, directed by Filip Peruzović
Dražen, 2024, directed by Danilo Šerbedžija, co-director: Ljubo Zdjelarević
Fiume o morte!, 2025, directed by Igor Bezinović
South Wind, 2025, directed by Ante Marin • WORLD PREMIERE
Peacemaker, 2025, directed by Ivan Ramljak
My Late Summer, 2024, directed by Danis Tanović
Pavilion 6, 2024, directed by Goran Dević
All Operators Are Currently Unavailable, 2025, directed by Dalibor Barić • WORLD PREMIERE
Sandbag Dam, 2025, directed by Čejen Černić Čanak
The Lost Dream Team, 2025, directed by Jure Pavlović • OUT OF COMPETITION • WORLD PREMIERE
MINORITY CO-PRODUCTIONS
Little Trouble Girls, 2025, directed by Urška Djukić, Croatian coproduction: 365 Films • CROATIAN PREMIERE
How Come It Is So Green Out Here?, 2025, directed by Nikola Ležaić, Croatian coproduction: Nukleus film • CROATIAN PREMIERE
Dwelling Among the Gods, 2024, directed by Vuk Ršumović, Croatian coproduction: Kinorama
Family Therapy, 2024, directed by Sonja Prosenc, Croatian coproduction: Wolfgang&Dolly
Wondrous Is the Silence of My Master, 2025, directed by Ivan Salatić, Croatian coproduction: Dinaridi Film • CROATIAN PREMIERE
Wishing on a Star, 2024, directed by Peter Kerekes, Croatian coproduction: Restart
Praslovan, 2024, directed by Slobodan Maksimović, Croatian coproduction: Jaka produkcija
SOUTH WIND OPENING, BASKETBALL DREAM TEAM CLOSING
“The premiere of the film South Wind, directed by young Split author Ante Marin, will open the Festival. The director brilliantly connects what we can now call ‘the Split Wave’ in Croatian film with genuine interest for genre film by global authors. South Wind is a fun, intelligent, and emotional miniature following the intertwined destinies of the unusual tenants of a perfectly ordinary building. The film was made within the programme of promoting microbudget films and proves that very little can be used to do something extraordinary, together with all other authors and producers of films from the programme. On Friday of the festival week, we will continue with the world premiere of the children’s film Bumblebee’s Summer, directed by Daniel Kušan and produced by Ivan Maloča, for whom this film is a celebration of the 35th anniversary of his production company Interfilm. I am especially happy that we have an animated film in the programme – All Operators Are Currently Unavailable, directed by Dalibor Barić and produced by Ivan Katić, as well as several exceptional documentary films, including Fiume o Morte!, directed by Igor Bezinović and produced by Vanja Jambrović and Tibor Keser, the highest-grossing domestic film in cinemas this year. It will be screened at the Arena on Saturday, at 9.15 p.m. At the opening before the opening, we will remember, and I hope symbolically say goodbye to the COVID-19 pandemic that stopped both festivals and cinemas in their tracks five years ago, by watching Pavilion 6, the entertaining and reflective documentary directed by Goran Dević, produced by Hrvoje Osvaldić. The world premiere of the film The Lost Dream Team, directed and produced by Jure Pavlović, will close the Festival. The film follows the breakup of the Socialist Federalist Republic of Yugoslavia through the participation of the basketball team at the European Championship in Rome in 1991. This year we again have a diverse programme, which I believe the audience will find interesting so we invite them to support Croatian film in Pula,” said Pula Film Festival artistic director Danijel Pek.
REGIONAL PROGRAMME – NOVELTY OF THE 72ND EDITION
The Regional Programme is the new competition programme at Pula Film Festival, open to feature films of all genres from neighbouring countries, or countries that are close to Croatia in terms of culture or production, which were not produced as minority Croatian co-productions. Eligible films are those from the following countries: Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Hungary, Italy, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Slovenia, Serbia. Films in the Regional Programme will be judged by the three-member jury: director Hana Jušić, head of film program at the Austrian Film Museum in Vienna Jurij Meden, and Nataša Buljan, director of fiction development at United Media. The films will compete for the Golden Arena for Best Regional Film.
“The aim of this programme is to provide insight into significant developments on the regional film scene, but also to make Pula Film Festival a place of gathering of not only Croatian, but also regional film community and thus strengthen the international position of the Festival,” said Danijel Pek.
“This year’s selection consist of six films by authors of different generations and sensibilities, ranging from veteran Želimir Žilnik, internationally awarded author Jasmila Žbanić, and extremely successful Serbian director Nemanja Ćeranić. The films vary in genre and themes, and include documentary films and docufiction that have a critical stance towards the past and present, as well as genre films that successfully combine the authorial and commercial sensibilities,” Mario Kozina concluded.
REGIONAL PROGRAMME
Anywhere Anytime, 2024, directed by Milad Tangshir • Italy, drama
Blum – Masters of Their Own Destiny, 2024, directed by Jasmila Žbanić • Bosnia and Herzegovina, documentary
Nineteen, 2024, directed by Giovanni Tortorici • Italy, UK, coming-of-age drama
Eighty Plus, 2025, directed by Želimir Žilnik • Slovenia, Serbia, docufiction
Ponton’s Heart, 2024, directed by Senad Šahmanović • Montenegro, romantic comedy
Son’s Will, 2024, directed by Nemanja Ćeranić • Serbia, SF adventure
POPULAR PROGRAMME OF HITS AT THE ARENA
In the PoPular Pula Programme, which will run in the second evening slot at the Arena, we will watch several films whose authors manage to breathe fresh energy into genres that dominate the repertoire in cinemas, ranging from family films and superhero fantasies, through romantic adventure, to suspense and horror. Their original vision, outstanding cast, and their sense of humour, building suspense and spectacle will give another reason to visitors of Pula Film Festival to join us at film screenings at the Arena.
POPULAR PULA
The Phoenician Scheme, 2025, r directed by Wes Anderson • USA, Germany, espionage dark comedy
Materialists 2025, directed by Celine Song • USA, romantic comedy
Superman, 2025, directed by James Gunn • USA, action, adventure, SF
Smurfs, 2025, directed by Chris Miller • USA, Belgium, animated comedy, musical fantasy
Grand Prix of Europe, 2025, directed by Waldemar Fast • Germany, UK, animated
Bring Her Back, 2025, directed by Danny Philippou, Michael Philippou • Australia, horror
EARLIER SCREENINGS AT THE ARENA
“This year’s novelty is that the evening programme at the Arena will start earlier than in recent years, so the first film will be screened at 9.15 p.m., and the second one, from the PoPular Pula Programme, around 11 p.m. A few months ago we conducted a survey on the habits of the audience at Pula Film Festival, and we have tried our best to make adjustments to the screening schedule to accommodate their suggestions. I am especially happy that this year, too, we will continue the programme Pula Travels, which aims to promote and improve the visibility of Croatian film. Soon after the Festival, already this summer, cinemas across Croatia and summer stages at more than 30 locations, will be screening Croatian films from this year’s competition programme at the Festival,” Tanja Miličić, director of Pula Film Festival, concluded.
The locations at this year’s screenings are the Arena, Istrian National Theatre, Valli Cinema, and Ambrela Beach. The side programmes for the public and media, such as conversations with authors, the critics’ duel High Noon, and other events, will take place at the Festival Centre at the Home of Croatian Veterans, where every evening there will be concerts by renowned musicians. Tickets are required only for screenings at the Arena and are already available for purchase at this link, and will be available from the beginning of July at the Info Point at Giardini and outside the Arena for the duration of the Festival. Entry to all other film and side programmes is free.
