Warming Up for Pula: Independent European Films and an Exciting Pulica Programme at Valli Cinema

The warm-up for the Pula Film Festival begins at Valli Cinema on 5 July with the start of the Greater Adria programme, which features a selection of new independent European films. Starting 7 July, the well-known Pulica programme, designed for children and young people, also returns.

The international Greater Adria programme, previously held during the Pula Film Festival, will this year begin in the week leading up to the Festival, with encore screenings during the Festival itself. All films will be shown at Valli Cinema starting on Saturday, 5 July. Selected from the catalogues of Croatian film distributors, these titles have not yet been shown in regular cinema distribution. The aim of the programme is to promote the circulation of high-quality European and independent films in independent cinemas, while also more actively involving domestic distributors and exhibitors in the Festival.

The best film, as chosen by the Croatian Independent Cinemas Network Jury (Kino Mreža), will receive an award from the association.

Curated by programmer Mario Kozina, the Greater Adria line-up includes five titles:

1. Madly, 2025, dir. Paolo Genovese • Italy • Distribution: Kino Mediteran
2. The Marching Band, 2024, dir. Emmanuel Courcol • France • Distribution: Discovery
3. Sirât, 2025, dir. Óliver Laxe • Spain, France • Distribution: Megacom HR
4. Happy Holidays, 2024, dir. Scandar Copti • Palestine, Germany, France, Italy, Qatar • Distribution: Zagreb Film Festival
5. Holy Electricity, 2024, dir. Tato Kotetishvili • Georgia, Netherlands • Distribution: Split Screen