The National
Programme includes ten
films in the Main
Section and nine in
the Minority
Co-production Section.
The Main Section
of the National Programme consists of five films based on the scripts
selected at Croatian Audiovisual Centre (HAVC) public tenders (Lea and
Darija, Koko and the Ghosts, The Little Gipsy Witch, Kotlovina and Step
by Step). The other five were filmed as independent productions and were
granted subsequent funding, following HAVC decision (Daddy, Spots, Josef.
The Dark and 7 seX 7).
Six films from the main section are debut films: directors Daniel Kušan, Tomislav Žaja,
Biljana Čakić-Veselič, Aldo Tardozzi, Stanislav Tomić and Irena Škorić are presenting
their feature debuts, while four more experienced directors include Dalibor Matanić and Dan Oki and veterans Tomislav Radić
and Branko
Ivanda.
The National Programme of this year's Pula festival is marked by the return of
the children's film. Three of this year's Croatian films feature children as
protagonists and another two could be categorised as films for children - these
are: Lea
and Darija, a history film by Branko Ivanda; Koko
and the Ghosts, a fantasy by Danijel Kušan;
and The
Little Gipsy Witch by Tomislav Žaja. In
addition to two dramas - Kotlovina
by Tomislav Radić and Step
by Step by Biljana Čakić-Veselič, the
Croatian film production in Pula will be presented with three crime thrillers:
the psychological thriller Daddyby
Dalibor Matanić; film noire
The Dark by Dan Oki; and Spots
by Aldo Tardozzi; followed by the war drama Josef
by Stanislav Tomić, and erotic comedy
7sex7 by Irena Škorić.
The programme of minority Croatian co-productions includes Good
Night, Missy by Metod Pevec and Piran-Pirano
by Goran Vojnovič from Slovenia;
Belvedere by Ahmed Imamović from
Bosnia and Herzegovina; Enemy
by Dejan Zečević, The
White Lions by Lazar Ristovski and
How I Was Stolen by the Germans by Mišo
Radovanović from Serbia; and Local Vampire by Branko
Baletić from Montenegro. In addition to regional co-productions, there
is also a Danish co-production - Room
304 by Birgitte Staermose and a German one - Uwe
Boll's Max Schmelling.
The National Programme jury is chaired by film critic and director Živorad Tomić, whereas the jury members are set designer and director Vladimir Tadej, director and screenwriter Goran Dević, actress Nataša Janjić and cinematographer Stanko Herceg.
