20/10/2022 - The line-up showcases well-known festival titles while honouring recent developments in Croatian cinema, and the industry programme tries to attract local film enthusiasts and professionals

The official feature film competition of the 20th Zagreb Film Festival, taking place from 23-30 October in several locations in the Croatian capital, as well as on the web platforms kinoeuropa.hr and croatian.film, consists of 15 titles, most of them tried and tested works that garnered some buzz on the festival circuit. However, a special aspect of this year’s programme is that four of the titles are domestic, Croatian productions, all written and directed by filmmakers making their feature film debuts. The official Croatian Oscars entry, Juraj Lerotić’s Safe Place [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Juraj Lerotić
film profile], which triumphed at the Sarajevo Film Festival and won three awards at Locarno, will open the competition and the festival itself. Karlovy Vary awardee The Uncle [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Andrija Mardešić and David …
film profile], directed by Andrija Mardešić and David Kapac, as well as Josip Žuvan’s San Sebastian entry Carbide [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Josip Žuvan
film profile], and Dubravka Turić’s Warsaw title Traces [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Dubravka Turić
film profile] will also be screened.

The rest of the programme will feature titles such as Carla Simón’s Berlinale winner Alcarràs [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Carla Simón
interview: Carla Simón
interview: Giovanni Pompili
film profile], Lukas Dhont’s Close [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Eden Dambrine
interview: Lukas Dhont
interview: Lukas Dhont
film profile] which was awarded with the Grand Prix at Cannes, Un Certain Regard winner The Worst Ones [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Romane Gueret and Lise Akoka
film profile] directed by Lise Akoka and Romane Gueret, Maryna Er Gorbach’s Klondike [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Maryna Er Gorbach
film profile] and Valentina Maurel’s I Have Electric Dreams [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Valentina Maurel
film profile], among others. Palme d’Or winner Triangle of Sadness [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Ruben Östlund
interview: Ruben Östlund
film profile] by Ruben Östlund will be screened out of competition. The festival will also feature two short film competitions: the international short film competition, and another dedicated to domestic short films, called Checkers.

The Together Again section, which screens the newest works from auteurs whose previous films screened at earlier editions of the festival, will consist of only three titles this year: Pjer Žalica’s May Labour Day [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile], Teona Struga Mitevska’s The Happiest Man in the World [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Teona Strugar Mitevska
film profile] and Ali Asgari’s Until Tomorrow [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile]. However, the relative lack of works from filmmakers returning to Zagreb should be mended with the introduction of the Special Screenings section, featuring with three more titles — Marie Kreutzer’s Corsage [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Marie Kreutzer
interview: Marie Kreutzer
film profile], Kôji Fukada’s Love Life and Dominik Mencej’s Riders [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Dominik Mencej
film profile] — as well as the Network of Festivals in the Adriatic Region programme, which will showcase titles from five festivals from as many of the ex-Yugoslav countries. The Great Five programme, organised in cooperation with the network of European Union National Institutes for Culture (EUNIC Croatia), will once again showcase selected works from five of the biggest national cinemas in Europe (UK, France, Italy, Spain and Germany). 

Two of the programmes for younger audiences will return: PLUS consists of films made for audiences of teenagers and high school students, while KinoKino screens films aimed at children of elementary school age. This being a milestone edition, the 20th Zagreb Film Festival will also feature two retrospectives, one showcasing the selected documentaries that were screened at the festival over the course of previous editions, and the other doing the same with the Checkers titles.

The ZFF Industry programme is a platform for education and networking of film professionals in the region. This practical and educational platform will feature numerous masterclasses, pitching sessions, workshops, panel discussions and round tables intended for audiences of all ages, interests and levels of professional knowledge, from school children to film industry professionals. Some of the events that have already become a tradition of the festival will return, including the My First Script workshop, which is aimed at emerging screenwriters and filmmakers and will this year be mentored by Pjer Žalica, Antonio Nuić and David Pope. The Industry Youth! workshop and pitching forum will feature six projects from regional dramatic arts academies, while the creative workshop My First Video Game will address the youngest audiences. ZFF Industry will also host two Creative Europe MEDIA events and masterclasses by Croatian-Danish actor Zlatko Burić and Italian editor Cristiano Travaglioli.