18/07/2024 - The documentary Our Children, The Holy Family, It All Ends Here, This Is Not a Love Song, The Wrath of God and Housekeeping for Beginners were also among the multiple award winners

The 71st edition of the Pula Film Festival (11-18 July) handed out its awards at a ceremony that took place on Wednesday evening. Eleven Croatian films (or majority co-productions) and another 11 minority co-productions competed for the Golden Arenas in two separate competition programmes. They were judged by a jury of established Croatian film professionals, consisting of actress and filmmaker Nina Violić, editor Nina Velnić, filmmaker-producer Mirta Puhlovski, actor Goran Marković and filmmaker Nebojša Slijepčević, whose short film The Man Who Could Not Remain Silent was awarded the Palme d’Or at this year’s Cannes.

The winner of the Grand Golden Arena, recognising the best film in the National Competition, was Bruno Anković’s debut feature, Celebration [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Bruno Anković
film profile], recently showcased in the Crystal Globe Competition at Karlovy Vary. On top of the main award, Celebration also won three more individual Golden Arenas: Jelena Paljan was singled out for Best Screenplay, actor Bernard Tomić for Best Male Lead Role, and Aleksandar Petrović scooped the Award for Best Cinematography. Celebration also bagged two non-statutory awards – it dominated the poll of the film critics present at the festival and was rewarded by the national association of independent theatres, Cinema Network.

Silvestar Kolbas’ documentary Our Children [+see also:
film review
film profile] was singled out for Best Directing as well as Best Editing (Denis Golenja). Kristijan Milić’s The Wrath of God [+see also:
film review
film profile] dominated the technical categories of Best Make-up (Ana Bulajić Črček) and Best Special Effects (Petar Novaković). Nevio Marasović’s This Is Not a Love Song [+see also:
film review
film profile] received two gongs: Lana Barić got the Golden Arena for Best Female Lead, while Alen and Nenad Sinkauz were rewarded for Best Music. Regarding Rajko Grlić’s It All Ends Here [+see also:
film review
film profile], the awards went to Boris Isaković for Best Male Supporting Role and Željka Burić for Best Production Design. The Holy Family [+see also:
film review
film profile] dominated the categories of Best Female Supporting Role (Judita Franković Brdar), Best Debut Performance (Luna Pilić in the role of Janja) and Best Costume Design (Ivana Zozoli Vargović). Vlatka Vorkapić’s film also scooped the Audience Award.

The Minority Co-production Competition was dominated by Goran Stolevski’s Housekeeping for Beginners [+see also:
film review
interview: Goran Stolevski, Alina Serban
film profile], which scooped the Golden Arenas for Best Film and Best Supporting Actor (Vladimir Tintor). Other awardees include Ilinca Manolache for Best Female Leading Role in Radu Jude’s Do Not Expect Too Much from the End of the World [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Radu Jude
film profile], Leon Lučev for Best Leading Role in Mladen Đorđević’s Working Class Goes to Hell [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Mladen Djordjević
film profile] and Duško Valentić, who was posthumously awarded a Special Mention for his supporting role in Vladimir Perišić’s Lost Country [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Vladimir Perišić
film profile].

Here is the complete list of award winners:

Croatian Competition

Grand Golden Arena
Celebration [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Bruno Anković
film profile] – Bruno Anković (Croatia/Qatar)

Golden Arena for Best Director
Silvestar Kolbas – Our Children [+see also:
film review
film profile] (Croatia)

Golden Arena for Best Screenplay
Jelena Paljan – Celebration

Golden Arena for Best Lead Actress
Lana Barić – This Is Not a Love Song [+see also:
film review
film profile] (Croatia)

Golden Arena for Best Lead Actor
Bernard Tomić – Celebration

Golden Arena for Best Cinematography
Aleksandar Petrović – Celebration

Golden Arena for Best Editing
Denis Golenja – Our Children

Breza Award for Best Debut Performance
Luna Pilić – The Holy Family [+see also:
film review
film profile] (Croatia/Serbia)

Golden Arena for Best Supporting Actress
Judita Franković Brdar – The Holy Family

Golden Arena for Best Supporting Actor
Boris Isaković – It All Ends Here [+see also:
film review
film profile] (Croatia/Bulgaria/Serbia/North Macedonia/Bosnia and Herzegovina/Montenegro/Turkey)

Golden Arena for Best Production Design
Željka Burić – It All Ends Here

Golden Arena for Best Costume Design
Ivana Zozoli Vargović – The Holy Family

Golden Arena for Best Music
Alen Sinkauz, Nenad Sinkauz – This Is Not a Love Song

Golden Arena for Best Visual Effects
Krsto Jaram – Summer Teeth [+see also:
film review
film profile] (Croatia/Montenegro/Bosnia and Herzegovina)

Golden Arena for Best Special Effects
Petar Novaković – The Wrath of God [+see also:
film review
film profile] (Croatia/Bosnia and Herzegovina)

Golden Arena for Best Make-up
Ana Bulajić Črček – The Wrath of God

Golden Arena for Best Sound Design
Luka Gamulin, Tihomir Vrbanec – Sweet Simona [+see also:
film review
interview: Igor Mirković
film profile] (Croatia)

Croatian Minority Co-production Competition

Golden Arena for Best Film
Housekeeping for Beginners [+see also:
film review
interview: Goran Stolevski, Alina Serban
film profile] – Goran Stolevski (North Macedonia/Croatia/Poland/Serbia/Kosovo/Australia/USA)

Golden Arena for Best Lead Actress
Ilinca Manolache – Do Not Expect Too Much from the End of the World [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Radu Jude
film profile] (Romania/France/Luxembourg/Croatia)

Golden Arena for Best Lead Actor
Leon Lučev – Working Class Goes to Hell [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Mladen Djordjević
film profile] (Serbia/Bulgaria/Greece/Montenegro/Croatia/Romania)

Golden Arena for Best Supporting Actor
Vladimir Tintor – Housekeeping for Beginners
Special Mention for Supporting Actor
Duško Valentić (posthumously) – Lost Country [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Vladimir Perišić
film profile] (Serbia/France/Luxembourg/Croatia)

Audience Award
The Holy Family – Vlatka Vorkapić

Critics’ Poll

Croatian Film
Celebration – Bruno Anković

Croatian Minority Co-Production
KIX [+see also:
film review
film profile] – Bálint Révész, Dávid Mikulán (Hungary/France/Croatia)

Cinema Network Award

Croatian Film Programme
Celebration – Bruno Anković

Greater Adria Programme
La Chimera [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] – Alice Rohrwacher (Italy/Switzerland/France)
Special Mention
Frka (Trouble) – Svebor Mihael Jelić (Croatia)

Pula Pro Awards

Work in Progress

€6,000 Cash Prize by Brijuni Riviera
Good Children – Filip Peruzović

€10,000 in Post-production Services by Sleepwalker
No Offence – Lucija Marčec

€3,000 in Post-production Services by Teleking
People in My House – Tatjana Božić

Script Your Hit

€10,000 Cash Prize by Blitz and Croatian Audiovisual Centre
Project Palm – Daria Stilin
Special Mention
The Rooster that Fell from the Sky – Višnja Skorin, Dijana Merdanović

Make The Scene!
Dert – Katarina Krstić, Andrijana Zukić

TV Hit
A Fistful of Nothing – Jasna Nanut