Jadran Film Reopens Nine Studios, Reviving 'European Hollywood' Legacy

Jadran Film, once a powerhouse of European cinema, is set to reopen its doors with nine newly renovated studios in Zagreb. The company, celebrating its 80th anniversary, aims to revitalize its legacy and address a critical shortage of filming facilities in Croatia.

Company president Vinko Grubišić announced the ambitious project, emphasizing that the expansion will solve a key problem hindering the development of the domestic film industry. The centerpiece is Studio 2, a massive 1,100-square-meter space equipped for demanding action scenes, including an underwater pool. Studio 67, also renovated, offers a thousand square meters connected to an outdoor atrium, alongside smaller studios and photo spaces.

“

This move solves the key problem of a lack of studios, which has hindered the development of the domestic film industry for years.

Jadran Film highlights the creation of a "full production cycle" ecosystem, offering everything from pre-production offices and post-production labs to archival and storage facilities. Grubišić noted that the renovated spaces retain an "analog, retro culture," preserving the authenticity of a location where cult films and significant music albums were once made.

“

The renovated studios and accompanying facilities are not impersonal and banally commercial, but nurture an analog, retro culture and still convey the authenticity and soul of the place where cult films and important music albums were recorded.

The studio's history is steeped in glamour. From the 1960s to the early 1990s, Jadran Film was dubbed "European Hollywood," hosting 145 international co-productions and 124 domestic films. It generated $56 million in foreign currency within a decade, significantly boosting the regional economy. Stars like Richard Burton, Yul Brynner, and Omar Sharif, along with directors like Volker Schlöndorff and Alan J. Pakula, filmed here. Meryl Streep won an Oscar for her role in "Sophie's Choice," filmed at the studio.

One of the renovated studios, Studio 3, will be named after Orson Welles, who filmed his adaptation of Kafka's "The Trial" there in 1962. Welles considered the film his best, and the project marked a turning point, transforming Jadran Film into Central Europe's most significant film studio until the 1990s.

“

This is the best, or rather the most beautiful film.