Pula Film Festival opens with record-breaking Croatian film 'Svadba'

The Pula Film Festival, Croatia's largest and longest-running film event, is set to open its 73rd edition on July 9, running until July 16 under the slogan "Svemir u nama" (The Universe Within Us).

The festival will open with Igor Šeregi's "Svadba" (Wedding), a film that has achieved unprecedented historical success, drawing 800,000 viewers in Croatia and over two million in the region, shattering a thirty-year record for Croatian cinema.

The core of the festival remains the competitive program for Croatian films, which this year includes eleven diverse titles. Audiences can also anticipate the "PoPularna Pula" program, featuring new films from acclaimed directors like Pedro Almodóvar ("Gorki Božić") and Paweł Pawlikowski ("Očevina"), as well as Christopher Nolan's summer blockbuster, "Oppenheimer." A regional competition program will showcase five notable films from neighboring countries: Serbia, Montenegro, Slovenia, and Italy.

A significant new addition is the "Druga scena" (Second Stage) program, dedicated to three films produced outside the public funding system, providing much-needed space for independent Croatian filmmakers. The festival also boasts tangible improvements for attendees, including new, more comfortable seating and an upgraded projection booth in the Arena.

Festival artistic director Danijel Pek stated his vision for Pula: "Pula is not just a showcase but an active participant in the life of Croatian film, and the festival exists to help films – not to judge them from a distance." Beyond the Arena, screenings will take place at Kino Valli, Istarsko narodno kazalište, Ambrela beach, and on the Brijuni islands, complemented by exhibitions, workshops, and the PulaPRO industry program.