Pula Film Festival is known for the many of years it has been running, the number of visitors and its popularity. What is the secret?

When you live with someone for 64 years, you grow old together and you make memories and unbreakable bonds. In this case, when you bring together the magic of film, the beauty of the setting, and the curiosity of the audience, and you place it in an ancient arena that’s beaming with thousands of years of history, your criteria and your perception change. Suddenly, you are looking at things differently, in a way that is not necessarily beautiful, but is honest; and it’s this singular, personal moment that makes this Festival so unique. It’s a flicker inside of you.

What is it like to be at the head of the Public Institution that organises the Festival?

We need to meet the requirements of the film crews, technical quality, and the expectations of the audience, but we also have to fit in the wishes of the artistic director and the sponsors, and to meet deadlines, which is often very hard to do. The Festival Council, presided by the Minister of Culture, is the umbrella body that makes the final decisions, which means that the form of the Festival and its realisation are determined, and we try to be professional. Luckily, I have young and diligent associates, who work on the Festival all year round. We already have more than a thousand overnight stays booked, 250 accredited journalists, around 300 guests, 26 film crews, 20 different venues with more than 200 screenings, an an expected number of 60,000 visitors. These are large numbers, and it’s a responsible job.

In the ‘sea’ of film festivals, and their number keeps growing, what sets Pula Film Festival apart? What are some of the reasons to visit? What novelties have you prepared?

There are currently 63 film festivals in Croatia, and each of them has its own role and significance. These are the only places where film and film workers are promoted, and where clear messages are sent depending on their concept. The film industry is very complex, involving many different professions, fields of art, and producing skills, so these festivals are real drivers of various creative ideas, but they are also a place to come together. Our Festival is of a national character and is supported by the Ministry of Culture, Croatian Audiovisual Centre (HAVC) and the local community. It makes for a fitting stage to show the best accomplishments in film in Croatia, with recommendations and selection of treats in the International Programme. Our artistic director has enriched the Festival with new formats and a significantly larger number of films, and we will have new venues, as well as a music and a gastronomy programme. You can find all information using our new app. I believe Pula Film Festival is going to be stronger than ever.

Pula Film Festival is known for its opening ceremony. Can you reveal what you are planning for this year’s opening ceremony?

Our media partner, Croatian Radiotelevision, will be broadcasting the opening ceremony live this year as well, so we don’t like to reveal the details. We’ll keep those a secret and make it a surprise, like we do every year. Along with important guests, numerous film crews and big fireworks, we will have an interesting game related to this year’s film identity, which will allow all visitors to appear on the big screen, in real ‘film’ size, at least for a moment.

Starting this year, the competition programme of Pula Film Festival also includes drama series, documentary series and previews for feature fiction films. Does this mean keeping up with world trends?

It started last year, with Dalibor Matanić’s The Paper, and this year we have even more series and films. I think this is the right path and platform to present what is being prepared, will be talked about, anticipated, watched... These are world trends, and shorter formats are often true artistic gems, which we will be awarding this year and I believe we will become their future place of reference.