The festival is held at two locations – Motovun & Gorski Kotar • Rich program filled with award-winning titles and cult classics

A new dose of film magic at the altitude of 277 metres starts this weekend. But this year’s 25 jubilee Motovun Film Festival will be a truly special one because we will also bid farewell to the festival as we know it. Apart from the current location in Motovun (22 – 24 July), the festival under the moniker Cinehill climbs to an altitude of 1035 metres – the mountain top Petehovac near Delnice (26 – 29 July).

For this farewell party, we have prepared a number of treats. On the eve of the festival, on Friday, 21 July, there will be a surprise screening of Run, Lola, Run with free entrance. Tom Tykwer’s hit about a girl running through the streets of Berlin in order to get her boyfriend out of trouble, was the first film reel to arrive in the festival office back in 1999, in time for the first ever Motovun edition.

The festival officially kicks off on Saturday at 9 p.m. with a screening of Fallen Leaves, directed by cult Finnish director Aki Kaurismäki, winner of this year’s Cannes Jury Prize. The festival in Motovun will also screen Hotel Pula, the fiction feature debut directed by Motovun’s team member Andrej Korovljev, as well as Dudes: Again!, the sequel to a two decades old hit directed by Radivoje Andrića, and this year’s Sundance winner Scrapper directed by Charlotte Regan.

The last screening in Motovun will be of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars, a documentary about young David Bowie at the height of fame. The film has been remastered and released for limited worldwide distribution for just one month on the occasion of its fiftieth anniversary.

The festival in Motovun will also showcase the entire short film selection, Cinehill Shorts, the winner of which will be announced in the Istrian town. The best European film in the program once again enters the running for a European Film Award.

During the three days of the festival, the visitors will also be able to visit the exhibition “Motovun: 25 Years in a Flash” on display at the Motovun Five Towers Gallery, which was also set up at Lauba in Zagreb. In 250 photographs, the exhibition evokes the best moments of the festival.

On Tuesday, 25 July, the festival crew moves up to Petehovac in Gorski Kotar, and on the same evening, as introduction to the continuation of the festival, at Lokvar Lake (Stari motel bathing area) there will be a screening of one episode of the cult series Kapelski kresovi, shot in Gorski Kotar. Zdenko Jelčić, recipient of the 50 Years Award will also be in attendance. The legendary actor, who played the role of Commander Ljubo in the series, will participate in a Q&A with the audience after the screening.

From Wednesday, 26 July, you are in for four days of film screenings and relaxation in a highland ambiance. The film program at Petehovac will be inaugurated by the screening of Italian director Paolo Virzì’s apocalyptic eco-drama Dry, while dystopian feature Restore Point by Czech director Robert Hloz will close the festival on Saturday, 29 July.

The rich selection of films at Gorski Kotar will include Blaga’s Lessons, an intriguing Bulgarian drama directed by Stefan Komandarev, followed by La Chimera, the latest production of the forerunner of Italian auteur cinema, Alice Rohrwacher, as well as Escort, the last film of the recently deceased Lukas Nola. The snow-sledding slope at Petehovac will also host one of the most famous cult films of all times – the comedy horror musical The Rocky Horror Picture Show.

The Gorski Kotar portion of the festival is envisioned as a relaxing get-together in a beautiful natural setting, ideal for hiking tours, yoga classes and educational workshops about wild animals. So, don’t forget to bring your hiking boots and warmer clothes to match the mountain atmosphere and climate. The hardiest among you can stay at the festival campsite available both at Motovun and Petehovac.

Cinehill is also a green festival, so a whole series of accompanying events will be dedicated to environment conservation, with the Cleaning Bears initiative playing a special role. With the motto of the new festival “leave no trace”, the organizers will actively encourage visitors to preserve the pristine beauty in which they have immersed themselves.

Besides socializing with filmmakers, film quizzes with Morana Zibar, and a stand-up performance by comedian Peđa Bajović, visitors are in for an attractive music program at both locations with the participation of, among others, Mile Kekin, Chui, Ivanka Mazurkijević, Miach, Djeca, Mario Kovač, Dalibor Matanić and the band Skupljači perja composed of famous jazz musicians playing Šaban Bajramović covers. A special attraction will probably be the youngest DJ in the world – eight-year-old DJ Svemir, who spins vinyl on his turntables. Admission to all music events is free of charge.

The festival is organised with the support of the Kvarner Tourist Board, Croatian Audiovisual Centre and Istria County.

Tickets for the film program are available in pre-sale at: https://motovunfilmfestival.com/en/tickets-2/