Motovun Film Festival has announced the names of the members of the jury presenting the main award – Propeller of Motovun for Best Film in the main program. The jury consists of Masha Alyokhina (Russia), an activist, artist and ex-Pussy Riot, Rumena Bužarovska (Macedonia), a writer, Anna María Karlsdóttir (Iceland), a film producer, Hrvoje Hribar (Croatia) a film director and Oliver Frljić (Croatia), a theater director.

Masha Alyokhina has already been at Motovun Film Festival, albeit indirectly; it was when we screened a documentary about the well-known 2012 case of the feminist punk-rock (na hrvatskom treba samo “punk”, a ne “punk-rock”; punk-rock je samo engleski izraz za ‘punk’) collective Pussy Riot. Its members were sentenced to two years in prison for “hooliganism motivated by religious hatred” after their masked anti-Putin performance in the Moscow Cathedral. (I tu na hrvatskom treba biti ‘moskovska saborna crkva’; u pravoslavlju NE postoji ‘katedrala’. Na engleskom je to OK.) As Masha was sent to prison at the time of the film’s Motovun screening, this is her first real visit to the festival.

Oliver Frljić and Hrvoje Hribar often made Croatian headlines in the past couple of years because of bitter political debates about their work. They were also seriously attacked in media. Here in Motovun, they are primarily in the capacity of artists who have contributed to our festival with their participation in its programs in the past years.

Rumena Bužarovska, a Macedonian writer, is undoubtedly one of the most important names of the modern regional and European literary scene. The fact that the prestigious London Book Fair included her among ten most interesting young European writers can be seen as evidence to it. Bužarovska is an eager political activist and a participant of the Macedonian “colorful revolution”.

Anna María Karlsdóttir, a veteran producer of the smallest European cinema giant – Iceland, will be defending the honor of Europe’s far north as our guest and jury member because her Iceland is this year’s partner country of the festival. She was a member of the management board of the Icelandic Film and Television Academy. In her career she produced several major Icelandic films and worked with the most important filmmakers.

Twelve films from the main program will be competing for Propeller of Motovun. The festival takes place from 25-29 July.