The selection committee has finished a great undertaking and selected 84 film titles, out of a total of 1415 applications, that will be screened in Karlovac from September 7th to 11th this year, at the Festivals co-organized by the Croatian Film Association and Cinema Club Karlovac.
“This year we received more than 1,400 films, which is – given the pandemic circumstances – truly phenomenal and is an indicator not only of the global importance of our Festivals but also of the wonderful fact that even in the most difficult circumstances, the creativity of youth does not wane! However, this year there were very few documentary film applications, which, we assume, can be attributed to difficult production conditions due to epidemiological measures. In this sense, we ought to express our support for the entire audiovisual community – both professional and non-professional, adults and young people, but also all the artists who continue to strive to create and make our world a more beautiful place, despite the difficult conditions. Let our Festivals be a part of that support! ”- said Ana Đordić, a professor of Croatian language and philosophy who watched and commented on all the films with the other members of the selection committee: film critic Boško Picula and cinematographer and director Dinka Radonić.
Out of 151 films submitted to the Youth Film Festival, 45 were selected for the official competition, all from different parts of Croatia, while 39 films were selected for the Four River Film Festival, from as many as 1264 entries from over 50 countries around the world.
Sanja Zanki Pejić, the coordinator of the Festivals, commented on the large number of applications that came in despite the “new normal”: “Although the whole of last year was marked by the pandemic, I was glad to see that this fact did not significantly affect the number of film applications to the Festivals. Congratulations to the young authors who, despite the difficult filming circumstances, both for professional and especially for amateur productions, finished a substantial number of films this year and recognized the Youth Film Festival and Four River Film Festival as excellent platforms for presenting their works. We hope that we will have the opportunity to host young filmmakers in person in September, not just online.”
The versatility of Croatian high school students and their interest in making films is evidenced by the fact that film applications came from various parts of Croatia, while the Four River Film Festival received applications from as many as 50 countries.
The Festivals’ evening programs will be held in-person, and the organizers are prepared for all combinations considering the screenings of the competition program.
“We are looking forward to Karlovac becoming the world center of youth filmmaking once again this year during the 5 days of the Festivals, whose program will once more be a hybrid of online and in-person programs. We believe that, following last year’s example and following the model of Riječno kino that Cinema Club Karlovac is organizing once again this summer, we will be able to organize evening outdoor programs throughout the county. If the epidemiological situation allows it, we would like to be able to have daily competition screenings in-person with the authors of the films, but we are prepared for all combinations. Last year’s online edition of the Festivals logically produced certain good things, such as the greater engagement of authors online and we will continue with and upgrade that way of communication, as well as live streaming. Congratulations to all the authors whose films were selected! ” said Ksenija Sanković, head of media programs at Cinema Club Karlovac.
Read more about the results of the selection and the complete list of selected films here:
https://frff.com.hr/official-selection-yff/
https://frff.com.hr/official-selection-frff/
Besides the films by highschoolers in the competition program, the Youth Film Festival is also known for its accompanying programs which try to follow the work of high school students year in and year out: through workshops, round tables and collaborations with renowned partners such as Relativity School and Prodigy Camp from the USA. If this is not enough of an incentive for you to participate, along with visiting Karlovac during the ‘yellow fever’, we have another ace up our sleeve. These established film events are held in one of the most beautiful cinemas in the world – on the banks of the four Karlovac rivers; every night on a different river, a different destination: Kupa, Korana, Mrežnica and Dobra.
See you in Karlovac at the now traditional yellow celebration of high school films. This year Karlovac will be yellow from September 7th to 11th, mark your calendars!
