Over a hundred independent titles, 21 to 26 July in the enchanted setting of Fužine • Star guests and films to mark the festival alongside a wealth of entertaining side events
When the projectors switch on in the mountain air of Fužine from 21 to 26 July, this year’s Cinehill program will offer far more than a simple escape from the summer heat. Across a genre-rich cocktail of thrillers, black comedies and raw dramas, the unifying thread of this year’s selection is the individual’s confrontation with the dark underside of social systems and hidden truths, seen from different generational perspectives. From the plains of Poland to a ski resort in the Andes, from Adriatic islands to occupied France, these films refract great global and political crises through the eyes of ordinary people – often with a remarkable dose of humour”, it was announced at the Cinehill program presentation, held simultaneously in Zagreb and Rijeka.
“This year we are returning to our film oasis hidden on the shores of Lake Bajer, far from the crowds yet close to Zagreb, Rijeka, Ljubljana, and the coast. We hope that film lovers will come from all directions – just as our festival guests, the laureates of cinematic art. Our diverse program will unite the great Andrey Zvyagintsev, Mother Teresa, Vojko V, the story of an ordinary hen and much, much more”, said Igor Mirković, Cinehill Festival’s Director.
The main competition is packed with acclaimed, award-winning works arriving from the world’s greatest festivals. The iconic Russian director and former Motovun maverick, Andrey Zvyagintsev, brings Minotaur, the winner of the Cannes Grand Prix, which – the story of a powerful businessman confronted with his wife’s infidelity, a business crisis and the consequences of Russia’s aggression against Ukraine, offering an icy social critique in the form of a reworking of Chabrol’s The Unfaithful Wife.
Another big hit arriving from the same festival is the American meta-comedy Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma, directed by Jane Schoenbrun and crowned with the Cannes Queer Palm, starring the incomparable Gillian Anderson and Hannah Einbinder. Another Cannes-awarded title is the politically incorrect French comedy Shana, directed by Lila Pinell, the story of a girl from a respectable family who plunges into the world of crime and unrestrained freedom.
The black-and-white drama Flies, by Mexican director Fernando Eimbcke, the winner of the Ecumenical Jury Prize at the Berlinale, blends childhood adventure, social commentary and coming-of-age humour. Shown at the same festival is the stylised Belgian psychological drama Dust, directed by Anke Blondé, which tells the story of two Belgian entrepreneurs whose overnight success turns out to be all lies.
“It is remarkable how many quality films we have found that tackle important themes – from the occupation of the West Bank to the search for identity and power relations within the Church – seen through the eyes of children, that is, phenomenal young protagonists whose future careers are looking very bright indeed. One such title that stands out is The Sea, an Israeli-Palestinian drama directed by Shai Carmeli-Pollak, which provoked quite a backlash from the Israeli government”, said Milena Zajović, Cinehill’s Program Selector and Creative Director.
The Gdynia Film Festival winner, Polish hit The Altar Boys, directed by Piotr Domalewski, is a comedy tackling faith and morality in a story of three teenagers who discover that the priests are stealing from the church, so they start stealing the collection money too in order to save it and give it to those in need. The Italian sports drama My Tennis Maestro, directed by Andrea Di Stefano, with Pierfrancesco Favino in the lead role, centres on a young tennis player and his erratic coach, for whom the new role proves to be a chance to finally grow up. The surreal crime mystery The Meltdown, directed by Manuela Martelli – who starred in Hana Jušić’s latest film – follows nine-year-old Inés and her fascination with a promising German Olympic skier who unexpectedly vanishes.
Regional filmmaking is represented by Our Father, of Serbian director Goran Stanković, a rare regional true crime title based on the true story of a priest in charge of a commune, who punishes its residents in brutal ways, engrossed in a bizarre cult of personality. The Montenegrin title 15 and a Half, by Milivoje Obradović, is a charming low-budget comedy with a home-video-aesthetic about the frustrations of creative people.
Another title that garnered a huge audience interest is Macedonian director Teona Strugar Mitevska’s Mother, which delivers a deconstruction of the saintly myth of Mother Teresa, with Hollywood star Noomi Rapace in the titular role. Croatian cinema, meanwhile, is represented by Honey Bunny, a darkly comic Mediterranean feature about inheritance disputes, directed by Igor Jelinović.
Providing a high dose of suspense is Spanish The Tigers, a visually impressive thriller by Alberto Rodríguez about a brother and sister who unwitting stumble into a clash of the criminal underworld after discovering a stash of cocaine in the hull of a sunken ship. From Hungary comes the completely wild and darkly comic odyssey across modern Greece titled Hen, directed by György Pálfi, told from the perspective of a runaway hen who falls foul of criminals.
A lesson from history comes in the form of the French-Belgian A Man of His Time, by Emmanuel Marre – a story of petty bureaucrats and the semi-elite in collaborationist Vichy, offering a look at the adaptation to a new regime and the trampling of one’s own morality. The British drama I See Buildings Fall Like Lightning, directed by Clio Barnard, brings a modern urban story about young people confronting the brutal housing crisis, which for some spells ruin and for others opportunity.
“I am pleased that, as always, the program is geographically diverse and genre-eclectic – from a Chilean mystery thriller and a Spanish crime flick, to a Polish anti-clerical comedy and a French drama dissecting the fundamental political problem of our time: the opportunistic submission to violent ideologies. Our program includes tried and true names such as Zvyagintsev, but also debut directors such as Lila Pinell, and fresh filmmakers like Jane Schoenbrun and Manuela Martelli. There are old festival friends such as Piotr Domalewski or Teona Strugar Mitevska, but also directors we have long wanted to screen but the occasion never before presented itself – such as Fernando Eimbcke”, said Jurica Pavičić, the Main Program Selector.
Films in the Main Program compete for the Cinehill Propeller, while the winner will be decided by the jury comprising Serbian producer Snežana van Houwelingen, Montenegrin director Marija Perović, Palestinian producer Baher Agbaria, and director Igor Šeregi, maker of the huge regional hit The Wedding.
“I look forward to the serious competition my colleagues and I will be evaluating. All the more so since I’ve followed this festival since my youth, when I would visit it in Motovun and sleep in a tent in the festival camp”, said filmmaker Igor Šeregi.
As is customary at this festival, the program also features a strong selection of short films competing for the CineCorto Award. The more than rich side program includes retrospectives of Oscar-winning German director Edward Berger and regional acting star Zijah Sokolović, this year’s honorary guests. Partner country Montenegro, the new star of Balkan cinema, also brings a wealth of cinematic and other treats.
“We have a special showcase of Montenegrin films, as well as cinematic greetings from Greenland; a real Oscar statuette is coming our way; there are also films and workshops for children, and treats for hardened cinephiles. All of this set in a verdant paradise that will be our film refuge, with screenings from 11 in the morning until midnight, when the night’s entertainment is only just beginning”, reveals Igor Mirković.
The entertainment program, as every summer, offers a wealth of musical genres. The exciting line-up is led by Vojko V, while late-night music highlights also include Cura i dečko, Idu Hobiti, Svebor Mihael Jelić, and a whole host of DJs including Mario Kovač, Felver and the Greenlight Collective.
Festival visitors will also have the opportunity to explore the Forest of Flavours, an event presented by the Kvarner Tourist Board showcasing the wine and gastronomic treasures of Gorski Kotar, taking place simultaneously with the film program.
The majority of events will take place at the festival centre in Rakov Jarak, a magical space on the shores of Lake Bajer featuring two tent cinemas, a music stage, spaces for Q&As, and a festival camp for visitors on the lake’s edge. Daytime screenings will be held at the Golik Cinema, at the Fužine Community Centre, while evening screenings will also take place at a large outdoor cinema by the dam, at the centre of Fužine.
The festival is held with the support of the Primorje-Gorski Kotar County, the Kvarner Tourist Board and the Croatian Audiovisual Centre, and is co-organised with the Municipality of Fužine. In collaboration with the Primorje-Gorski Kotar County, which this year proudly holds the title of a European Region of Sport, Cinehill will also co-host a special program uniting culture and sport.
“In the green heart of our county, we will offer visitors and film lovers the opportunity to enjoy both films and sports in beautiful nature. The day can start with recreation, exploring the natural beauties of Fužine, trying new sporting activities on the lake, and then enjoying a film and theatre program with deep and inspiring messages from athletes. This program will bridge culture and sports, demonstrating that sport is not only about competition, but a way of life that promotes health, relaxation and time spent in nature”, said Sonja Šišić, Head of Culture and Sport at Primorje-Gorski Kotar County.
Ticket bundles VELIKO BRDO (Big Hill) and MALO BRDO (Little Hill) are already on sale for the film program at best available prices. They are available in online pre-sale until 5 July, when individual ticket sales begin, and can be obtained via the following link: https://cinehill.eu/en/tickets/.
