A large audience welcomes festival guests and a performance by the Fužine Wind Orchestra • In the next 5 days, Cinehill will present more than a hundred films & almost as many distinguished guests
Fireflies have their own language – distinctive light signals with which they call to one another in the night. In a similar play of light, the visitors to this year’s Cinehill found themselves in a fitting symbolic kinship with Gorski Kotar, home to an abundance of fireflies.
Holding up the lights of their mobile phones, the audience and festival team members together emitted a shared signal that launched Cinehill’s opening credits and marked the beginning of another edition. The ceremony was accompanied by the traditional lighting of the bonfire, which was lit by Igor Šeregi, a member of this year’s festival jury and director of The Wedding, the most-watched domestic cinema hit in recent history.
The festival opened with an informal and relaxed ceremony that introduced the festival guests and participants, accompanied by the Fužine Wind Orchestra, which has been in existence for 178 years. The blend of youth and veteran experience had the large crowd on their feet with performances of well-known pop hits and film music.
“I had a sense that there were lots of local residents in the audience, which is a wonderful thing. Our goal was to be a festival primarily for the people of this region, one that would enrich their lives, and I think they recognise this”, said Igor Mirković, Director of Cinehill Festival.
Everyone gathered was greeted by Toni Štimac, Deputy Prefect of the Primorje-Gorski Kotar County, and Ana Merle, Mayor of the Municipality of Fužine, who expressed their delight that the festival has found its home in their region and in doing so has placed Fužine on the world’s cinematic map.
This year’s Cinehill, running from 21 to 26 July in Fužine, brings over a hundred films – from award-winning titles from the world’s major festivals, to compelling regional works. Numerous directors, actors, producers, and other artists have arrived in Gorski Kotar, among them Oscar winner Edward Berger, who will receive the Maverick Award, and acting legend Zijah Sokolović, recipient of the award honouring his 50-year-long career in film.
A special focus is devoted to Montenegro as this year’s festival partner country, whose contemporary cinema will be showcased through a series of films and guest appearances by their makers. The program also brings stories from distant Greenland, a retrospective of Dušan Vukotić’s work alongside his original Oscar on display, and films that engage with major social and political themes – from occupation and colonialism, to faith, identity, and the dynamics of power.
Alongside the film program, Cinehill once again offers a plethora of other engaging content: concerts, talks with filmmakers, a film quiz, workshops for children, sporting activities, and family-friendly events. In the unique setting on the shores of Lake Bajer, the festival once again brings together film, music, nature, and community, reaffirming its status as one of the most distinctive summer cultural events in the region.
The festival is co-organised with the Municipality of Fužine and supported by the Primorje-Gorski Kotar County, the Kvarner Tourist Board, and the Croatian Audiovisual Centre.
