The story that took home the most prestigious cinematic bear to premiere in their natural habitat – Gorski Kotar • About a dozen lakeside screenings per day and in Fužine centre

Once again, our “green carpet” rolls out the last week of July. From 22 to 27 July make room for Cinehill, a festival that, after spending a quarter of a century perched in Motovun, for the third year in a row sets up shop in the lush greenery of Gorski Kotar. The unique festival concept, offering visitors a mountain excursion and a top-notch film program all rolled into one, with guests from all corners of the world, this year moves to the shores of a lake, the fairy-tale landscape of Fužine. The hometown of legendary director Krešo Golik becomes a film hub with about ten screenings per day.

This year, too, the festival will showcase a selection of the best independent films from around the world, with guests of honour, as well as a nightly music program and a whole series of accompanying artistic events. While the full film program will be announced in early July, for now, get ready for the Croatian premieres of two of the season’s laureates, the Oscar-winning Brazilian feature I’m Still Here, and the winner of the Golden Bear at the latest Berlinale – the Norwegian drama Dreams.

The winner of the Oscar for Best International Feature, I’m Still Here, directed by Walter Salles, is a profound and complex drama about the tragedy of one family, but also of a country searching for thousands of missing dissidents from the time of the military dictatorship. On the other hand, Dreams (Sex Love) is director Dag Johan Haugerud’s third instalment in the trilogy about sexuality and love, in which he deals with first love and a young person’s very vivid and confusing emotions of being in love.

The visuals for this year’s edition are inspired by the motto of Films in Nature, which is why the visual solutions feature the squirrel as a cheerful forest creature. The concept of the visuals is the work of creative agency Imago Ogilvy.

The festival headquarters are secluded in the forest on the shores of Lake Bajer, with two large tents for daytime film screenings, in the cool shade of ancient trees, accompanied by the sound of nearby brooks – in keeping with Cinehill’s concept of moving its screenings away from urban centres and inviting visitors to experience the festival in nature. Evening screenings will be held in the center of Fužine, at a large open-air cinema.

in the center of Fužine, at a large open-air cinema. “This summer, we continue our film adventure of building a completely unique festival located far from city cinemas, but still a stone’s throw from everything, so we invite people from Zagreb, Rijeka, Ljubljana, and coastal tourist towns to come on over and escape the hustle and bustle of the big centres. We are within easy reach from all sides, and we are especially looking forward to seeing our hosts again, the people of Gorski Kotar, who poured into our screenings in great numbers, once again reminding us of why we do this festival”, announces festival director Igor Mirković.

Tickets will be on sale starting 5 June, starting with saver bundles at most affordable prices, as well as individual tickets. This year, Cinehill once again invites interested volunteers to selflessly help out with the organisation and functioning of the festival. Applications are open until 20 June.

Everyone arriving at the festival will be able to find accommodation in Gorski Kotar, while info on the increasingly rich tourist offer of this region may be found on the websites: gorskikotar.hr or tz-fuzine.hr. For those wanting to completely immerse themselves in nature, a free festival camp will be set up on the shores of Lake Lepenica.

Bring your hiking boots to discover amazing walking trails, but pack your swimsuits too if you prefer to find refreshment lakeside. Take in a breath of fresh air far from any pollution, and get ready to savour natural wonders, movies, music, and good food!

The festival is held with the support of the Primorje-Gorski Kotar County, the Kvarner and Gorski Kotar Tourist Boards, and is co-organised with the municipality of Fužine.