wild violet | melon mirage | pula film festival: a national treasure by rada djurica

Characters are followed randomly, to reappear again or even occasionally meet each other. The film’s characters are society’s marginal people, people with no future. As this film demonstrates, 50 years of the Pula film festival has witnessed changes of ruling ideologies, state politics, film orientation and aesthetics.

One of the most popular guests from the 50 years of Pula’s National Festival was definitely this year with Goran Bregovic. "Now, I don't care about my career; I only care about music. I enjoy experimenting with everything, from childish songs to the most complex symphonies. It's much better a gypsy brass band, even if out of tune, than a 'Madame Butterfly' imprisoned by the routine," Bregovic said.

Bregovic was there, not only because of his music, but also because of the Norwegian film Music for Weddings and Funerals ( "Musikk for bryllup oq beqravesler") by Unni Straume, where he plays a crucial role. Unni Straume had much success at the Cannes Festival 1995 with Dreamplay. Her first feature film, the black-and-white To a Stranger (1990) captured considerable attention. And her second film, Derailment, was also shown an the 1993 Cannes Festival. Music for Weddings and Funerals from 2002, is a very female film. So, it's no surprise to see Bregovic making and performing the music here. Even if his appearance as an actor represents something completely new, Bregovic will go on exploring the music, the free and wild spirit of the Balkan brass folk music.

See the Reviews section for some reviews from the festival.

	Pula Film Festival: A National Treasure By Rada Djurica
The 50th anniversary of a national festival should not be neglected, especially if said festival has been held in multi-cultural Yugoslavia for almost 40 years, becoming a Croatian national film festival after old Yugoslavia fell apart 13 years ago. The national/international film festival is held in the 3,000-year-old arena in Pula [Croatia]. This ancient coliseum, 3,000 years ago, was the site of many human sacrifices: gladiators who gave their lives. It is indeed, ironic that today's festival also experiences sacrifices: financial sacrifices.
The festival's anniversary naturally was met with enthusiasm, screening a retrospective of cinematography from former Yugoslavia. The Pula Film Festival hosted Jeremy Irons, who was there with the film Callas Forever by Franco Zeffirelli, about the last days of Maria Callas.	Goran Bregovic
The festival’s special quests were John Malkovich and Goran Bregovic. The festival featured nine films from the official national program of the Croatian feature film, international music films program and Video Puzzle-Croatian Experimental Film and Video. The festival naturally invited relevant guests from Serbia, such as Mirjana Karanovic, to celebrate the national competition (and former Yugoslavia retrospective) with the film Witnesses. On this anniversary year, the big Golden Arena Award for the best Croatian film was awarded to Croatian film director Zrinko Ogresta, with his drama Here.
Zrinko Ogresta graduated from The Academy of Drama Arts in Zagreb. From the '80s to now, Zrinko often received awards in Croatia and abroad. The film Here uses a method of depicting individual life while giving a panoramic view of the environment.	Zrinko Ogresta
Characters are followed randomly, to reappear again or even occasionally meet each other. The film’s characters are society’s marginal people, people with no future. As this film demonstrates, 50 years of the Pula film festival has witnessed changes of ruling ideologies, state politics, film orientation and aesthetics. One of the most popular guests from the 50 years of Pula’s National Festival was definitely this year with Goran Bregovic. "Now, I don't care about my career; I only care about music. I enjoy experimenting with everything, from childish songs to the most complex symphonies. It's much better a gypsy brass band, even if out of tune, than a 'Madame Butterfly' imprisoned by the routine," Bregovic said. Bregovic was there, not only because of his music, but also because of the Norwegian film Music for Weddings and Funerals ( "Musikk for bryllup oq beqravesler") by Unni Straume, where he plays a crucial role. Unni Straume had much success at the Cannes Festival 1995 with Dreamplay. Her first feature film, the black-and-white To a Stranger (1990) captured considerable attention. And her second film, Derailment, was also shown an the 1993 Cannes Festival. Music for Weddings and Funerals from 2002, is a very female film. So, it's no surprise to see Bregovic making and performing the music here. Even if his appearance as an actor represents something completely new, Bregovic will go on exploring the music, the free and wild spirit of the Balkan brass folk music. See the Reviews section for some reviews from the festival.
Guests at the Pula Film Festival
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