Restored Classic Rondo Opens 24th ZFF!

The 24th edition of the Zagreb Film Festival officially opened on Monday, 9 November, to a packed audience at the Gavella Drama Theatre, marked by a screening of the digitally restored Croatian cinema classic Rondo, written and directed by Zvonimir Berković, in celebration of its 60th anniversary. The festival was officially opened by the Head of the City Office for Culture and Civil Society for the City of Zagreb Emina Višnić. Alongside festival leadership, Director Boris T. Matić, Executive Director Lana Matić, and Programme Director Selma Mehadžić, the ceremony was attended by numerous other prominent figures from Croatian cultural and public life, as well as Ana Berković and Nika Bašić, daughters of Zvonimir Berković and Relja Bašić.

“Over the next seven days, at Kaptol Boutique Cinema, Kinoteka Cinema, MSU, Cinema Surogat KIC, and tonight right here at the Gavella Drama Theatre, we will screen 130 films, while our rich Industry programme will take place across several venues in the city, bringing together around 150 film professionals,” stated Zagreb Film Festival Director Boris T. Matić. Programme Director Selma Mehadžić added that “a selection of films from the ZFF Travels programme will travel to around 15 towns and cities whose cinemas are members of the Independent Cinema Network, while part of the lineup will also be available online via the official festival website.”

“We hope that the films you are about to watch will, just as they did for us while selecting them, remind you of the importance of values we so often take for granted—empathy, togetherness, solidarity, and love. On the vital importance of connection and dialogue through which, right here in the cinema, we can build a better future,” she emphasized.

Competing for the festival’s main awards, the Golden Prams, this year are 12 feature films, 12 international short films, and eight Croatian short films from the Checkers programme. The cash prizes for Best Feature Film and Best Short Film are sponsored by Raiffeisenbank Croatia, while the cash prize for Best Film in the Checkers programme is provided by the Croatian Film Directors and Producers Guild. Awards will also be presented in the young audience programme PLUS and the children’s programme KinoKino, as well as to established filmmakers in the Together Again programme, while the votes of the Zagreb audience will be combined with those from audiences across regional festivals to select the Best Film in the Network of Festivals in the Adriatic Region programme.

Films from the Short Film Competition, including titles from the national Checkers programme, also compete for a nomination securing a spot among the candidates for the European Film Academy Award in 2028, placing the Zagreb Film Festival in the prestigious company of European festivals such as Cannes, Venice, and Locarno.

The opening ceremony also featured the presentation of the Albert Kapović Award, awarded annually by the Croatian Producers Association in memory of the founder of the Croatian Audiovisual Centre (HAVC). The award honours individuals who have distinguished themselves in the field of cinematic art over the past year or significantly contributed to the quality and promotion of Croatian cinema. On behalf of the HRUP committee, film producer Miljenka Čogelja posthumously presented the award to producer Matea Milić in recognition of a decade of work that transformed Animafest Zagreb into a meeting place for the international animation community, and for all the paths she forged for others along the way. “Working with Matea meant being proven every day that being exceptional and being a good person are not mutually exclusive,” she emphasized in an emotional speech.

The 24th edition of the Zagreb Film Festival takes place from 9 to 15 November at the Gavella Drama Theatre, Kaptol Boutique Cinema, Kinoteka Cinema, MSU, Cinema Surogat KIC, and online at zff.hr. In addition to the official festival website, the festival programme can be followed via its official Facebook and Instagram profiles. Ticket prices are €7, or €6 for morning and afternoon screenings across the Main Competition, PLUS, Together Again, Adriatic School of Festivals, and the Great 5 programmes, as well as for films in the KinoKino programme.

The full festival programme, schedule, and ticketing information are available on the official festival website.

The Zagreb Film Festival is supported by the City Office for Culture and Civil Society, the Croatian Audiovisual Centre, Creative Europe – MEDIA Sub-programme, the Kultura Nova Foundation, and the Zagreb Tourist Board.