The screening of Jasna Nanut’s feature debut, Seventh Heaven, a comedy revealing a funny side of the mid-life crisis, opened the 21st edition of Zagreb Film Festival in the packed SC Cinema on Monday.

Alongside Zagreb Film Festival’s director Boris T. Matić, festival producers Lana Matić and Selma Mehadžić, and film crew – director and co-writer Jasna Nanut, producer and co-writer Hrvoje Osvadić, actors Krešimir Mikić, Iva Jerković, Iva Mihalić, Nikša Butijer, Dejan Aćimović, and Petar Ćiritović – the film Seventh Heaven, which starts its Croatian tour on 9 November, was enjoyed by honored guests: the Croatian Minister of Culture and Media Nina Obuljen Koržinek, the State Secretary Krešimir Partl, the Mayor of Zagreb Tomislav Tomašević, the Vice-Mayor Luka Korlaet, and the director of the Croatian Audiovisual Centre Chris Marchich.

They were joined by numerous figures from Zagreb’s public and cultural life: Ankica Jurić Tilić, Vinko Brešan, Nenad Puhovski, Antonio Nuić i Iva Babić, Marina Redžepović, Nevio Marasović, Daniel and Emina Kušan, Predrag Ličina, Ana Begić Tahiri, Dino and Viktorija Rađa, and many others.

The 21st edition of Zagreb Film Festival awaits us and we are very excited that the day has come when we can share with you the rich film program we have been preparing for the past year. Once again, we will present some of the best new authors and numerous films we expect will mark the coming film season. We are especially glad this year’s main program will premiere in Croatia three co-production titles by talented authors from the region who have already achieved significant success at this year’s A-List festivals — those are ‘Lost Country’ by Vladimir Perišić, ‘Excursion’ by Una Gunjak and ‘Housekeeping for Beginners’ by Goran Stolevski, Boris T. Matić said.

During the upcoming seven festival days, we will screen over a hundred films in SC Cinema, Kinoteka Cinema, and MSU, cinemas which we started calling our home. And this year, due to the ongoing renovation of Tuškanac Cinema, the main competition will be screened at a new festival location, at CineStar Branimir. We would like to thank our colleagues from CineStar Branimir for this beautiful cooperation in preparing the new location, Selma Mehadžić said.

This festival has become indispensable at the cultural map of Zagreb, Croatia and further, a place which always offers excellent films, a place to meet filmmakers from all over the world, a place which promotes independent film, the mayor of Zagreb Tomislav Tomašević said declaring the festival open.

The Albert Kapović Award is traditionally awarded at ZFF by the Croatian Producers Association to the most prominent persons from the audiovisual sector. Inspired by the international success of ‘Carbide’ by Josip Žuvan, one of the newest titles in an exceptionally rich career, we have decided to award the Albert Award to an equally great and benevolent figure of Croatian cinematography — producer and professor Damir Terešak. During his long and continued career spanning 30 years, Damir Terešak has produced over forty audiovisual projects, successful feature films, TV shows and TV formats with his production company Maxima Film. He redefined and established the profession of the creative film producer, founded the Department of Production at the Academy of Dramatic Art in Zagreb, but also paved the way towards the strategic positioning and functioning of the entire audiovisual community in which he continues to successfully work. Damir is our eternal production mentor, moral compass, leader, professional, and role model. Congratulations! Rea Rajčić, member of the Croatian Producers Association’s Committee said.

The 21st Zagreb Film Festival takes place from Tuesday until Sunday, 12 November in CineStar Branimir, Kinoteka Cinema, MSU, Dokukino KIC, SC Cinema, and on online platforms kinoeuropa.hr, croatian.film, and ondemand.kinomeetingpoint.ba. In seven festival days, we will screen 115 films in a number of programs, and films from the international feature film and the international short film competition, as well as films from the national short film program Checkers will compete for the Golden Pram festival award. Tickets are available at box offices, as well as online on kupiulaznicu.zff.hr.

Zagreb Film Festival is financially supported by the City Office for Culture, Intercity and International Cooperation and Civil Society, the Croatian Audiovisual Center, Creative Europe — MEDIA sub-program, the Tourist Board of the City of Zagreb, and Kultura Nova.