What’s in Store for Wednesday?

On Wednesday, November 12, the third day of the festival brings the Croatian premiere of Sorry, Baby, the feature debut of American director and actress Eva Victor. Winner of the Best Screenplay Award at Sundance, this warm and unusually witty story follows protagonist Agnes as she recovers from a traumatic experience with the support of her close friend Lydia (Naomi Ackie). This film will screen at CineStar Branimir at 10:30 a.m. and 6:30 p.m., with the evening screening presented as part of ZFF’s intercultural program Welcome to ZFF, in English with Croatian and Ukrainian subtitles.

Also on Wednesday’s rich CineStar Branimir lineup is Wind, Talk to Me, the winning film of this year’s Sarajevo Film Festival, directed by Stefan Đorđević. Premiered in Rotterdam, this unusual blend of fiction and autobiography, in which the filmmaker recreates his own life experience following his mother’s death, will be screened at 1:00 p.m. and 9:00 p.m. After the screening, a Q&A will be held, during which Đorđević will share details about the making of his debut feature wit the festival’s executive producer, Barbara Gregov.

At the same cinema, at 6:00 p.m., Christy, directed by Brendan Canty, will be screened. The film won the Grand Prix of the International Jury in the Generation 14plus program at the Berlin Film Festival. The story follows seventeen-year-old Christy, who moves in with his estranged brother Shane after being expelled from his foster family. The film is shown at the 23^rd ZFF as part of the Network of Festivals in the Adriatic Region program and also competes for the PLUS Award of the young jury.

Undercover, a tense political thriller about a secret agent infiltrating a Basque separatist paramilitary group, will screen simultaneously at 6:00 p.m. at the nearby Kinoteka cinema. The film won the prestigious awards for Best Film and Best Leading Actress (Carolina Yuste) at the 39^th Goya Awards, Spain’s equivalent of the Oscars. Zagreb audiences will have the opportunity to meet the director, Spanish filmmaker Arantxa Echevarría, in a post-screening discussion moderated by film critic Nino Kovačić.

On Wednesday at 6:00 p.m., the Museum of Contemporary Art (MSU) will host the final instalment of director Dag Johan Haugerud’s trilogy, Dreams, as part of the Together Again program. The first Norwegian filmmaker to win the Golden Bear in Berlinale history, Haugerud follows seventeen-year-old Johanne, who is in love with her French teacher and records her feelings in her diary. The program at MSU continues at 8:30 p.m. with Maldoror, directed by Fabrice du Welz, as part of the Network of Festivals in the Adriatic Region program. Inspired by the true story of the notorious serial killer Marc Dutroux, the film exposes the harsh realities of investigative work in Belgium.

At 8:30 p.m., Zagreb audiences will experience the powerful story of The Voice of Hind Rajab on the big screen at CineStar Branimir, directed by Tunisian filmmaker Kaouther Ben Hania (The Man Who Sold His Skin, ZFF 2020). The film tells the story of six-year-old Hind Rajab, trapped in a car under Israeli fire. Winner of multiple awards at Venice, including the Grand Jury Prize, the film is Tunisia’s Oscar submission, and all ticked proceeds will be donated to humanitarian organizations operating on the ground in Gaza.

At 9:30 p.m. in Kinoteka cinema, another block of films from the short film competition begins, including two domestic titles: Peninsula by David Gašo (Short Cut Grass, Golden Pram 2023), and Nature and Poetry by Jasna Safić. In the international competition on Wednesday, the screenings include Dog and Wolf by Terézia Halamová, God is Shy by Jocelyn Charles, and The Blood by Joaquín León.

During the 23^rd ZFF, KIC becomes the central hub for presenting this year’s Festivals in the Spotlight program every day from 7.30 p.m. Tonight, a selection of short films from the Toronto International Film Festival (Short Cuts) will be screened. Admission is free.

The Industry program on Wednesday features a presentation by Martina Petrović, head of DKE – MEDIA HR Office, on updates to calls for audiovisual project development in 2026: Creative Europe MEDIA – What’s Cooking in the New Content Cluster Calls in 2026? The presentation is aimed at producers, screenwriters, and creators interested in European funding sources and will take place from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. at KIC. The event is open to the public with prior registration.

The Zagreb Film Festival is held with the support of the City Office for Culture and Civil Society, the Croatian Audiovisual Centre, Creative Europe – MEDIA sub-programme, Kultura Nova Foundation, and the Zagreb Tourist Board.