The awards for the films in the Croatian film and Croatian minority coproduction sections were announced in Pula's Little Roman Theater on 22 July 2023.
Thirteen titles competed in the Croatian film section and seven in the Croatian minority coproduction section.
The jury of the Croatian Independent Cinema Network presented its award in its first year to the film Only When I Laugh directed by Vanja Juranić.
Pula Pro, the industry section of the festival, included a showcase of Croatian feature films and documentaries in development/production, as well as pitches of scripts in development, round tables and industry talks.
FULL LIST OF WINNERS:
Croatian Films Competition Section:
Great Golden Arena for Best Film:
Bigger Than Trauma (Croatia)
Directed by Vedrana Pribačić
Produced by Metar60
Supported by the Croatian Audiovisual Centre
Golden Arena for Best Director:
Juraj Lerotić for Safe Place (Croatia, Slovenia)
Produced by Pipser
Coproduced by Zelena zraka in collaboration with December
Supported by the Croatian Audiovisual Centre (HAVC), the Croatian Radiotelevision (HRT), the Slovenian Film Centre
Golden Arena for Best Screenplay:
Luka Rukavina and Rona Žulj for Cricket and Antoinette (Croatia)
Directed by Luka Rukavina
Produced by Diedra
Coproduced by Zagrebfilm
Supported by the Croatian Audiovisual Centre
Golden Arena for Best Leading Actress:
Tihana Lazović in Only When I Laugh (Croatia)
Directed by Vanja Juranić
Produced by Maxima film
Coproduced by Biberche
Supported by the Croatian Audiovisual Centre, Film Center Serbia, Creative Europe - MEDIA
Golden Arena for Best Leading Actor:
Goran Marković in Safe Place
Directed by Juraj Lerotić
Golden Arena for Best Cinematography:
Marko Brdar for Safe Place
Directed by Juraj Lerotić
Golden Arena for Best Editing:
Dubravka Turić for Traces (Croatia, Lithuania, Serbia)
Directed by Dubravka Turić
Produced by Kinorama
Coproduced by Tremora, Corona
Supported by the Croatian Audiovisual Centre, the Lithuanian Film Centre, Film Center Serbia, Eurimages, HRT, Creative Europe – MEDIA
Breza Award for Best Debutant:
Josip Žuvan for directing the film Carbide (Croatia, Serbia)
Produced by Maxima film
Coproduced by Biberche
Supported by the Croatian Audiovisual Centre, Film Center Serbia
Golden Arena for Best Supporting Actress:
Ivana Roščić in Carbide
Directed by Josip Žuvan
The Golden Arena for Best Supporting Actor:
Krešimir Mikić in Escort (Croatia, North Macedonia, Serbia)
Directed by Lukas Nola
Produced by Kinorama
Coproduced by Skopje Film Studio, Buka Production
Supported by the Croatian Audiovisual Centre, the Croatian Radiotelevision, the North Macedonia Film Agency, the Kosovo Cinematography Center
Golden Arena for Best Production Design:
Ivan Veljača for Escort
Directed by Lukas Nola
Golden Arena for Best Costume Design:
Ivana Zozola Vargović for The Diary of Pauline P. (Croatia)
Directed by Neven Hitrec
Produced by Jaka produkcija
Supported by the Croatian Audiovisual Centre
Golden Arena for Best Music:
Vjeran Šalamon and Coco Mosquito for Cricket and Antoinette
Directed by Luka Rukavina
Golden Arena for Best Special Effects:
Pleter fireworks for Carbide
Directed by Josip Žuvan
Golden Arena for Best Makeup:
Snježana Gorup for Traces
Directed by Dubravka Turić
Golden Arena for Best Sound Design:
Dubravka Premar for Traces
Directed by Dubravka Turić
Croatian Minority Coproductions:
Golden Arena for Best Croatian Minority Coproduction:
Labudović Files: Unaligned (Serbia, France, Croatia, Montenegro)
Directed by Mila Turajlić
Produced by Poppy Pictures, Survivance
Coproduced by Restart, Kino
Supported by Film Center Serbia, the Croatian Audiovisual Centre
Golden Arena for Best Leading Actress:
Ksenia Marinković in Have You Seen This Woman? (Serbia, Croatia)
Directed by Dušan Zorić, Matija Gluščević
Produced by Non-Aligned Films
Coproduced by the Radio and Television of Serbia, the Faculty of Dramatic Arts in Belgrade, Dinaridi Film
Supported by Film Center Serbia, the Croatian Audiovisual Centre
Golden Arena for Best Leading Actor:
Adnan Omerović in The Happiest Man in the World (North Macedonia, Slovenia, Croatia, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Denmark)
Directed by Teona Strugar Mitevska
Produced by Sisters and Brother Mitevski
Coproduced by Vertigo, Terminal 3, Entre Chien et Loup, SCCA/Pro.ba, Beofilm
Supported by Creative Europe - MEDIA Programme, Eurimages, the North Macedonia Film Agency, the Danish Film Institute, the Belgium Tax Shelter, the Croatian Audiovisual Centre, the Film Fund Sarajevo
Golden Arena for Best Cinematography:
Aleksa Radunović, Marko Kažić and Milica Drinić for Have You Seen This Woman?
Directed by Dušan Zorić, Matija Gluščević
Other Awards:
Croatian Independent Cinema Network Award:
Only When I Laugh
Directed by Vanja Juranić
Marijan Rotar Award for Contribution to the Promotion of the Festival:
Archeological Museum of Istria
Vedran Šamanović Award:
David Gašo, the director of the short film Short Cut Grass
Award of the Filmmakers Association of Croatia for Lifetime Contribution to Film:
Branko Knez
