PRODUCTION: Filming of War Drama Pula Starts in Croatia

02-09-2021

PRODUCTION: Filming of War Drama Pula Starts in Croatia

By Milena Zajović

PULA: Final preparations are ongoing for the filming of Pula, the debut feature of renowned Croatian documentarist Andrej Korovljev produced by Kinematograf. The filming is set to start in mid-September 2021 after a year of COVID-19 induced delays, and should last until the end of October 2021.

The film is set in wartime Pula, the coastal Croatian city that served as a safe haven for thousands of people displaced during the ex-Yugoslav war. The main character, Mahir, is a 28-year-old refugee from Bosnia. While others try to overcome war traumas by socialising, he is mostly alone, distracted. A spark of life comes when Una, a 16-year-old girl from Pula, is romantically drawn to him.

“Bosnian actor Ermin Bravo took the lead role of Mahir. Bigger local roles were assigned in July, and now we’re looking for supporting actors and extras. The emphasis is on local people, both adults, and children, as one of the bigger scenes in the film involves the preparation of a school trip” the director told FNE.

Pula is based on a short novel by Vladimir Stojsavljević, adapted by screenwriter Ivan Turković Krnjak. The film was developed through Re:Act, CineLink and Goethe Institute’s First Films First programmes, and it is supported by the Croatian Audiovisual Centre. The budget of the film is 3.5 m HRK / 466.500 EUR. The filming will last from 13 September until 15 October in Pula.

The project was also presented at the CineLink Co-production Market 2019 in the framework of Sarajevo Film Festival’s CineLink Industry Days.

“The main location of the shooting will be the Pula Hotel, where the film takes place, and as this is the place where those unfortunate refugees from Bosnia and Herzegovina were accommodated in 1995. We kids went there to the nearby disco unaware of another drama that took place in the hotel. This is where our main characters, a young high school student from Pula and a refugee from war-torn Bosnia and Herzegovina meet, and this is where a strange love story begins”, Korovljev said.

This week, citizens of Pula were invited to the casting for the larger scenes, which would involve up to 200 extras.

Production Information:

Director Andrej Korovljev Producer:
Kinematograf (Croatia)
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