20-04-2010

Croatia increases support for festivals

By Goran Ivanisevic
    The Croatian Audiovisual Centre (www.havc.hr) will increase financial support to Croatian film festivals and other film-related activities by some 15% from to 1,267,050 to 1,430,555 euros.

    Funding for festivals was increased from 600,000 euros to 737,222 euros. In 2009 the Centre supported 31 festivals, while in 2010 40 festivals will supported. Among the newly supported festivals, the largest ammount (25,000 euros) was granted to Vukovar Film Festival (www.vukovarfilmfestival.com), organized by Discovery Film and Video (www.discoveryfilm.hr), a Croatian distributor focused on independent cinema. The festival screens films from Danube countries.

    However, there were cuts in contributions to some festivals. The most surprising decision was to cut support to two national film festivals, Croatian Film Days (www.sczg.hr/dhf), a festival held in Zagreb that screens only Croatian shorts, documentaries, experimental and animated films, was reduced from 27,777 euros to 22,222 euros. Pula Film Festival (www.pulafilmfestival.hr), the national festival screening all Croatian feature films, dropped from 222,222 euros to 208,333 euros. Both are national public festivals sharing the goals of the Centre, while almost all other festivals are owned by private companies and organizations.