The Motovun Film Festival was launched in 1999 by film director Rajko Grlić, film producer Boris T. Matić, and a group of film professionals and film students. Back then, very few non-Hollywood films were widely distributed in Croatia. The Motovun Film Festival was created to combat the domination of Hollywood films in Croatian theaters and to fill the gap in cinema repertoire.
The Motovun Film Festival focuses on independent film productions and films made by small studios. It screens about 70 films from different countries every year, offering a great selection of feature films, documentaries and shorts to suit any taste. Film screenings take place in two indoor and two outdoor theatres. The side program features concerts in the streets and squares of the old town.
Over the years, the Motovun Film Festival has become especially popular among Croatian youths, as well as foreign tourists backpacking through Croatia. Many attendees stay at the festival camping ground located on the foothills of Motovun. The camp has become one of the festival’s hallmarks. In 2007, the Motovun Film Festival was described by The Guardian as “a cross between Glastonbury and Sundance”. The event is often referred to as “the Woodstock of Film”.
The organizers don’t want the festival to become a big, high-profile event. They want it to be a place where films by independent filmmakers are shown to benevolent audiences. Nevertheless, the Motovun Film Festival is considered to be one of the two most important film festivals in former Yugoslavia, along with Bosnia and Herzegovina’s Sarajevo Film Festival, because it’s quality rather than size that matters.
The Motovun Film Festival hosts a film competition. The main award of the festival is the Propeller of Motovun. Its name was inspired by the wind turbines located just outside the town. The award is presented to the best film in the main program. Other awards presented at the festival include Motovun Shorts, the FIPRESCI Award, the Maverick Award, and the 50 Years Award. The last two awards are given for expanding the horizons of the art of film and for lifetime achievement, respectively.
Photo: motovunfilmfestival.com
