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. The festival was named after its location, the small Croatian town of Motovun. At that time, few non-Hollywood films were widely distributed in Croatia. The festival was created to combat Hollywood's domination of Croatian theaters and to expand the country's cinematic repertoire.
In 2023, the festival took place in two locations: Motovun, as usual, and the mountain lodge settlement of Petehovac in the Gorski Kotar region. Screenings held in Gorski Kotar were branded as Cinehill, and the festival was renamed the Motovun Cinehill Film Festival. As of 2025, the festival is held solely in Gorski Kotar under the name Cinehill.
The Cinehill Film Festival focuses on independent film productions and films made by small studios. Every year, it screens about 70 films from different countries, offering a great selection of feature films, documentaries, and shorts to suit any taste. Film screenings take place in several indoor and outdoor theaters. The side program features open-air concerts.
Over the years, the Motovun Film Festival has become especially popular among Croatian youth and foreign tourists backpacking through Croatia. Many attendees stay at the festival campground. The campground has become one of the festival’s hallmarks. In 2007, The Guardian described the festival 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 independent filmmakers can show their films to appreciative audiences. Nevertheless, the Cinehill Film Festival is considered one of the two most important film festivals in the former Yugoslavia, alongside Bosnia and Herzegovina’s Sarajevo Film Festival, because quality matters more than size.
The Cinehill Film Festival hosts a film competition. The main award of the festival is the Propeller Cinehill, formerly known as 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 the CineCorto, CroCorto, FIPRESCI, Maverick, and 50 Years Awards. The last two awards are given for expanding the horizons of the art of film and for lifetime achievement, respectively.
Photo: cinehill.eu
