Zagreb Film Festival has announced its main theme and programme for its 2018 event. The main theme for the festival will be heroes at a turning point. The main programme will consist of 12 films by emerging filmmakers, with each of their inclusions being either their debut or second film. 11 of the films in the main programme will compete for the main festival award, The Golden Pram.
The main theme announcement joins previous announcements about this year's event, including a side focus on tycoons, a programme by Czech filmmakers and the fact that this year's festival will see its reach extended to viewings all across Croatia. Zagreb Film Festival takes place between 11 and 18 November.
'Dear Son' by Tunisian director Mohamed Ben Attia follows a father whose son joins ISIS. 'Wildlife', the directorial debut of fantastic American actor Paul Dano, stars Carey Mulligan and Jake Gyllenhaal and looks at a divorce through the eyes of a 14-year-old boy. Brazilian drama 'Loveling' looks at a mother who will be left alone when her oldest son announces his departure for pastures new. 'All Good' depicts a strong woman who decides to remain silent about being raped until the consequences of her decision becomes unbearable. 'Woman at War' sees the lead choosing between environmental terrorism and motherhood.
Jake Gyllenhaal and Paul Dano, Wildlife
Peruvian film 'Retablo' depicts a conservative, traditional and religious community of the Andes, in which a father and son's relationship frays following the son's nonconforming actions. 'Manta Ray' from Thailand looks at identity theft and the Rohingya, one of the world's most persecuted ethnic minorities. 'Old Boys' is a modern take on famous French comedy-drama Cyrano de Bergerac. 'Anchor and Hope' by Carlos Marques-Marcet, which appears in off-competition, stars Oona and Geraldine Chaplin, the latter who will be present at the festival and is famously daughter of Charlie Chaplin.
'Just Like My Son' follows two brothers living in Italy after fleeing Afghanistan whose world turns when they learn that their mother is still alive. It is based on a true story. 'All Alone' by Bobo Jelić is a film about a father who wants to see his daughter and as a result ends up in conflict with Croatian social services and 'The Load' is a story about a truck driver transporting a suspicious load, drawing parallels with the concealment of war crimes in Serbia during Slobodan Milošević’s regime. It too is based on a true story.
The main theme announcement joins previous announcements about this year's event, including a side focus on tycoons, a programme by Czech filmmakers, cinema at the cinema and the fact that this year's festival will see its reach extended to viewings all across Croatia. Also released at the same time as the main programme and theme were details of the short films programme contained within the festival. Zagreb Film Festival takes place between 11 and 18 November.
Geraldine Chaplin