ZAGREB: Admissions to domestic films in Croatia decreased from 121,205 in 2017 to 55,709 in 2018, as the number of theatrically released domestic films dropped drastically from 16 in 2017 to seven in 2018.

BUCHAREST: A total of 41 projects applied for rebates in Romania in October-December 2018, of which seven have already been approved, two have been rejected and the rest of them are in the process of evaluation. Initially the 50 m EUR annual budget was much smaller as the rebate scheme was launched in October 2018, but the National Commission for Prognosis eventually announced that the whole funding of 50 m EUR has been made available.

BUCHAREST: Admissions to domestic films increased from 280,910 in 2017 to approximately 380,000 in 2018 in Romania due to Stere Gulea’s Moromete Family: On the Edge of Time / Moromeții 2. The awaited sequel of one of the most popular Romanian films of all times scored 181,232 admissions in only seven weeks.

BUCHAREST: The documentary Untamed Romania / România neîmblânzită, directed by Tom Barton-Humphreys and funded by Auchan Retail Romania and the environmental NGO The European Nature Trust, was sold to France Télévisions Group for broadcasting starting March 2019.

This month we speak with Marijana Bosnjak, CEO and Head of Board of Kino Urania located in the town of Osijek, in the Eastern part of Croatia. As a part of Kinematografi Osijek (an organisation which started in 1901), Urania is not only a cinema, but it also has a special place in the history of its city. Urania was built in 1912 with the assistance of Viktor Axmann, a local architect and free-mason. The building was used as a meeting point for the secret organisation. Today Kinematografi Osijek is running two cinemas: Kino Urania and Kino Europa (built in 1939).

BUCHAREST: Stere Gulea’s Moromete Family: On the Edge of Time / Moromeții 2 is about to become the most successful film of the year, with 154,137 admissions and 429,013 EUR / 1,973,464  RON gross after the third weekend. It is ranked 39th in the general chart, way ahead other Romanian films.

BUCHAREST: Six projects have been approved for cash rebate in the scheme launched in Romania in October 2018. They include international and Romanian projects, including David Berman’s War by Philip Noyce and a Florence Nightingale biopic presumably starring Keira Knightley.

ZAGREB: The Croatian Audiovisual Centre (HAVC) allotted 370,883 EUR / 2,755,000 HRK for minority coproduction grants and for script and project development grants. New projects by Goran Paskaljević and Srđan Vuletić are among the five Croatian minority coproductions receiving production funding.

BUCHAREST: Mathematician Valer-Daniel Breaz has been named as the new Minister of Culture in Romania, as the Social Democratic Party (PSD) changed several ministers from the Government.