The iconic 90-year old cinema in the heart of the old town was purchased by the city in 2008 when Matic’s team was given the rights to operate it for a ten-year period. The cinema is also the home to Animafest.

Matic told fest audiences that this is the first year the festival has two Croatian films in the main competition. He introduced the first of those, the Croatian/Danish coproduction Quit Staring at My Plate by debuting director Hana Jusic, noting that it was the most anticipated Croatian film of the year. The film’s producer Ankica Juric Tilic of Kinorama told FNE that the film will enter Croatian cinemas this weekend. She said that the film is in the early stages of making the rounds of the film festival circuit, having recently picked up the best director award at the 29th Tokyo Film Festival, with some 20 more festivals on their schedule.

The festival is also gearing up for its major industry event, a meeting marking the 25th anniversary of the MEDIA Programme. Martina Petrovic, head of the Croatia MEDIA Desk told FNE that 110 attendees are expected, including 40 international guests. She added that it was a major event for Zagreb and was the first time the MEDIA Programme was holding a meeting in the region.