THE 2nd CROATIAN FILM FESTIVAL

Will be held in Tokyo

from December 15th to 17th, 2023!

TICKETS NOW ON SALE!

Information

There will be two events for those who bought tickets!

  • One lucky person will win a uniform of Croatian national football team signed by Modrić.
  • At the end of the festival, we invite you to a mini-concert by Croatian singer-songwriter Elis Lovrić.

GREETINGS

This year, Croatia and Japan are celebrating the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations and are engaged in various activities. On this occasion, the Japan-Croatia Society is very pleased to host the Japan-Croatia Film Festival. The festival consists of two parts: the first Japanese Film Festival in Zagreb and the second Croatian Film Festival in Tokyo.

Croatia is a country with a rich and challenging history, located at the crossroads of various cultures and religions. Thanks to its people, natural beauty, cultural heritage, and talented athletes, Croatia is popular throughout the world and is one of the world’s best tourist destinations. The Japan Croatia Film Festival will introduce Croatia and Japan to audiences through different stories and destinies. It will definitely be a new opportunity to unite our people and countries and make new acquaintances and friends. I plan to attend as many screenings in Tokyo as possible. I hope that as many of you as possible will join the great stories of these festivals and enjoy the best of Croatian and Japanese cinema. Welcome!

Dražen Hrastić, ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary

This year marks the important 30th anniversary of the start of diplomatic relations between Japan and Croatia. To celebrate this occasion, the Japan-Croatia Film Festival will be held to introduce the culture, history, traditions, and arts of the two countries through films. The first Japanese Film Festival will be held in Zagreb, the capital of Croatia, and the second Croatian Film Festival will be held in Tokyo. All films will be screened for the first time in their respective countries, and the aim is to bring the two countries closer than ever before and to deepen the friendship between them by providing an unprecedented experience.

The Japan Croatia Film Festival was made possible by the support and sponsorship of many government agencies, corporations, media outlets, and individuals from both countries. We would like to express our sincere gratitude to all of them.

I hope that you will come to the Japan Croatia Film Festival and experience the beauty and splendor of films from my two home countries, Japan and Croatia. I look forward to seeing you all at the festival.

Edouard Tripković-Katayama, representative director “JAPAN CROATIA SOCIETY”

FILMS

Something Sweet

Nešto slatko (Nekaj sladkega)

  • Year : 2023
  • Duration : 90′
  • Genre : Romantic Comedy

Event organizer Kaja’s career hangs in the balance when Ace Majstorovski, a world-renowned marketing guru, misses his flight for a very important conference. Due to the organizational chaos, Kaja spots Ace’s “doppelgänger” in the pastry shop and persuades him to take his place. What follows is a humorous exchange of identities, shocking and unusual situations caused by confusion, a wide range of eccentric characters and Slovenian-Balkan humor.. 

  • ACTORS: Saško Kocev, Jelena Jovanova, Ula Furlan, Oriana Girotto, Ranko Babić
  • DIRECTOR: Tin Vodopivec
  • SCREEN: Urška Majdič, Tin Vodopivec
  • PRODUCERS: Mateja Koren, Saško Kocev, Urška Majdič, Tin Vodopivec, Maja Zupanc

F20

  • Year : 2018
  • Duration : 90′
  • Genre : Triler

A young girl, Martina, who works as a delivery girl in her father’s pizzeria in the summer, meets a young man, Filip, who constantly plays video games and orders pizzas. Martina persuades him to steal her father’s money and run away to Zrće, but their innocent summer adventure soon turns into a bloody nightmare.   

  • Director: Arsen Anton Ostojić
  • Screenplay: Hrvoje Sadarić
  • Camera: Slobodan Trninić
  • Montage: Dubravko Slunjski
  • Scenography: Ivo Knezović
  • Roles: Filip Mayer, Romina Tonković, Mladen Vulić, Lana Ujević, Alen Liverić

Slowly nowhere

Polako nikuda

  • Year : 2023
  • Duration : 72′
  • Genre : Experimental-game

The film shows the main characters Oleg and Marta using the procedure of variant repetition – the same event is told twice in a row, only the second time is changed. Oleg is a student of visual arts, addicted to drugs, and Marta is a librarian, addicted to many things. Their portraits are made like mirrors, and their adventures are shown with episodes of dragging around the neighbourhood, sex, promises, drunkenness, and death.  

  • Director/Screenplay: Damir Čučić
  • Camera: Marinko Marinkić
  • Roles: Katarina Arbanas, Jura Ruža
  • Producers: Matko Burić, Damir Čučić, Hrvoje Selec

She wore a red scarf

Nosila je rubac črleni

  • Year : 2022
  • Duration : 86′
  • Genre : Komedija

The omniscient Jesus Christ, the frivolous godmother Anka and the chattering pig Beba in a romantic comedy with lots of singing in the tame Croatian Zagorje of the wartime nineties. Of the weapons, only a hunting rifle and a plastic pistol are present. The small connection of bittersweet plots is dominated by the drama of the pig’s first love at the moment of the air raid and the failure of the hairdresser’s hood in the middle of the hairstyle. Wedding, forgiveness, chants, deserters, Mother of God, cheese, cream and happy ending are included! 

  • Director: Goran Dukić
  • Screenplay: Sandra Antolić
  • Camera: Branko Linta
  • Scenography: Iva Rodić
  • Roles: Nataša Dorčić, Pjer Branko Meničanin, Ljubo Zečević, Tesa Litvan, Areta Ćurković
  • Producer: Nina Petrović

Fire Silver

Vatreno Srebro

  • Year : 2022
  • Duration : 80′
  • Genre : Documentary

Croatia started the World Cup in Russia with a victory against Nigeria. The second match was against Argentina with Lionel Messi, and Croatia won! That was the beginning of a big story.
The last game of the group was against Iceland and Croatia won all three games of the group. It is the first time they have passed the group in 20 years. After that, next game was against Denmark, which Croatia won by penalty kicks. Quarter final was against the host country, Russia. Again, Croatia won after 120 minutes and penalty kicks and reached the semi-finals where they will play against England. A new victory against England and Croatia is in the final against France! 

  • Montage / Direction: Domagoj Glavak, Goran Ciglar, Zlatko Mijoč
  • Mix / Master: Eduard Plešnik
  • Producer: Ivan Blažičko
  • Staffs: Anđelko Kecman, Mira Horvat, Saša Jelovčić, Goran Ciglar, Saša Marić, Nenad Petrić, Davor Komerički, Matija Hečimović, Zvonka Keliš

VENUE

Hall Mixa

T1-14-3, Higashiikebukuro, Toshima-ku, Tokyo 

Mixalive TOKYO B2F

4-minute walk from Exit 35 of Ikebukuro Station on each line.

For visitors arriving by car, there is no parking available at the venue, so please use a nearby pay car park.

SCHEDULE

15 Dec.

16 Dec.

17 Dec.

TICKETS

How to purchase tickets

1. Peatix:

※For payments at a convenience store or ATM, please make the payment by 14 December 2023.

2. At the venue:

※Please pay in cash for purchases.

Ticket Fee

  • 1,000 JPY (1 person / 1 film)

CAMPAIGN

Result of “Modrić signed jersey” campaign

Congratulations to the lucky winner!!
The drawing was held in January and during February the winner will receive the signed jersey at the home address.

Among those who bought tickets for the 2nd CROATIAN FILM FESTIVAL, one person will be randomly selected to win a uniform signed by Modrić, the captain of the Croatian national football team!

The Croatian national football team took 3rd place at the World Cup in Qatar last year and 2nd place at the 2018 World Cup in Russia. Although Croatia has only 3.9 million inhabitants, it has many top footballers. Modrić, who is currently 38 years old, is not only the captain of the Croatian national team, but also the number 10 of Real Madrid.

About this campaign

  • The winner will be determined in January 2024.
  • The winner will be chosen from among those who bought tickets for the 2nd CROATIAN FILM FESTIVAL.
  • The winner will be contacted via the e-mail address they entered when applying for tickets.
  • You can choose whether to receive the uniform in person or by mail.
  • You cannot choose the size or design of the uniform.
  • The holder of this campaign is the Japan Croatia Society, which is also the organizer of this film festival. For questions related to the campaign, contact the Japan Croatia Society (you can contact in English, too).

MINI-CONCERT

At the end of the festival, we invite you to a mini-concert by Croatian singer-songwriter Elis Lovrić!

  • The concert is open to those who have purchased at least one ticket to the film festival (regardless of the screening date or film). Please present your ticket stub when entering. Enjoy the music with the movie!
  • Places are on a first-come, first-served basis. If the hall is full, you will not be able to enter, so if you want to enter the concert again, please come early.

Program

  • 17 Dec. 21:00-

1. “Moshi umi ga / Ku bi more”
2. “Umi no uta / Kanat od mora”

3. “Film pod zvijezdama”

Those two songs, “Umi no uta” and “Moshi umi ga” (not yet for public sharing) are included in my vinyl recordings, which I present as a tribute to Japan.
These songs were sung together with singer-songwriter Utako Toyama, winner of the ‘Hiroshima Award’ in the music category.
‘Film pod zvijezdama’ is a song I composed, which became the official theme song of the Pula Film Festival this summer and was performed in the arena at the opening ceremony of the Pula Film Festival, and I think it is an appropriate theme song for this festival.

Elis Lovrić

Singer-songwriter and actress from Labac. A graduate of the Academy of Theatre Arts at the University of Zagreb and the National Academy of Theatre Arts of Silvio D’Amico in Rome, Italy, she has worked as an actress at home and abroad, as well as in music. She has emerged as a singer-songwriter in recent years, attracting audiences throughout Croatia and abroad with her original songs in the chakavian dialect. She has released three albums of original songs, all written, composed and arranged by herself, on her own independent label. She has performed at all the most important festivals in Croatia, such as Dora (Croatia’s leading song festival, where the winner will represent Croatia at Eurovision), Split Festival, Zagreb Festival, ‘Dalmatian Chanson’ Evening’ in Šibenik, etc.

Photo: Mirena Prpić

ABOUT THIS FESTIVAL

Organizer

Planner

CONTACT US

For all inquiries about the festival, contact the organizer “Japan Croatia Society”.