The 62nd Pula Film Festival concluded in Croatia on Saturday. Pula’s Best Croatian Film of the year award has been given to Dalibor Matanic’s The High Sun.

Since The High Sun is one of the best received Croatian productions in years, the award has been anticipated by almost all movie buffs .The film also had won rave reviews upon its premiere in Cannes in May.

The High Sun won seven prizes at Pula, including the critic’s award. It won the Grand Golden Arena for Best Festival Film, and the jury said it chose “the film that has the ability to reach out to the viewers with its message through the great articulated narrative structure and the original actors’ performances.”

The film also won: Golden Arena for Best Director for Dalibor Matanic; Golden Arena for Best Actress for Tihana Lazovic; Golden Arena for Best Supporting Actress for Nives Ivankovic; Golden Arena for Best Supporting Actor for Dado Cosic; and Golden Arena for Best Costume Design for Ana Savic Gecan.

Croatian society of film critics also awarded The High Sun with its Octavian prize.

Director Dalibor Matanic said: “I am very happy for the Best Director award; however I am most happy about three awards that went to my actors in the film.

“Yesterday, the The High Sun was the triumph of the audience in the Arena, and today it is the triumph of jury.”

Other prizes

In other prizes, the Golden Gate of Pula, voted by the audience, went to We Will Be The World Champions directed by Darko Bajic.

The Golden Arena for Best Feature Film in the International programme went to Next to Me, directed by Stevan Filipovic (a special mention went to Koza).

The Diploma for Best Film in Neighbours and Friends programme went to Koza, directed by Ivan Ostrochovský.

The best film in the Student Programme was Moonless Summer by Stefan Ivancic.

Vuk Rumovic’s No One’s Child won best film and best director, and best actor for Denis Muric in Croatian Minority Co-Productoin section.

Best Croatian film Debutant was Helena Buljan in You Carry Me, and Josip Mlakic won best screenplay for Ungiven, Pula offered two new programs this year, Neighbors and Friends and the Student Programme.

“The festival this year has benefitted from an improvement in quality in the Croatian feature section,” says artistic board member Mike Downey, “and there is real quality in the documentary films.

“However, it is in the International sections and the Friends and Neighbours section that the festival has really hit the mark and got some form and is giving the festival, once very weak in these areas areas, a boost not only in world class films but the number of people filling our cinemas.”