Cinehill Motovun Film Festival is one of the most popular and prominent film events in Croatia and one of the best-known festivals in Southeast Europe dedicated to international arthouse films. The Festival aims to reflect diversity – both visually and geographically – and to promote social values and tackle contemporary issues. Over the past two decades, it has also served as a window to European independent cinema from the Croatian context.

After twenty-five years, the Festival decided to refresh and reinvent parts of the concept. Actually, the concept remains the same – but the landscape expands. The beautiful hills of the Gorski Kotar region became the new home of the Cinehill Motovun Film Festival. Thus, the Festival slogan, the hill of films, expands to a new magical hill.

The program that will take place in the “pearl of untouched nature” – the forests of Gorski Kotar – will promote an eco-friendly festival experience. Visitors will be encouraged to think and live with responsibility towards nature, and the Festival will find more space for films and projects that promote “ecological thinking” and sustainable living.

Cinehill MFF is known for its informal and relaxed atmosphere without red carpets that supports direct contact between filmmakers and the audience. It presents short films of up to 20 minutes, with more than 100 features and short films screened during the Festival and in 30 open-air screenings in Gorski kotar, Dubrovnik, Rijeka, Zadar, Petrinja, and Zagreb.

To promote regional films, the Festival is waiving fees for films from Croatia, Serbia, Bosnia and Hercegovina, Kosovo, North Macedonia, Slovenia, Albania, and Montenegro. For the regional waiver fee code, please contact office@cinehill.eu.

For more information, you can reach Cinehill Shorts programmer Hamed Soleimanzadeh directly via e-mail: hamed.s@cinehill.eu

As of 2025, our VR programme is competitive and open to submission through FilmFreeway. The films must be compatible with Meta Quest VR systems.

For more information on the VR film submissions, write to office@cinehill.eu.

Best film of the Cinehill Shorts programme wins The Propeller of Cinehill for Best Short Film as well as the €2000 award.

The best VR film based on audience votes receives a Special Mention at the closing ceremony, as well as the opportunity to have an additional post-festival promotion.

1) Submission is open for all genres of fiction, documentary, animation and experimental film.

2) Films must be up to 20 minutes in length. We do not accept medium and feature-length films. VR films must be up to 15 minutes in length.

3) Submitted film must have been produced on or after 1 January, 2025.

4) Croatian premiere is required.

Overall Rating
Quality
Value
Communication
Hospitality
Networking
  • Milorad Milatovic

    Very glad I had opporunity to be there in person and present my short film. Festival is amazing and organisation is on high lever. Place where festival is organised is phenomenal and beautiful. Staff of festival is friendly and communication was smooth.Definitely would recommend to filmmakers to submit their works and to film enthusiast and lovers to visit festival.

    August 2024
  • Ilir Hasanaj

    The festival team has an incredible passion for films and a good communication when and what is happening. Thanks to Luka and the whole team for organizing such a lovely festival.

    August 2024
  • My short film Perfect Two was selected for the 2023 edition. I did not make it in person, but the communication process was always smooth and pleasant.

    August 2023
  • Sunčica Fradelić

    Amazing festival in a beautiful place. I was honored to be guest of the festival.

    August 2022
  • Thanks for hosting "Flores del precipicio" by Andrea Gatopoulos at your festival!

    August 2022