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 aim of the Festival is 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.
Since 2019, the Festival’s Short Film Program has joined EFA festival network, which means that the program winner becomes an automatic candidate for the European Film Award in the Short Film category.
After twenty-five years, the Festival has decided to refresh and reinvent parts of the concept. Actually, the concept remains the same – but the landscape expands. Together with the Istrian town Motovun, the beautiful hills of the Gorski kotar region will become the second home of the Cinehill Motovun Film Festival. Thus, the Festival slogan, the hill of films, will expand to two magical hills.
The part of 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 audience. It presents 25 short films up to 20 minutes, with more than 100 features and short films screened during the Festival and in 30 open-air screenings in Motovun, Gorski kotar, Dubrovnik, Split, Zadar, and Zagreb.
Every year, the Festival attracts more than 17,000 visitors, mostly young people. Cinehill MFF is known as the festival that never sleeps and a “Cinema Paradiso”. It is truly a five-day cinematic explosion carried by the young visitors camping at the foot of the hill that flood the city with their enthusiasm and the spirit of summer.
In order to promote regional films, the Festival is waiving fees for films from Croatia, Serbia, Bosnia and Hercegovina, Kosovo, Macedonia, Slovenia, and Montenegro.
The Propeller of Motovun for Best Short Film, 1000 Euro award
The winner becomes a Candidate for the European Film Award in Best Short Film category.
