Croatian Films at the Pula Film Festival

[croatia dalmatia]

It is remarkable that an epic edifice like the Arena in Pula can at the same time be pervaded with the ghosts of the tumultuous past, the present in which intoxicated grooms fire flaming red rockets in the middle of a The Barber of Seville show and the future, which seems to grow brighter each year for the magnificent edifice, at least in terms of the number of visiting tourists, and most importantly for the lives of Istrian (and other) film enthusiasts – the seventh art.

Croatian movies absolutely prevail this year and, in a country where directors finance their own movies, which is to say, they give up their own fees so that they do not need to sacrifice those few effects in editing (Zrinko Ogresta), this is truly wonderful news.

We are still waiting for top notch CGI in our movies, but I doubt that the script for “Zombie Warriors from Dimension X” has been written yet.

Here is the list of the Croatian films which found their way to the official screening schedule of the Festival that started at 21:30 h on July 12 with a formal opening ceremony, attended by, among others, the acclaimed British television and film actress Greta Scacchi, and will end on July 21, when the winner, voted both by critics and the audience, will be announced, as it happens every year.

"Play Me a Love Song" by Goran Kulenovic

"True Wonder" by Lukas Nola

"Armin" by Ognjen Svilicic

"The Recollection Thief" by Vicko Ruic

"I Have to Sleep, My Angel" by Dejan Acimovic

"The Living and the Dead" by Kristijan Milic

Of course, there is also the always interesting Popular Program, where one must single out Tarantino’s Death Proof, the Croatian premiere of the fifth Harry Potter movie, with the title The Order of the Phoenix, the perfect prelude to the Pottermania that will last for most of the summer, since the seventh Harry Potter book, The Deathly Hallows, will be simultaneously released on July 21 worldwide, including, of course, Croatian bookstores. There is also the box office record holder Transformers by Michael Bay, which guarantees first rate cinema entertainment in the late summer hours under the starry night ambience in Pula. Also included in the program is the frolicksome Ocean’s Thirteen (third movie), the futuristic thriller Next starring Nicolas Cage, adapted from a short story by Philip K. Dick, and many other movies that the viewers really ought to experience surrounded by the good atmosphere of the unique and, sadly, only temporary movie theatre.

Supporting arguments? The most contemporary sound system that has (finally) replaced its aging predecessor, along with a new screen, and the guaranteed quality of money well invested.

If it rains, the screenings scheduled to take place in Kastel will be moved to the Theatre at the same hour. The screenings in the Arena will be moved to the Theatre at the same hour for those carrying accreditation and the following day at 17:00 h for those with tickets.

“Hello, Bing, how's the brother? You need tickets for the Fest? Price? A bargain!”

Come. See. Vote for the winners.

The Pula Film Festival only happens once a year and the 2007 Festival only once in history.

[croatia dalmatia]

Still haven't got around to renewing your passport? Don't sweat -- next month, you can see the world without leaving the Perimeter.

The 38th annual edition of Folklorama, the longest-running multi-cultural festival of its kind in the world, is gearing up for its annual two-week August run.

To get in the spirit, organizers held a colourful media launch yesterday at The Forks, featuring nearly 100 local ambassadors in traditional ethnic garb, along with dancers from the Spanish and Ukraine-Kyiv pavilions.

They are just two of 45 pavilions that will run between Aug. 5 and 18 at various locations throughout the city. This year, the lineup includes two new pavilions from Mexico and Serbia, along with five returning pavilions: Argentina Tango, Croatian Zagreb, Hungary, Indochina Chinese and canadien-francais. The full lineup:

Week 1 (Aug. 5 - 11): Africa; Argentine Tango; Belgian; Brasilian; Caribbean; Celtic Ireland; Chile Lindo; German; Greek; Hungary-Pannonia; India; Korean; Krakow-Poland; Metis People; Mexican; Spain; Portugal; Scotland; Pearl of the Orient Philippine; Romanian; Scandinavian; Serbian Kolo; Ukraine-Lviv.

Week 2 (Aug. 12 - 18): Africa-Caribbean; Alpine; Caso do Minho Portuguese; Chilean; Croatian Zagreb; Cuban; El Salvador; Greek Islands; Hungary; Indo Tropical Paradise; Indochina Chinese; Ireland Irish; Italian; Japanese; canadien-francais; Philippine Nayong Pilipino; Russian; Serbian Beograd; Slovenija; Tamil; Ukraine-Kyiv; Warsaw-Poland.

Single admission to each pavilion is $4. A Family Pack will get you 12 admissions for $36. This year, Folklorama also has a new $54.95 VIP World Tour Package, which includes admission to three pavilions, priority seating, a "progressive meal" (appetizer at first venue, entree at second, dessert at third), beverages, and transportation in a "luxury motorcoach." To book a VIP tour, call 982-6222.
The festival will officially kick off Sat., Aug. 4 with a free 6 p.m. event at The Forks featuring entertainment and fireworks.

[croatia dalmatia]

ZAGREB: Kristina Tomkic, a Croatian teenager, is completing her days at hairdressing school, but accepts that with 5,000 too many hairdressers on the local market she may never work as one.

"I know it's hard to find a job in my profession, but I love contacts with people and I hope my skills and will to work will eventually prevail," she said.

Like some of Croatia's trained hairdressers, she may eventually find a job as a pedicurist or a saleswoman. But her prospects illustrate a wider problem in the Balkans and beyond: an educational pipeline does not suit the needs of the economy.

Rigid labor markets and a system that has not been reformed since communist times are hampering many in the Balkans, creating gaps on regional labor markets that have been widened by a huge outflow of people going west in search of better pay.

"The skills people learn in Balkan countries do not correspond with demands of the economies," said Goran Saravanja, an analyst at CAIB investment bank. "In addition, labor markets in most countries are quite rigid, which makes employment more costly for entrepreneurs."
Croatia is expected to join the EU around 2010, but analysts warn that its economy may suffer a post-accession shock unless it restructures some laws and builds a more adaptable work force.

Pharmacists, computer experts, civil engineers, architects and experienced accountants are among rare professions in Croatia that enjoy a comfortable position on the labor market and can find a job within a month or two.

Stanko Berecki, principal at Tomkic's school, is keenly aware of the problem: "Most of Croatia's high schools could close down for five years and the job market would not suffer a shortage of people," he said. "It means the problem is not just about hairdressers, but about our education system."

In an effort to alleviate the problem and draw in local and foreign investors, Croatia will this month open a Web site, called Labor Market Monitoring, aimed at helping to bring its post-communist workforce into line with the market. Officials agree it will be a small start.

Vladimir Gligorov of the Vienna Institute for Economic Studies said new technologies and a new economic structure required a rejuvenated educational framework, but little has been done so far.

"No major investment in human capital has taken place in the region, only to some extent in Bulgaria," he said. "That would certainly be the best reform course for the supply side of the labor market, but such a reform takes time."

Even with reform, industry officials in Bulgaria, which joined the EU this year, complain the system is still inadequate.

"There is real hunger for IT specialists and engineers, but only 4 percent of all subjects offered in high schools are on technologies," said Dikran Tebeyan, deputy chairman of the Bulgarian Industrial Chamber. "The state just won't consider what the market needs."

Serbia is, according to World Bank experts, virtually an identical example. "Highly educated people, mostly in financial and other sophisticated services, can find jobs," Gligorov said. "Others do not have an easy time."

Romania's workforce is 4.7 million people. Some two million workers went abroad in recent years, causing a labor shortage in the Black Sea state, especially in construction. Similarly, many Bulgarians have gone to work in Greece or Spain.

The wars that ravaged the former Yugoslavia and its industrial facilities in the 1990s prompted many young people to opt for an education in humanities, instead of natural or technical sciences.

"The result is hyperproduction of certain specialties with slim chances to find employment easily," Gligorov said.

Croatia's new Web site will provide availability and salary ranges across professions in each of the 21 counties, as well as legal obligations investors must fulfill when employing locals.

Mirela Mrvelj from the state Agency for Foreign Investments said this was just the first step.

"We're aware that what our labor market offers today is not overly attractive to investors," Mrvelj said. "That's why our next step will be to see what skills are mostly sought by investors and what kind of industries we want to develop, and then, as a long-term goal, to model education along those lines."

States argue this is not just a matter of education.

"Companies complain about inadequate labor force but, with some rare exceptions, instead of offering help and ideas on how to change the situation, they mostly expect the state to solve the problem for them," said Olga Lui from the Croatian Chamber of Crafts.