Croatian film wins in California at San Pedro International Film Festival

Croatian documentary wins at the San Pedro International Film Festival

The documentary film ‘Opera Selecta,’ directed and written by Lana Pavić, was declared the best at SPIFFEST (San Pedro International Film Festival), which has been held in San Pedro, California, for many years at the historic Warner Grand Theatre under the organisation of Ziggy Mrkich.

The Croatian feature film ‘Traces’ was also screened at the festival, but the first prize in that category went to ‘Smile as You Kill.’

Opera Selecta is a respected summer festival held in Trogir, and over its 15 years of existence, it has brought some of the greatest names in the world of classical music. 

The film, spanning 80 minutes, follows the journey of the birth of this renowned cultural event, which originated as an idea of a group of enthusiasts. Pianist Vinko Buble gathered around him people who believed in him, with his closest collaborators being the dental doctor Petar Žuljević and mechanical engineer Natalija Vukelić. They were joined by dozens of residents of Trogir who were not connected to music but supported the idea.

Lana Pavić was inspired by their enthusiasm because the creation of this event was arduous, initially without support and often dependent on themselves, often dipping into their own pockets to, as emphasised by Pavić, contribute to the glory of their town and homeland.

Lana Pavić

Her film, which premiered this year at the Kamerlengo Tower in Trogir, contributed to the fame of Trogir and Croatia in distant California. 

But that’s not all. Yesterday, the film ‘Opera Selecta’ opened the 22nd Sister City Film Festival in Tacoma, Washington, in the presence of numerous Croatian emigrants, so we can rightfully say that these have been successful few days for Croatian cinematography and a worthy representation of Croatia in America.