BBC acquires a Croatian film for first time

BBC acquires a Croatian film for first time

British public service broadcaster BBC have acquired a Croatian film for the first time.

BBC and the production company Petnaesta umjetnost have concluded a broadcasting rights acquisition agreement for the United Kingdom and Northern Ireland for the feature-length documentary “Pavilion 6,” directed by Goran Dević and produced by Hrvoje Osvadić, the Croatian Audiovisual Centre (HAVC) reported.

The film “Pavilion 6” was shot at the Zagreb Velesajam during the mass vaccination of citizens amid the pandemic. The intimate conversations with people in the queues best describe the film’s storyline. 

The camera guides viewers through the vaccine waiting lines, vaccination areas, and waiting rooms where sincere conversations among people getting vaccinated, doctors, security, and other staff can be heard.

“This observational film reveals the disorientation and skepticism that marked our collective pandemic experience. Serving as collective therapy for the post-COVID era, this humorous and human portrayal of a unique moment in time uncovers threads that connect us and reminds us of our humanity amid unprecedented challenges. There is a world before the pandemic and one after; this film is a document of that transition,” the description of the film “Pavilion 6” states.

(Photo: Pavilion 6 filming/HAVC)

BBC Storyville editor Lucie Kon characterised the film “Pavilion 6” as a rare example of a film from Eastern Europe that meets BBC’s content standards. Although it addresses a serious topic with a strong authorial signature, it also effectively communicates with a broader audience. 

Regarding the film’s theme, Kon said, “We all have post-COVID PTSD, and we don’t want to go back there… but this film is a truly interesting and entertaining depiction of life during a very difficult time for almost everyone in the world. This is a film about rediscovering joy.”

The film’s cinematographer is Damian Nenadić, and the editor is Vanja Siruček. The film received co-financing from the Croatian Audiovisual Centre (HAVC) and participated in the Docu Rough Cut Boutique organized by the Balkan Documentary Institute and CineLink Sarajevo 2023, where it won two awards for pitching, one from Al Jazeera Balkan and the DOK Leipzig Preview Award.

(Photo: Pavilion 6 filming)

“As this is the first Croatian film acquired by the BBC, it will likely open doors for other Croatian films that have achieved exceptional success in Europe and the world in recent years,” concludes producer Hrvoje Osvadić (Petnaesta umjetnost).

(Photo: Pavilion 6/Petnaesta umjetnost )

Viewers in the UK and Northern Ireland will be able to watch the film from September 2024.