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The Golden Arena awards were established in 1955 as the Yugoslav national film awards presented annually at the Pula Film Festival in Pula, Croatia, with the Big Golden Arena for Best Film its main prize. From 1955 to 1990 the awards were the Yugoslav cinema equivalent of the Academy Awards.
| Big Golden Arena for Best Film | |
|---|---|
| Country | Yugoslavia (1957–1990) Croatia (1992–present) |
| Presented by | Pula Film Festival Jury |
| First awarded | 1957 (unofficially) 1961 (officially) |
| Currently held by | A Blue Flower |
| Website | pulafilmfestival.hr |
The award is named after the Pula Arena, the 1st-century Roman amphitheatre in the coastal city of Pula, where film screenings preceding the awards ceremony traditionally take place.
In 1991 the festival was cancelled due to the breakup of Yugoslavia, but then resumed in 1992 as the Croatian film awards festival, from then on excluding films and filmmakers from present-day Slovenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Serbia, and North Macedonia.[A] It has been held in this format every year since, although no prizes were awarded at the 1994 edition.[B]
The festival's competition program usually includes screenings of all locally produced feature films made in the preceding 12 months, made possible due to the local film industry's relatively low but highly state subsidized output. This means that everyone involved in making them automatically qualifies for the Golden Arena awards. Therefore there are no Academy Award-style lists of nominees announced prior to the actual awarding ceremony.
The awards are handed out by a jury of five or six members which is named before each festival edition by the festival's managing board. These usually include prominent filmmakers and film critics.
Although the festival was established in 1954, the award for best film was first awarded in 1957 - prior to the 1957 edition, the festival had separate critics' choice and audience awards for best film screened at the festival. Until 1990, the award was always given to the film's production company or companies, except in 1981 when the award was merged with the Golden Arena for Best Director and both the director and production companies of the winning film (The Fall of Italy by Lordan Zafranović) were credited with the award.
During the Yugoslav period, film production was decentralised with each of the six republics having their own major film production companies. Jadran Film based in Zagreb and Avala Film based in Belgrade were the two most successful, winning 11 and 8 awards respectively.
In the 1990s the award was intermittently merged with the Best Director award, until 1999 when the old format was briefly re-introduced. Between 2003 and 2007 film directors were credited with the Best Film award, while still being eligible for the separate Best Director award (although on four out of five occasions in this period the same director won both awards for the same film). Since 2008 the award is given to the film's producer.
1955–1980
The following table lists all films which were winners of the top three prizes in the period from 1957 to 1980. On four occasions two films shared the same prize - in 1961 and 1965 two films shared the Big Golden Arena, in 1966 two films shared the runner-up award and in 1967 two films shared the third-place award. In addition to this, the 1965 second place prize was not awarded. Shared awards are indicated with an asterisk (*).
- Award changes
- In 1954 there was no festival jury and separate Critics' Choice and Audience awards were given. The Critics' Choice Award for Best Film went to František Čap's film Vesna, and the Audience Award for Best Film went to Fedor Hanžeković's film Stojan Mutikaša. In the following years both the critics' and audiences' awards were kept in parallel with the festival jury-given Golden Arenas, so the 1954 awards are usually not considered precursors of the present-day Big Golden Arena.
- In 1955 a festival jury was introduced for the first time and it was also the first time that the award was officially called Big Golden Arena. Although it was given to the best film's director, it is de facto the first Big Golden Arena for Best Film, and it was won by František Čap for the film Trenutki odločitve.
- In 1956 the Best Film award was not given in any form.
- From 1957 to 1960 the festival jury ranked three best films of the festival, without giving them an official award.
- From 1961 to 1968 the Big Golden Arena was awarded to best film, along with the second place prize called Big Silver Arena and a third place prize called Silver Arena.
- From 1969 to 1980 the third place prize was renamed Big Bronze Arena.
| Year | Award | English title(s) | Original title(s) | Director(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1955 |  | Moments of Decision | Trenutki odločitve | František Čap |
| 1956 | Big Golden Arena was not awarded. | |||
| 1957 | | Priests Ćira and Spira | Pop Ćira i pop Spira | Soja Jovanović |
 | Master of His Own Body | Svoga tela gospodar | Fedor Hanžeković | |
 | Saturday Night | Subotom uveče | Vladimir Pogačić | |
| 1958 | | H-8 | H-8 | Nikola Tanhofer |
| The Road a Year Long | Cesta duga godinu dana | Giuseppe De Santis | |
| The Sky Through the Trees | Kroz granje nebo | Stole Janković | |
| 1959 | | Train Without a Timetable | Vlak bez voznog reda | Veljko Bulajić |
| Three Quarters of a Sun | Tri četrtine sonca | Jože Babič | |
| Five Minutes of Paradise | Pet minuta raja | Igor Pretnar | |
| 1960 | | The Ninth Circle | Deveti krug | France Štiglic |
| Atomic War Bride | Rat | Veljko Bulajić | |
| Three Girls Named Anna | Tri Ane | Branko Bauer | |
| 1961 | | Ballad About a Trumpet and a Cloud * | Balada o trobenti in oblaku | France Štiglic |
| The First Fires * | Uzavreli grad | Veljko Bulajić | |
| The Party | Veselica | Jože Babič | |
| Pesma | Radoš Novaković | ||
| 1962 | | Kozara | Kozara | Veljko Bulajić |
| Saša | Radenko Ostojić | ||
| Prekobrojna | Branko Bauer | ||
| 1963 | | Face to Face | Licem u lice | Branko Bauer |
| Radopolje | Stole Janković | ||
| Wild Growth | Samorastniki | Igor Pretnar | |
| 1964 | | Official Position | Službeni položaj | Fadil Hadžić |
| Marš na Drinu | Žika Mitrović | ||
| Don't Cry, Peter | Ne joči, Peter | France Štiglic | |
| 1965 | | Prometheus of the Island * | Prometej s otoka Viševice | Vatroslav Mimica |
| Three * | Tri | Aleksandar Petrović | |
| Second place prize was not awarded. | |||
| Doći i ostati | Branko Bauer | ||
| 1966 | | Monday or Tuesday | Ponedjeljak ili utorak | Vatroslav Mimica |
| The Climber* | Štićenik | Vladan Slijepčević | |
| Rondo * | Rondo | Zvonimir Berković | |
| The Dream | San | Puriša Đorđević | |
| 1967 | | I Even Met Happy Gypsies | Skupljači perja | Aleksandar Petrović |
| The Morning | Jutro | Puriša Đorđević | |
| The Birch Tree * | Breza | Ante Babaja | |
| On Paper Planes * | Na avionima od papira | Matjaž Klopčič | |
| 1968 | | When I Am Pale and Dead | Kad budem mrtav i beo | Živojin Pavlović |
| Noon | Podne | Puriša Đorđević | |
| I Have Two Mothers and Two Fathers | Imam dvije mame i dva tate | Krešimir Golik | |
| 1969 | | Downstream from the Sun | Nizvodno od sunca | Fedor Škubonja |
| An Event | Događaj | Vatroslav Mimica | |
| It Rains in My Village | Biće skoro propast sveta | Aleksandar Petrović | |
| 1970 | | Handcuffs | Lisice | Krsto Papić |
| The Cyclists | Biciklisti | Puriša Đorđević | |
| This Crazy World of Ours | Bube u glavi | Miloš Radivojević | |
| 1971 | | Red Wheat | Rdeče klasje / Crveno klasje | Živojin Pavlović |
| The Pine Tree in the Mountain | U gori raste zelen bor | Antun Vrdoljak | |
| The Bet | Opklada | Zdravko Randić | |
| 1972 | | The Master and Margaret | Maestro i Margarita | Aleksandar Petrović |
| Lone Wolf | Vuk samotnjak | Obrad Gluščević | |
| How to Die | Kako umrijeti | Miomir Stamenković | |
| 1973 | | The Battle of Sutjeska | Sutjeska | Stipe Delić |
| The Bombardiers | Bombaši | Predrag Golubović | |
| To Live on Love | Živjeti od ljubavi | Krešimir Golik | |
| 1974 | | The Republic of Užice | Užička republika | Žika Mitrović |
| The Dervish and Death | Derviš i smrt | Zdravko Velimirović | |
| Crveni udar | Predrag Golubović | ||
| 1975 | | The House | Kuća | Bogdan Žižić |
| Wintering in Jakobsfeld | Zimovanje u Jakobsfeldu | Branko Bauer | |
| Story of Good People | Povest o dobrih ljudeh | France Štiglic | |
| 1976 | | Idealist | Idealist | Igor Pretnar |
| The Longest Journey | Najdolgiot pat | Branko Gapo | |
| Anno Domini 1573 | Seljačka buna 1573 | Vatroslav Mimica | |
| 1977 | | Don't Lean Out the Window | Ne naginji se van | Bogdan Žižić |
| Operation Stadium | Akcija stadion | Dušan Vukotić | |
| Beloved Love | Ljubavni život Budimira Trajkovića | Dejan Karaklajić | |
| 1978 | | Occupation in 26 Pictures | Okupacija u 26 slika | Lordan Zafranović |
| Bravo Maestro | Bravo maestro | Rajko Grlić | |
| The Dog Who Loved Trains | Pas koji je voleo vozove | Goran Paskaljević | |
| 1979 | | Trophy | Trofej | Karolj Viček |
| Burning | Usijanje | Boro Drašković | |
| The Days on Earth Are Flowing | Zemaljski dani teku | Goran Paskaljević | |
| 1980 | | Petria's Wreath | Petrijin venac | Srđan Karanović |
| The Secret of Nikola Tesla | Tajna Nikole Tesle | Krsto Papić | |
| Who's That Singing Over There | Ko to tamo peva | Slobodan Šijan | |
1981–1991
In 1981 the second and third place prizes were dropped.[1] The following table lists all winners from 1981 to 1990. The Big Golden Arena was not awarded in 1982.[2]
| Year | International title | Original title | Director (Wins) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1981 (28th) | The Fall of Italy | Pad Italije | Lordan Zafranović (2) |
| 1982 (29th) | Main prize not awarded. | ||
| 1983 (30th) | Body Scent | Zadah tela | Živojin Pavlović (3) |
| 1984 (31st) | Balkan Spy | Balkanski špijun | Božidar Nikolić & Dušan Kovačević |
| 1985 (32nd) | When Father Was Away on Business | Otac na službenom putu | Emir Kusturica |
| 1986 (33rd) | Happy New Year '49 | Srećna nova '49. | Stole Popov |
| 1987 (34th) | Reflections | Već viđeno | Goran Marković |
| 1988 (35th) | My Uncle's Legacy | Život sa stricem | Krsto Papić (2) |
| 1989 (36th) | The Meeting Point | Sabirni centar | Goran Marković (2) |
| 1990 (37th) | Silent Gunpowder | Gluvi barut | Bato Čengić |
| 1991 (38th) | Festival cancelled.[A] | ||
1992–present
Amid the breakup of Yugoslavia and the escalation of violence in 1991 in the early stages of the Croatian War of Independence, the festival was abruptly cancelled in 1991 immediately after the scheduled opening in late July.[3]
In 1992 the event was renamed and relaunched as Pula Film Festival, as opposed to the Festival of Yugoslav Film as it had been known previously.[4] Award categories and names were unchanged, but the selection was narrowed to Croatian films only, excluding films made in the other five republics of Yugoslavia.
This meant that initially only a handful of films were eligible for awards, and lack of film activity during the ensuing war even led to the cancellation of the 1994 award ceremony, as only one Croatian feature film had been produced in the preceding 12 months.[5]
| Year | International title | Original title | Director (Wins) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 (39th) | Story from Croatia | Priča iz Hrvatske | Krsto Papić (3) |
| 1993 (40th) | Countess Dora | Kontesa Dora | Zvonimir Berković |
| 1994 (41st) | National awards program cancelled.[B] | ||
| 1995 (42nd) | Washed Out | Isprani | Zrinko Ogresta |
| 1996 (43rd) | How the War Started on My Island | Kako je počeo rat na mom otoku | Vinko Brešan |
| 1997 (44th) | Mondo Bobo | Mondo Bobo | Goran Rušinović |
| 1998 (45th) | When the Dead Start Singing | Kad mrtvi zapjevaju | Krsto Papić (4) |
| 1999 (46th) | Madonna | Bogorodica | Neven Hitrec |
| 2000 (47th) | Marshal Tito's Spirit | Maršal | Vinko Brešan (2) |
| 2001 (48th) | Slow Surrender | Polagana predaja | Bruno Gamulin |
| 2002 (49th) | Fine Dead Girls | Fine mrtve djevojke | Dalibor Matanić |
| 2003 (50th) | Here | Tu | Zrinko Ogresta (2) |
| 2004 (51st) | Long Dark Night | Duga mračna noć | Antun Vrdoljak |
| 2005 (52nd) | What Iva Recorded | Što je Iva snimila 21. listopada 2003. | Tomislav Radić |
| 2006 (53rd) | All for Free | Sve džaba | Antonio Nuić |
| 2007 (54th) | The Living and the Dead | Živi i mrtvi | Kristijan Milić |
| 2008 (55th) | No One's Son | Ničiji sin | Arsen Anton Ostojić |
| 2009 (56th) | Metastases | Metastaze | Branko Schmidt |
| 2010 (57th) | Just Between Us | Neka ostane među nama | Rajko Grlić |
| 2011 (58th) | Kotlovina | Kotlovina | Tomislav Radić (2) |
| 2012 (59th) | A Letter to My Father | Pismo ćaći | Damir Čučić |
| 2013 (60th) | A Stranger | Obrana i zaštita | Bobo Jelčić |
| 2014 (61st) | Number 55 | Broj 55 | Kristijan Milić (2) |
| 2015 (62nd) | The High Sun | Zvizdan | Dalibor Matanić (2) |
| 2016 (63rd) | On the Other Side | S one strane | Zrinko Ogresta (3) |
| 2017 (64th) | A Brief Excursion | Kratki izlet | Igor Bezinović |
| 2018 (65th) | Mali | Mali | Antonio Nuić (2) |
| 2019 (66th) | The Diary of Diana B | Dnevnik Diane Budisavljević | Dana Budisavljević |
| 2020 (67th) | Tereza37 | Tereza37 | Danilo Šerbedžija |
| 2021 (68th) | A Blue Flower | Plavi cvijet | Zrinko Ogresta (4) |
| 2022 (69th) | The Staffroom | Zbornica | Sonja Tarokić |
| 2023 (70th) | Bigger than Trauma | Veće od traume | Vedrana Pribačić |
| 2024 (71st) | Celebration | Proslava | Bruno Anković |
- A. ^ Although the festival opened on schedule on 26 July 1991 and a press screening of Zrinko Ogresta's film Fragments: Chronicle of a Vanishing was held, the festival board presided by Antun Vrdoljak decided to cancel the entire event in protest against the armed conflict in Slovenia and the escalating hostilities in Croatia. Nine Yugoslav-produced films were supposed to be screened in the national competition program.[3]
- B. ^ : In 1994 the national competition program and the awards ceremony were cancelled as only one Croatian feature film had been made over the preceding 12 months (The Price of Life, directed by Bogdan Žižić). The festival was held in spite of this, and the usual screenings were replaced by a retrospective of films produced by the celebrated Zagreb School of Animated Film and a selection of documentaries, while the main program was replaced by premieres of six American mainstream releases.[5]
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