Film directors, actors seen in Croatian and international hits, television personalities, journalists and international documentary filmmakers traded film sets and studios for the streets of Rab during these beautiful late-August days. Some came to the eighth edition of Rab Film Festival as jury members, others to present their films or take part in talks, while eight festival guests revealed on camera what had won them over about RAFF.
One of the festival’s strongest recommendations came from Vinko Brešan, one of Croatia’s best-known directors and a member of this year’s jury.
“It’s impossible not to fall in love with this festival. The films are great and the company is excellent. This festival is big because it fulfilled all my wishes, while at some objectively bigger festivals you don’t manage to meet anyone or spend quality time together, and that makes them small in my eyes,” Brešan said.
Legendary television editor and documentary film connoisseur Đelo Hadžiselimović found only one fault with RAFF, the kind every festival would gladly have.
“RAFF has reached an enviable level. Both the fiction and documentary programmes do an excellent job, and it can rightly be called a festival of investigative film. I have one complaint: there are too many good films, so I have to miss one film I want to see because another excellent film is screening.”
Popular actor Luka Peroš also came to RAFF for the first time. International audiences know him as Marseille from the Netflix series Money Heist (La Casa de Papel). As a member of the festival jury, he was given a responsible task, but also enough time to discover Rab’s special atmosphere.
“Films are little brain-teasers because they always leave you with many questions about how and why they were made. The people and the atmosphere are excellent. Serving on the jury is a major responsibility, but the whole experience is made easier by the wonderful atmosphere and the way the festival programme is woven into Rab’s historic centre, especially Pjaceta Festival Square,” Peroš said.
Another actor, Leon Lučev, was delighted by his first encounter with RAFF. He was a guest of the RAFF Talk programme and one of the stars of Koke.
“I am delighted by the balance of professionalism and warmth. People are approachable, the films are wonderful, and the screenings and talks are full, which shows how warmly the festival has been embraced by the audience and the town itself.”
Actor Goran Navojec reflected on the festival slogan, ‘Truth Needs an Audience’, highlighting the importance of a space in which film can speak openly about the world around us.
“We are all driven mad by the many lies that surround us, but at this festival truth comes before the audience, which is the best way to reach people. On top of that, I experienced incredible hospitality and professionalism on Rab.”
Director and journalist Igor Mirković is attending RAFF for the third year, and his reason for returning is best captured by his observation that a festival is, above all, its people.
“Rab is the best possible location for a festival, and RAFF is laid-back and relaxed. A festival is its people, and this combination of different professions always creates a story that will definitely continue.”
The festival also received the support of renowned international documentary filmmakers Tue Steen Müller and Thierry Detaille. Müller briefly concluded that RAFF ‘manages to combine work and pleasure’, earning his full support, while Detaille recalled the festival’s beginnings.
“I was a guest at the first RAFF, and over the past eight years the festival has experienced incredible growth, from the scale of its projects and its place within the city to its audience. I hope RAFF becomes a Mecca for investigative film,” Detaille said.
The list of famous festival guests certainly does not end here. Talks within the RAFF Talk programme were moderated by experienced television journalist Elizabeta Gojan, who encouraged festival guests to speak openly about acting, art, journalism and society. Director Igor Jelinović presented his film Koke, while Filip Grujić and Aleksa Borković brought the story of the documentary Yugo Goes to America to Rab. Among the musical guests was Elvis Stanić, a Croatian jazz multi-instrumentalist, composer and producer who thrilled the large audience with a performance by his AIRes Collective.
Dražen Klarić, editor-in-chief of Večernji list, presented his documentary Vjesnik – Last Edition, an emotional story about a former media giant and a society that changed along with it. RAFF’s strong journalistic line-up also included journalist and university professor Tena Perišin, journalists Silvana Menđušić, Ana Vela and Barbara Štrbac, as well as award-winning Nova TV reporter and documentary filmmaker Marko Stričević. Đelo Hadžiselimović, Tue Steen Müller and Thierry Detaille also shared their wealth of experience with a new generation of filmmakers through the RAFF Generation and RAFF Residency programmes.
If, as Igor Mirković says, a festival truly is its people, this year’s RAFF brought together a group well worth coming to see. And judging by their words, the truth on Rab has not only found its audience, but also guests who want to return.
