Thursday at ZFF welcomes the grand finale of Croatian titles with the screening of The Uncle, the last of the four Croatian films in the 20th ZFF competition program. The feature debut by directorial duo David Kapac and Andrija Mardešić is a blend of family psychological horror, social satire, and holiday black comedy, which arrives to ZFF crowned with a Karlovy Vary Special Mention and awards for best script and costume design at Pula. The film stars Miki Manojlović, Ivana Roščić, Goran Bogdan and Roko Sikavica. Screenings are at Tuškanac at 1 PM and 9 PM, the latter with the film crew.

Tuškanac Cinema has Joyland at 10.30 AM and 6.30 PM, a bittersweet drama full of lust and eroticism which breaks out of the usual cis norms of traditional society. Joyland is the the first Pakistani film ever screened at Cannes, it is an award winner of the Queer Palm and the Jury’s Award in the Un Certain Regard program, as well as the Pakistani Academy Award candidate.

From 10 PM, the short film competition program continues at Kinoteka. The Checkers program features two titles, My Nikola by Martina Marasović and Dancing on the Grave by Ana Šiškov. The international short competition brings the Armenian Handstand and Greek On Xerxes’ Throne.

Screenings at Kinoteka Cinema start with the children’s program KinoKino with the Spanish film The Footballest at noon. The Great 5 program brings Lullaby, an intimate drama about mothers and motherhood which premiered at Berlinale and Pedro Almodóvar endorsed it as the best Spanish debut of recent years. Special screenings bring the Slovenian treat in the program, Riders by Dominik Mencej, inspired by Easy Rider, about two friends from a small village who convert their mopeds into choppers and embark on a journey through Slovenia and Croatia in search of freedom and love. The film premiered at Sarajevo Film Festival.

The new black humour drama by Pjer Žalica, May Labour Day, which was recently awarded the Warsaw Grand Prix, reruns at the MSU at 6 PM. The program at MSU continues on Thursday with the screening from The Network of Festivals in the Adriatic Region, Pink Moon, a touching portrait of a family which faces complex questions about life and the ability to decide about its end. Pink Moon has received a Special Mention in the category for best director at the Tribeca festival.

Thursday at Dokukino KIC is the day for the winner of the Golden Pram for Best Documentary Film in 2009 – Old Partner, a moving pastoral film about the unbreakable bond between an elderly Korean couple and their ox.

On Thursday, in KIC Dokukino, we have a lecture RE-ACT: Marketing Is Your Friend at which marketing experts Alessandro Gropplero and Christina Pelekani will present “secret weapons” of marketing which can help film professionals in challenging times of the digital age. The lecture is brought to you in cooperation with the RE-ACT workshop and the Croatian Audiovisual Centre.