5th CHERRY POP FESTIVAL RECAP
The 5th Cherry Pop Festival wrapped up on October 24th after three days of film, art, and conversation in Zagreb. Held at Dokukino│Surogatkino KIC and Studio galerija Klet, this year’s edition brought together filmmakers, performers, and audiences around a single question: how much stays unspoken between us?
This year’s program included:
14 short films in the Sweet Cherries international competition
3 Cherry Pick selections in the accompanying program
1 exhibition, Mess by Ivana Ognjanovac, at Zapadni kolodvor
1 panel discussion, with psychologists Tanja Jurin and Anita Lauri Korajlija, moderated by Karla Kostadinovski
1 intimacy workshop, led by Jasmina Mehulić
1 themed quiz, organized by Nepopularna psihologija
1 participatory performance, by Ana Katulić
1 closing party, with DJ Meka Drina
“Between Us” was this year’s theme — a look at intimacy, boundaries, and the things that so often go unspoken in our closest relationships, from quiet tension to outright toxicity. Through film, art, and discussion, the festival opened space for exactly the conversations that theme points to.
Alongside the competition, accompanying program Cherry Pick brought two standalone titles and guest block from FUSE, each circling back to this year’s theme from a different angle.
- Between Us, Laura Pascu’s debut feature, opened the strand, followed by a Q&A with the director and actress Vini Jurčić.
- Home Sweet Home, Annika Mayer’s documentary on the invisibility of domestic violence across generations, screened on day two.
- A guest block curated with FUSE – Film Under Severe Experiment closed the strand on day three, bringing three short films — BOÏ (Lucien Pin), Acid Echo (Elsa Moulin), and Still (Josipa Vulić) — followed by a Q&A with FUSE Festival Director Lucija Ćeškić.
Sweet Cherries Competition Winners
This year’s Sweet Cherries jury, Laura Pascu, Dinko Štimac, and Lucija Ćeškić, reviewed 14 short films from around the world before selecting this year’s winners.
Sweet Cherry Award
Olivia directed by Ben Richardot
Jury statement:
“First impressions can be misleading. The film makes us empathize with a protagonist who initially seems harmless, but as he gains power, his hidden aggression gradually comes to light. With convincing performances and skillful cinematography, the film keeps us engaged as the tension builds throughout the story.”
Special Mention
Starling directed by Sara Grgurić
Jury statement:
“Starling explores two relationships: the bond between Dora and her sister, and Dora’s attachment to her boyfriend’s circle, a group she longs to belong to but never will. Against the backdrop of Carnival, the sisters’ characters are literally worn on their bodies. Dora appears as Harley Quinn, a figure defined by her desperate wish to belong, while Nika is Minnie Mouse, tethered to Mickey and without a self of her own. This short slice-of-life film captures sisterhood with realism, along with a theme of belonging that is painfully familiar to all of us. From the natural performances to the beautiful cinematography and Carnival setting, Starling stands out among this year’s festival selection.”
Special Mention
Hyodo’s Paradise directed by Jacque Rabie
Jury statement:
“Sex dolls, pornography, and peculiarity populate the parallel microcosmos of the adult museum Yashio Hihokan. In Hyodo’s Paradise, director Jacque Rabie manages to look past these artifacts of sex, discovering within the creaky hallways Hyodo — a lonely Japanese man turning fifty. In trying to understand Hyodo’s idiosyncratic relationship with sexuality and his baroque temple consecrated to sex without contact, we are made to wonder about connection in a contemporary world all so often deprived of real human touch.”
The 5th Cherry Pop Festival was organized by the Academic Film Club, in partnership with with Dokukino│Surogatkino KIC, Studio galerija Klet, Cirk Pozor, and Nepopularna psihologija. Supported by the City of Zagreb and the Croatian Audiovisual Centre, with partners and sponsors Lelo, Fraktura, Babić Craft Distillery, and Buzdovan Craft Cider.
Thank you to everyone who made this edition one to remember — see you at the 6th Cherry Pop Festival.
