Opening Night Film: July 24, 2026
Red Carpet opens : 8:30PM Opening Ceremony: 9:00PM followed by screening
Liz Garbus is a two-time Emmy Award-winning and two-time Academy Award-nominated filmmaker who has helmed some of the most celebrated documentaries and premium drama series today as a director and executive producer under her prolific company Story Syndicate. Garbus’ latest projects are the genre-defying series acclaimed for their victim-centric approach – Gone Girls: The Long Island Serial Killer, which debuted atop the Netflix US Series Chart, and One Night In Idaho for Prime Video. Previously, Harry & Meghan, a six-part series that explores the span of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s relationship, repeatedly set weekly viewership record highs as Netflix’s most watched documentary. A select filmography of Garbus’ esteemed directorial work includes The Farm: Angola, USA; What Happened, Miss Simone?; Bobby Fischer Against the World; Nothing Left Unsaid; The Fourth Estate; I’ll Be Gone in the Dark; All In: The Fight for Democracy; and Becoming Cousteau, among others. After her Sundance-premiering scripted feature debut, Lost Girls, Garbus continued establishing herself in narrative, helming the season 4 finale of The Handmaid’s Tale, which earned her an Emmy nomination, as well as Yellowjackets (Showtime) and Good American Family (Hulu) in which she also executive produces.
Director: Liz Garbus
LOGLINE: This uniquely intimate portrayal of tennis legend and trailblazer Billie Jean King reveals the inner turmoil behind the immense sacrifices she made to transform her sport and the world.
SYNOPSIS: Billie Jean King is a global icon whose impact on tennis and equality resonates around the world. But the personal turmoil behind this transformational figure has in many ways remained hidden from view. In GIVE ME THE BALL!, we come to understand the sacrifices King was forced to make behind the scenes, even as she fought high-profile battles for the professionalization of her sport and equal treatment for women.
🎬 10:00 AM – Acting Workshop with HARFA International School
Education. Expression. Performance.
We are delighted to welcome the students of HARFA School back for their second consecutive year at our festival. This interactive acting workshop offers young participants the opportunity to further their education by exploring performance techniques, build confidence, develop creativity, and work collaboratively through a series of fun and engaging theatre exercises. Guided by experienced professionals, students will discover the fundamentals of acting while expressing themselves in a supportive and inspiring environment.
Saturday: July 25, 2026
📽️11:00AM ZOE Kuca Arsen
Directed By: Emanuela Galliussi & Dean Ronalds
A woman gets three magical chances to live different lives in Ibiza, London, and Paris. Through these experiences, she finds inner harmony and learns the wizard's gift held deeper meaning than expected.
Followed by Q&A with Emanuela and Dean
📽️ 1:00PM Screening: The Second Diary of Paulina P.
at Kuca Arsen
📽️ 3:00PM Screening: Madonnina at Civitas Sacra -Media Hall
Madonnina -by: Giacomo Ravenna
Docufilm about the life and works of the artist who gave the world the immortal “Madonnina,” a painting now lost but internationally renowned and the subject of recent searches. Filmed in Italy and in the city of Šibenik.
Followed by Q&A with the director Giacomo Ravenna
📽️10:00AM - 2:00PM SHORTS & STUDENT FILM CORNER at CIVITAS SAKRA media hall
“The Boarder” by: Carlo Fumo, “The View Was Everything” by: Blais Cameron,
“Lucia” by: Clément Bompart, “Going Home” by: Dubravka Špoljaric, “Une photo” by: Jordan Isaac, “Selin” by: Olivia Simmons, “The Voice of Dispair” by: Nina Golden.
“Projekt Nika”,
Student films:
“One and Only Grandpa” by: Ivana Gregurić, Housing Problem” by: Marko Plejic, “#45” by: Nikola Krulj, “Tiha” By: Eva Vidan.
🎤 5:30PM Panel Discussion at Kuca Arsen
“STRATEGY AND IMPORTANCE OF FILM FESTIVALS TODAY”
SPECIAL GUEST: BONNIE VOLAND - PRODUCER & STRATEGIST MODERATED BY CIFF FESTIVAL & DIRECTOR ELLA MISCHE
Bonnie Voland is the founder of B. Voland International, a marketing, publicity, and festival consulting firm based in Los Angeles. She has overseen international publicity for The Walt Disney Company, The Samuel Goldwyn Company, and Island Pictures, and most recently headed worldwide marketing and publicity at AGC Studios and IM Global. She has worked on many acclaimed films, from WHO FRAMED ROGER RABBIT, DICK TRACY, and DEAD POET’SSOCIETY to A SINGLE MAN, HACKSAW RIDGE, THE BUTLER…
📽️ 7:00PM Screening: born to lose at Kuca ArseN
Directed By: Joseph Zentilli
Born to Lose is a stark portrait of a biker grappling with alienation in the bleak landscapes of western Kentucky. It stars Dylan Arnold (Oppenheimer, Halloween), Sarah Pidgeon (FX's: Love Story), James Le Gros (Zodiac, Severance), and Ambyr Childers (The Master, You), with Matty Matheson (The Bear) as executive producer. The story follows a young man navigating his father's troubled legacy and escalating drug debts.
Followed by Q&A with the director Joseph Zentilli
📽️ 8:40pm Theres no place like home at main square
THERE’S NO PLACE LIKE HOME is a powerful documentary chronicling the forced displacement of indigenous Armenians from Artsakh in 2023—an urgent and deeply personal exploration of identity, survival, and loss amid one of the world’s newest refugee crises, told by survivors first account and storytellers who lived through it.
Followed by Q&A with the director Diana Madison
📽️ 10:00pm hitmaker at main square
Croatia Records' biggest-ever record label project, Hitmaker – Đorđe Novković has become one of the defining music projects of the year. Winner of two major regional award, the Porin Award and the Naxi Star Awar , Hitmaker is a tribute to exceptional songwriting and timeless songs that have inspired and captivated audiences across generations for decades.
It is released on a 180-gram gold-colored LP and CD. The album comes in a luxurious package featuring booklet filled with artist photographs, personal stories, and reflections on the songs they recorded.
The album features ten of Novković’s timeless hits, recorded at the legendary Abbey Road Studios in London and Croatia Records Studio in Zagreb. The music is performed by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra under the baton of conductor Steve Sidwell. The album’s graphic design was created by iCCKelčec, while Goran Martinac handled the production, mixing, and mastering.
The project brought together 95 members of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, 29 Croatian instrumentalists, 10 outstanding vocal soloists, and 9 arrangers.
Followed by Q&A with the producers
📽️ 11:00pm copeland at main square
The amazing life and music of Stewart Copeland.
Copeland features never before seen material with Stewart Copeland, from both personal and professional angles, covering his youth, bands, composing career, creative direction, and beyond. Copeland’s debut marks 20 years since the Sundance Film Festival premiere of the musician’s Super 8mm independent film Everyone Stares.
Followed by Q&A with the executive producer John Alexander
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