The Golden Arena award for best film in the international program at the 62nd edition of the Pula Film Festival, Croatia’s leading movie event, went to Serbia’s high-school drama “Next to Me.” The festival, which takes place in a coastal town that dates back to Ancient Roman times and whose main screening venue is a Roman arena, ran from July 18-25.
Stevan Filipovic’s movie centers on teacher Olja, who is married to a painter whose work provokes violent reactions from Serb nationalists. One night, masked hooligans attack her. The next day Olja discovers that some of her students were responsible. She decides to confront them head on. The jury, which consisted of producer Olinka Vistica, director-producer Srdan Dragojevic and journalist Christopher Goodwin, described the film as a “courageous portrayal of the new generation of our times haunted by the ghosts of old ideologies and fears shattered by uncertain future, new values and technology.”

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