Zagreb Film Festival

Overview

The Zagreb Film Festival (ZFF) is Croatia's largest international film festival. The 24th edition runs November 9 to 15, 2026, in Zagreb. ZFF focuses exclusively on emerging directors: its competition program is limited to first and second feature films, short films, and Croatian short films. The festival presents up to 9 feature fiction films, up to 12 international short films, and up to 12 Croatian short films in its Checkers program.

ZFF is a debut-focused festival. The feature competition requires that submitted films be the director's first or second feature, produced in 2025 or 2026, with a runtime over 70 minutes, and intended for theatrical screening. A Croatian premiere is required for competition eligibility. The festival's programming philosophy centers on discovering new directors and bringing independent international cinema to Croatian audiences that would not otherwise reach multiplex screens.

The 23rd edition (2025) opened with DJ Ahmet (dir. Georgi M. Unkovski), a Macedonian coming-of-age film that won the Audience Award at Sundance. The feature competition included Sorry, Baby (dir. Eva Victor), an American debut that won the screenwriting award at Sundance, and God Will Not Help (dir. Hana Jusic), a Croatian historical drama. The international short film competition included I'm Glad You're Dead Now (dir. Tawfeek Barhom), which won at Cannes.

Submission Details

ZFF accepts submissions through FilmFreeway. The Terms and Conditions for the 24th edition specify:

Feature Fiction and Short Film submissions:

• Early Bird deadline: April 15, 2026
• Standard deadline: June 30, 2026

Checkers (Croatian short film competition):

• Deadline: September 15, 2026 - free of charge

Submission fees:

• International feature and short film submissions are subject to a fee payable through FilmFreeway
• Fees are non-refundable
• Checkers competition submissions are free
• Fee waivers are available for filmmakers from countries with restricted online payment access or those impacted by war or conflict (limited number available)

Eligibility requirements:

• Feature fiction: director's first or second feature, produced in 2025 or 2026, runtime over 70 minutes, intended for theatrical screening
• Croatian premiere required for all competition categories
• All films screened in original version with English and Croatian subtitles
• Films produced in Croatia must have English subtitles
• Submissions with incomplete or misleading information will not be considered

The selection panel notifies all submitters of decisions after reviewing all submitted films. Selected filmmakers receive a letter of invitation.

Key Sections

• Feature Fiction Competition - up to 9 first or second feature films from emerging international directors, competing for the Golden Pram
• International Short Film Competition - up to 12 short films from international directors, competing for the Golden Pram
• Checkers (Kockice) - Croatian short film competition, up to 12 films, free submission
• PLUS Program - films by emerging directors exploring coming-of-age themes, judged by a youth jury (ages 16-21)
• Industry Program - MIDpoint Intensive workshop for Croatian creative teams developing short fiction projects, in partnership with the Croatian Audiovisual Centre
• My First Script Workshop - workshop for authors developing their first feature-length fiction screenplay

What Filmmakers Should Know

For Debut Filmmakers

ZFF is built around debut and second-feature directors. If your first or second feature film is completed in 2025 or 2026 and has not screened in Croatia, ZFF offers a focused competition with cash prizes and a curated audience. The festival's selection of up to 9 features means the program is selective but not impossibly so. The Croatian premiere requirement is the key gate: if your film has already screened at another Croatian festival, it is ineligible.

The feature competition's EUR 4,000 top prize is modest compared to A-list festivals but meaningful for a debut filmmaker. More valuable than the cash is the festival's industry context: ZFF operates the MIDpoint Intensive workshop and My First Script workshop, which connect emerging filmmakers with Croatian and regional industry professionals.

For Croatian Filmmakers

The Checkers program is the dedicated Croatian short film competition with free submission and a EUR 2,000 prize for best film (provided by the Croatian Film Directors Guild and ZFF). For Croatian short filmmakers, Checkers is the primary national competitive platform. The 23rd edition featured 8 films in Checkers, including new works by previous winners David Gaso (2023) and Rino Barbir (2019).

For Short Filmmakers

The international short film competition programs up to 12 films and awards a EUR 1,000 Golden Pram. The jury also selects one short film as a candidate for the European Film Awards (Prix Vimeo), making ZFF a potential pathway to European Academy recognition for short filmmakers.

Industry and Development

ZFF's industry programming extends beyond the festival week. The MIDpoint Intensive is a four-day training program for creative teams (scriptwriter, director, producer) from Croatia developing short fiction projects. The My First Script workshop supports authors developing their first feature screenplay. Both programs accept applications through the festival website ahead of the November dates.

Major Awards

Feature Film Competition

• Golden Pram for Best Feature Film: EUR 4,000 (awarded to the director)

Short Film Competitions

• Golden Pram for Best Short Film: EUR 1,000 (awarded to the director)
• Golden Pram for Best Croatian Film in Checkers Program: EUR 2,000 (provided by Croatian Film Directors Guild and ZFF)
• European Short Film Candidate - Prix Vimeo: one short film selected as candidate for the European Film Awards

PLUS Program

• PLUS Award for Best Film by the Young Jury: awarded by a jury of three members aged 16-21, selected from feature competition films exploring coming-of-age themes

Festival History

ZFF was founded in 2003 as a platform for discovering new directors and bringing independent international cinema to Croatian audiences. The festival emerged during Croatia's post-independence cultural rebuilding, nearly a decade after the country gained independence from Yugoslavia in 1991. From its inception, ZFF focused on debut films, a programming choice that distinguished it from other regional festivals with broader mandates.

The festival has operated continuously for over two decades, growing from a small domestic event into Croatia's most visited international film festival. Its partnership with the Croatian Audiovisual Centre and the MIDpoint Institute has expanded its role from a screening platform into a development hub for emerging Croatian and regional filmmakers.

Croatia's animation tradition, anchored by the Zagreb School of Animation from the 1960s and 1970s, provides historical context for the festival's engagement with short-form and experimental work. The Checkers program for Croatian shorts continues this tradition of supporting domestic filmmaking talent.

See Also

For Balkan cinema and regional co-production strategies, see International Film Markets. For festival circuit planning and premiere strategy, see Film Festival Strategy. To calculate the financial return of festival submissions, see the Festival Entry Fee ROI Calculator. For the Sofia International Film Festival, another Balkan regional festival, see Sofia International Film Festival.