Cinehill Motovun Film Festival

Overview

The Cinehill Motovun Film Festival is a boutique open-air festival held annually in the last week of July in the Gorski Kotar mountain region of Croatia. The 28th edition runs July 21-26, 2026. The festival screens more than 100 films from across Europe and the world, with a focus on independent, alternative, and arthouse cinema. The festival is one of the best-known film events in Southeast Europe.

The festival was known as the Motovun Film Festival from its founding in 1999 until 2023, when it relocated from the medieval hilltop village of Motovun in Istria to the Gorski Kotar mountain region. The move was gradual: in 2023, the festival held a transitional edition in both Motovun and Petehovac (Gorski Kotar). In 2024, the festival took place entirely in Petehovac. In 2025, it moved to Fuzine, a small town in Gorski Kotar known for its lakes, approximately 20 km from Petehovac. The festival is now branded as Cinehill.

The relocation was driven by the changing character of Motovun itself. Festival director Igor Mirkovic explained that the local community had reoriented toward luxury tourism, leaving the festival without support and physical venues. The move to Gorski Kotar returned the festival to a region that shared the qualities Motovun had in its early days: under-explored, naturally beautiful, and capable of hosting a communal festival experience.

The festival maintains its original programming identity despite the location change: independent and edgy cinema, a strongly defined anti-authoritarian political stance, open-air screenings, communal camping, and a relaxed atmosphere where filmmakers and audiences share the same space. Journalists historically described the original Motovun festival as the "Woodstock of film."

Key Sections

• Main Program - international arthouse and independent features competing for the Propeller Cinehill award
• Cinehill Shorts - short films up to 20 minutes, competing for the Propeller of Cinehill for Best Short Film (European Film Award-qualifying)
• Special Screenings - cult films, retrospectives, and special events
• Corto Montanaro - competition for the best Croatian short film
• Partner Country Program - annual focus on a guest country (2025: Switzerland)
• Accompanying Program - educational workshops, mountain walks, lectures, concerts, and a festival camp

What Filmmakers Should Know

Submission Fees and Deadlines (28th Edition, 2026 Festival)

Submissions are accepted through FilmFreeway. The submission deadline is May 10, 2026.

Cinehill Shorts is the open submission category. The festival accepts only short films up to 20 minutes in length. Feature and medium-length films are not accepted through open submission; the main program is curated through relationships with sales agents, distributors, and filmmakers.

Eligibility Requirements (Cinehill Shorts)

• Open to all genres: fiction, documentary, animation, and experimental film
• Films must be up to 20 minutes in length
• Films must have been produced on or after January 1, 2025
• Croatian premiere is required
• Submissions must be made via FilmFreeway

European Film Award Qualifying Status

The winner of the Cinehill Shorts competition qualifies for consideration for the European Film Award. This places Cinehill among the select group of European festivals whose short film winners enter the European Film Academy's consideration process.

Festival Environment and Filmmaker Experience

The festival takes place in an outdoor setting in the forests of Gorski Kotar. Screenings are held in open-air venues, and the festival operates a camping area for attendees. The setting creates a communal atmosphere where filmmakers, programmers, and audiences share the same physical space throughout the festival. The festival promotes an eco-friendly experience and encourages sustainable practices.

The festival is not organized around industry activity. There is no formal film market. The focus is on the audience experience of watching adventurous films in a communal outdoor setting. Filmmakers invited to screen in the main program are typically contacted directly by the programming team.

Major Awards

• Propeller Cinehill - the main festival award, given by an international jury to the best film in the main program
• Propeller of Cinehill for Best Short Film - awarded by an international jury to the best short film in the Cinehill Shorts program; carries a EUR 2,000 prize and European Film Award qualification
• Corto Montanaro - award for the best Croatian short film; offers the author and producer the purchase of rights for a limited theatrical release for EUR 1,000
• FIPRESCI Prize - awarded by international film critics (introduced in the Gorski Kotar era)
• Special Recognitions - for outstanding films across programs

Festival History

The Motovun Film Festival was founded in 1999 by film critic and programmer Rajko Grlic and colleagues who wanted to create a festival centered on audience experience rather than industry activity. At the time, Croatia was still recovering from the War of Independence, and few cultural events existed in the country. The festival was key in putting Motovun on the map, bringing spectators and tourists to the region.

By the mid-2000s, the Motovun Film Festival had grown into Croatia's best internationally known film event. Over 25 years, it built a reputation for informal, relaxed atmosphere, independent cinema programming, and an anti-authoritarian political stance. The festival was described by journalists as the "Woodstock of film" or "Cinema Paradiso."

By the early 2020s, the local community had reoriented toward luxury tourism, and the festival lost support and venues in Motovun. In 2023, the festival began a gradual relocation to Gorski Kotar, holding a transitional edition in both locations. In 2024, the first full Gorski Kotar edition took place at the Petehovac ski resort. In 2025, the festival moved to Fuzine. The rebranding to Cinehill accompanied the geographic move.

The current festival director is Igor Mirkovic, artistic director is Milena Zajovic, and programmer is Jurica Pavcic. Despite the location change, the festival has preserved its programming concept, communal atmosphere, and commitment to independent and alternative cinema.

See Also

For festival submission cost analysis, use the Festival Entry Fee ROI Calculator. For European boutique festivals and circuit planning, see Film Festival Strategy. For Croatian and Southeast European cinema, see International Film Markets. Submit through FilmFreeway or visit the official festival site for full rules and guidelines.