If you are a real cinema lover and appreciate the art of film making do not miss Motovun Film Festival in Istria during your holiday.

This international festival is held each summer at the end of July and it lasts for five days. It brings together film artists and audience from Croatia and around the world and it delivers a genuine and superb cinema experience to its visitors.

Motovun Film Festival started in 1999 as an international indie film festival that was primarily dedicated to small cinematographies and productions that had trouble with reaching wider audiences outside their countries. The main idea over the years has been to reflect diversity of the world of film which is so much more than blockbusters that occupy almost the entire cinema theatre space, leaving little room for independent film makers. Creativity and authenticity of films and their directors, together with promoting unquestionable social values are the main criteria for programme selection which guarantees a real treat for film lovers. Over the years, the festival has hosted some of the most important authors and actors of today, such as Paul Thomas Anderson, Stephen Daldry, Ken Russel, Istvan Szabo, Mika Kaurismaki, Terry Jones, Andrei Zvyagintsev, Vanessa Redgrave, Bibi Andersson, Erland Josephson, Jason Biggs, Amanda Plummer, Miki Manojlović, Rade Šerbedžija, Jalil Lespert and many more Croatian and regional film makers.

The location of the festival is Motovun, a small medieval town in central Istria, situated on a hilltop and surrounded by beautiful unspoilt nature. The town is peaceful and quiet place, ideal for a relaxed vacation as there are just several hundred inhabitants. Only during the Festival the number of people increases as there are not just film screenings, but parties afterwards as well (not the Ibiza kind though) with excellent rock and contemporary music. Those several days are great for entertaining yourself and enjoying the latest cinema treats in beautiful atmosphere as the informal character of the Festival guarantees that fun and personal experience of the film industry is unobscured by pomp, profits and sensationalism of larger events.

Today the Motovun Film Festival is one of the most popular festivals in Croatia and the region that attracts numerous film enthusiasts and tourists. Its popularity is understandable when one considers its outdoor screenings in the stone streets and squares of the picturesque Motovun, under the bright stars of summer skies. If you are coming to Istria during the Festival dates, be sure to visit at least one film screening and take a peak of the charming Motovun streets and houses. The accommodation should not be a problem. There is an official camp site during the five days of festivals but if you prefer to be a bit more comfortable, the accommodation offer is excellent. In surrounding villages, as well as in Motovun, villas and apartments for rent are available during the entire year and not just for the high season. Old stone villas with pool, furnished in modern style, charming apartments overlooking Motovun squares, just pick the one that you find most suitable for your wishes and needs.

Central Istria is a great starting point for discovering the peninsula as it usually takes a half an hour drive to reach any of its other parts, whether it is coastline or another place in the inland so if you decide to visit Motovun Film Festival, choose Motovun or its surroundings as your base during the stay in Istria. And be ready for popcorn and cinematic treats!