Sergej Stanojkovski: It's certainly an excellent acknowledgement of our work and very important to us. We can build our strategy for 2012 with the help of this network. 

So far, Croatia was only known for its breathtaking scenery for Italo and Germano Western. The Film Forum is the first festival for European co-productions. What is behind this description?

We are the first festival that focuses on the cooperation of European producers with the rest of the world. Those are the films we show in our main programme. This is becoming increasingly important in a globalised market - the partners come from all continents and cultures. Let me give you an example: In 2010, we showed a co-production from Germany, France, Catalonia and Thailand with "Uncle Bonmee“ who also won the Golden Palm in Cannes. In addition, the festival provides a business platform: We attempt to bring independent film distributors and large studios together. 

What is so special about Croatia when it comes to the film world?

On the one hand, the location has a great tradition due to the Winnetou films that can be revived. And on the other hand, there are a lot of festivals. We bring good films and the film industry to Zadar and position the city as a platform for the creative industry. I was inspired from the structures of the European Capital of Culture RUHR.2010 and its Creative.Quarters - also to strengthen the visibility of the scene. 

Will Croatia experience a comeback as a location for productions?

Croatia is working on positioning itself and there are indeed numerous real advantages: Within a range of 100 kilometres, you can reach 4 climate zones. In total, Croatia is still too expensive. However: Zadar does not impose business tax - a producer can easily save 5 - 18 per cent this way. 

The Eastern European film industry has grown enormously within the last years: Hungary, Czech Republic, Bulgaria and particularly Romania cooperate with Hollywood and present great films at the festivals. How does Croatia do in the mix as a latecomer?

You cannot compete with the metropolises in central Europe. Therefore, they need their own strategy: Croatia is famous for its tourism, there is sun, ocean and the beach look - it's easy to position that. We have to work on developing the Adriatic Coast to become a European California and offer similar creative services.