Outstanding recent films from the five largest European cinematographies, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Spain, and Italy, are once again the focus of the side program The Great 5, which Zagreb Film Festival organizes in cooperation with the Network of European Union National Institutes for Culture in Croatia (EUNIC).

The British one-shot film, Boiling Point directed by Philip Barantini, easily pulls viewers into a frenzied evening of a prestigious restaurant and its staff. Andy’s (Stephen Graham — The Irishman, Snatch) day has just started, and he’s already behind with work. As the chef at a popular London restaurant, he’s used to the relentless pace, stress, and unexpected situations, but it’s the last Friday before Christmas and the busiest night of the year… Actress Vinette Robinson won special mention in Karlovy Vary.

French cinematography is represented with the uplifting social drama with notes of magic realism, Gagarine, which ZFF presents in collaboration with the French Institute in Croatia. The debut film by directorial duo Fanny Liatard and Jérémy Trouilh, which premiered at the Cannes Festival, is a nostalgic homage to the Utopian parisian housing project Cité Gagarine. 16-year-old dreamer Yuri has lived all his life in the brick complex on the outskirts of Paris. He dreams of becoming an astronaut. When local authorities decide to demolish the building, Yuri and his friends Diana and Houssam try to save their home.

The question of the lines we are willing to cross when fighting for our beliefs is the focus of the exciting German thriller about the rebel antifascist youth And Tomorrow the Entire World by director Julia von Heinz. Full of ideals, law student Luisa abandons her comfortable bourgeois life and goes off to live in a Berlin antifascist commune. There she finds herself torn between two factions, one which advocates non-violent resistance, and another, led by the charismatic Alf, which believes that fighting against the radical right requires equally radical measures. Can violence ever be a legitimate political answer to fascism and hate? The film was shown at festivals in Venice and Toronto.

The Spanish representative in the program is also the national Oscar candidate, a dark cooperative satire in which Javier Bardem masterfully portrays the friendly face of capitalist corruption. ZFF is showing the film The Good Boss by Fernand León de Aranoa in collaboration with the Embassy of Spain. Blanco (Javier Bardem), a charismatic owner of a family factory, has his mind set on winning the award for business excellence. When problematic employees start messing with his plans, “the good boss” will shamelessly meddle in their private lives and start an unimaginable chain reaction.

The Italian cinematography is represented by the award-winning family drama Macaluso Sisters, a touching chronicle about transience and memory directed by Emma Dante. Sisters Maria, Pinuccia, Lia, Katia, and Antonella live alone on the outskirts of Palermo. One perfectly normal day at the beach, Antonella dies. Her death will completely upheave the relationships between the sisters and impact the rest of their lives… This touching adaptation of the director’s award-winning theatre drama was screened at festivals in Venice, Toronto, and Warsaw. The screening at ZFF is realized in collaboration with the Italian Cultural Institute.

Films from the Great 5 program are screened during afternoons and evenings in Tuškanac Cinema. Cheaper tickets are available during presale at www.kupiulaznicu.2021.zff.hr until November 13, while regular tickets are available from November 14. The nineteenth Zagreb Film Festival will take place from November 14 to 21 in SC Cinema, Tuškanac Cinema, Theatre &TD, Urania, and HUB 385, as well as online at kinoeuropa.hr and croatian.film.