Tabor New Frame Film Festival 2025
Grand Prix of the Tabor New Frame Film Festival
awarded to the Portuguese-French film
“The Hunters” by David Pinheiro Vicente
With the ceremonial awards presentation for the best film achievements, this year’s edition of the Tabor New Frame Film Festival concluded tonight at Veliki Tabor Castle. Over the past two days, visitors had the opportunity to watch 49 short films of all genres from 32 countries, presented in three competition categories — International, Croatian, and Student. All films were made by authors up to the age of 35, including four world premieres, one international premiere, and 22 Croatian premieres.
The announcement of the winners began with the Student Competition. The professional jury composed of Sabina Krešić, Mladen Stanić, and Maruška Aras awarded a Special Mention to the Croatian documentary Yet Another One by director Karla Jelić, which deals with the case and consequences of sexual harassment at the Academy of Dramatic Art in Zagreb.
The jury decided to give special recognition to this film as support and appreciation for the courage to address such a sensitive yet important topic. Although several years have passed since the event itself, the situation within the system and society remains unchanged, and the struggle continues, the jury stated in its explanation.
The Grand Prix, in the form of the mythological Melusine, the double-tailed mermaid who, according to legend, lives in Veliki Tabor, was awarded by the jury to the Croatian fiction film Blue Weasel by director Luka Vukorepa. The film had its world premiere at the festival and is an ambitious crime story following Đoko, an arms dealer who agrees to kill the police chief in order to leave his criminal life behind, only to soon face the consequences of his decisions.
“Genre films at this level are rarely seen in Croatian cinema. Skillfully directed, visually striking, and very well acted, it leaves the impression of a top-level professional production, further strengthened by outstanding sound design that even works of incomparably higher budgets could envy,” the jury stated.
In the Croatian Competition, the international jury composed of Abhishek Verma, Mário Macedo, and Lev Slivnik awarded the main festival prize, the Melusine, to the fiction film Greek Apricots by director Jan Krevatin, which explores the quiet connection between two lonely people during a summer night shift at a gas station.
“It is a gentle and intimate story that feels both nostalgic and real, opening space for subtle emotions conveyed through fresh, spontaneous, and natural acting. A simple gift — Greek apricots — becomes a touching reminder that, despite everything, we are all human at the end of the day, regardless of our nationality,” the jury explained.
A Special Mention in the International Competition was awarded to the Portuguese-German animated film It Shouldn't Rain Tomorrow (Amanhã Não Dão Chuva) by director Maria Trigo Teixeira, which speaks about the fragility of the relationship between a mother and daughter. The metaphor of water and the hypnotic blue color, representing the emotional landscape of their relationship, left a strong impression on the jury. Special praise was given to “the animation style that visibly preserves traces of previous frames, perfectly reflecting the film’s central theme — memory and the way every moment leaves its mark.”
The Grand Prix Melusine for Best Film in the International Competition went to the Portuguese-French fiction film The Hunters (Os Caçadores) by director David Pinheiro Vicente. The story takes place in a rural villa in the 1970s, where adolescents from a bourgeois family face collective hysteria that escalates with the arrival of an outsider.
“The winning film begins with a mystical game and immediately draws us into an absurdist critique of patriarchy and an exploitative class system. The director masterfully handles mise-en-scène, giving equal attention to a wide range of characters. Through a game of hide-and-seek, the film skillfully reflects the larger game we all play — the one called reality,” the jury stated.
The Audience Award Melusine went to the Serbian fiction film August by director Dan Grabnar, which had its Croatian premiere at the festival. The film follows Petar, a young man who feels trapped in the monotony of rural life.

TNFF 2026
Love, Pressure and the Transformation of Everyday Life: The Croatian Competition of the Tabor New Frame Film Festival Featuring Three World Premieres and the Directorial Debut of Monika Herceg
TNFF 2026
Social inequalities, political realities, and identities: The international competition of the Tabor New Frame Film Festival presents films by a generation growing up in crisis
TNFF 2026
Young Filmmakers from Desinić and Pregrada Explore Veliki Tabor and Create Their Own Films
TNFF 2025
Grand Prix of the Tabor New Frame Film Festival awarded to the Portuguese-French film “The Hunters” by David Pinheiro Vicente

PROGRAM
SCHEDULE
JURY
TEAM
TABOR
NEW FRAME FILM
After more than two decades of the cult Tabor Film Festival, a new chapter begins. Tabor New Frame Film Festival is an international celebration of short film, spotlighting bold filmmakers under the age of 35. Set in the spectacular surroundings of Veliki Tabor Castle, all film programs, workshops, and concerts are free of charge for all visitors.


PROGRAM
SCHEDULE
JURY
TEAM
TABOR
NEW FRAME FILM
After more than two decades of the cult Tabor Film Festival, a new chapter begins. Tabor New Frame Film Festival is an international celebration of short film, spotlighting bold filmmakers under the age of 35. Set in the spectacular surroundings of Veliki Tabor Castle, all film programs, workshops, and concerts are free of charge for all visitors.
2026
International Competition
2026
Croatian Competition
2026
Student Competition
MEET THE JURY
2026
Lev Slivnik
Slovenia
Lev Slivnik is originally from Ljubljana and is currently based in Amsterdam, where he earned a Master’s degree in Preservation and Presentation of the Moving Image from the University of Amsterdam. He works in the field of film programming and curation, with a primary focus on film festivals. Lev currently serves as a Program Producer at the International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam (IDFA) and as a Pre-Selector for the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival. He is also the co-organizer of Working Progress, a monthly work-in-progress screening series at Filmhuis Cavia in Amsterdam, which offers filmmakers the opportunity to receive audience feedback on their unfinished films. Previously, he was part of the pre-selection teams for Giornate degli Autori (Venice Days) and Lago Film Fest, and in 2023, he served on the Selection Panel for the LUX Audience Award.
Mário Macedo
Portugal
Mário Macedo (1989) was born and raised in a small town in the north of Portugal. His films have been selected for several festivals, such as Cannes Film Festival, Cairo IFF, Doclisboa IFF, Sarajevo Film Festival, Mostra São Paulo IFF, Clermont-Ferrand IFF and was awarded the Grand Prix and the European Film Academy Award at Curtas Vila do Conde 2024, the Best Director award at Curtas Vila do Conde 2021 and also got the National Grand Prix at FEST New Directors/New Films 2017. He published with Lebop (PT) and Editions Loco (FR), together with Olhar de Ulisses, his first photobook ‘Running Away Into You’, that premiered at Rencontre d'Arles in 2024.
Maruška Aras
Croatia
Maruška Aras is an actress born in 1996 in Zadar. She completed a five-year acting program at the Academy of Dramatic Art in Zagreb, where she currently lives. Maruška works as an external associate – assistant in the acting course at the Academy in the class of Borna Baletić. In addition, she occasionally leads drama workshops and film workshops for children and youth. Since graduating in 2019, she has performed in productions at the Croatian National Theatre in Varaždin, Split, and Zagreb, as well as at Teatar &TD, Teatro Verrdi, Eurokaz, Žar ptica, and others. Alongside productions in which she is engaged as an actress, she also collaborates with Teatro Verrdi on her own projects, developing her authorial expression. She played the lead role in the award-winning film Nun of Your Business directed by Ivana Kragić, and has taken on other roles in collaboration with various Croatian directors such as Tomislav Šoban, Nikica Zdunić, Vanja Juranić, Mate Ugrin, and others.
Abhishek Verma
India
Abhishek Verma is an animation filmmaker, screenwriter and design educator. He has been directing and producing independent animation films since 2014: Chasni – The Sugar Syrup (2014); Lukka Chuppi – Hide and Seek (2018); Manhole (2021), Into the Manhole VR experience (2024). His film Maacher Jhol (Fish Curry) from 2017, won the prestigious Indian National Film Award and the Annecy Award at the Annecy International Film Festival. He was honoured with an award at the Académie des César in 2019. His upcoming animation films are Kitchen - The World Within (a 2D animation short film) and a 2D animation feature film, Marita-Jeevita (Purity-Impurity), based on the notion of caste in India. He is presently a faculty member at the School of Design, IIT Bombay, India.
Sabina Krešić
Croatia
Sabina Krešić is a producer with many years of experience working in the cultural sector. Since 2016, she has been professionally engaged in film production as the lead producer at Fade In, a production company based in Zagreb. Her films have been screened and awarded at numerous renowned international festivals, including Sheffield Doc/Fest, DocLisboa, Trieste Film Festival, Sarajevo Film Festival, Tallinn Black Nights, True/False, Motovun Film Festival, DokuFest, FIPADOC, Liburnia Film Festival, and ZagrebDox. One of her most acclaimed recent projects is the documentary Factory to the Workers by Srđan Kovačević, considered one of the most awarded and critically praised Croatian documentaries in recent years. While she primarily collaborates with Croatian directors, she also works internationally, having co-produced with partners in Italy, Belgium, Slovenia, Spain, Serbia, Turkey, and Bosnia and Herzegovina. Her main focus is on documentary films and series, although she has also produced a fiction feature film – Full Speed Ahead (Punim plućima, dir. Radislav Jovanov Gonzo), which won two Golden Arenas at the Pula Film Festival in 2022. In 2023, she launched her own production company, Rastika, and co-founded the Mezzanine Collective, a studio dedicated to film production and image post-production.
Mladen Stanić
Croatia
Mladen Stanić is a film director and screenwriter from Split, Croatia. He graduated from the Academy of Dramatic Art in Zagreb with a Master's degree in Film Directing. He is currently developing his debut feature-length project. His short films have won awards at domestic and international film festivals. The most famous among them are: A Small Detail (2017), White Room (2018), Ark (2024) etc.
International Competition Jury
Dušan Kasalica
MontenegroDušan Kasalica graduated in Film Directing from the Faculty of Dramatic Arts in Cetinje, Montenegro, where he continues to teach today. He is actively working as a screenwriter, director, and producer. His films, both as a director and as a producer, have been screened at festivals such as Cannes Film Festival, Venice Film Festival, International Film Festival Rotterdam, and Sarajevo Film Festival. He is a member of the European Film Academy.
Eliza Ceprăzaru
RomaniaEliza Ceprăzaru comes from a theatre background having worked in theatre production and festival coordination, notably with the National Theatre in Sibiu and the Sibiu International Theatre Festival, where she led the Sibiu Performing Arts Market. Beyond theatre, she has contributed to the production of arts and culture festivals and events across Romania, working with diverse teams and creative projects. Her transition to the film industry began during the Covid-19 pandemic, when stage productions started being filmed and presented on screen - a turning point that led her to cinema. In 2023 she joined Tudor Giurgiu’s team at Libra Films, and has since been involved in various stages of production and release of a wide range of titles, including short films (All That Remains, d. Andrei Redinciuc), feature films (On Our Own, d. Tudor Cristian Jurgiu; The Spruce Forest, d. Tudor Giurgiu, We Won’t Get Old Together, d. Marius Olteanu), and documentaries (Nasty, d. Tudor Giurgiu; Hep Hep Hop, d. Alex Brendea). She is also involved in the Transilvania International Film Festival, taking place in Cluj-Napoca, where she currently contributes to the RO Days Industry events.
Wei Keong Tan
SingaporeWei Keong Tan is an animation director. In his films he animates fantasy worlds in which he explores his gay identity through personal storytelling. His films have been selected at Berlinale Shorts, Toronto International Film Festival, Annecy International Animation Film Festival and Zagreb Animafest. He is also an alumnus of the Berlinale Talents and SFFILM. His films have achieved recognition on numerous occasions at the Singapore International Film Festival, including the Best Singapore Short Film Award, Special Mention and Special Achievement Award. He was awarded the Young Artist Award by the National Arts Council of Singapore in 2019. He is currently developing his first feature film.
Croatian Competition Jury
Nino Kovačić
CroatiaNino Kovačić is a film professional with many years of experience in film and media projects. As a programme and production associate at film festivals, he has worked on film selection, programme coordination, and event production at Animafest, ZagrebDox, Zagreb Film Festival, 25fps, DHF, and others in Croatia, as well as festivals such as GoShort, Kaboom, Cinekid, and IFFR in the Netherlands. He is a member of the Croatian Film Critics’ Association and FIPRESCI, and has served on around twenty international festival juries. He writes film criticism and articles for relevant film and cultural media, publishing in both professional journals and online platforms. As a film educator, he has organised and mentored numerous workshops in film analysis for children and young people, as well as for students and older audiences. Since 2020, he has also been working as an external expert for film co-productions within the MEDIA programme of the European Commission (EACEA).
Tena Trstenjak
CroatiaTena Trstenjak was born in Croatia. After studying Comparative Literature and German Language and Culture, she began working in the audiovisual sector, focusing on short films and alternative cinema. Since 2020, she has been working as a film selector, programmer, and producer within the Croatian non-profit organization 25 FPS, the Association for Audiovisual Research, whose main project is the 25 FPS Festival, an international film festival dedicated to experimental, innovative, and artistically driven cinema. She has produced several short films and continuously develops audiovisual projects, curates programmes, and organizes workshops. She is a member of the Zagreb Film Club (Kinoklub Zagreb).
Miro Frakić
CroatiaMiro Frakić is a film critic, translator, and university lecturer. He holds degrees in English and Scandinavian Studies and has received scholarships for study stays in Iceland and Sweden. He worked as a programme assistant at the Split International Festival of New Film, and as web editor and social media manager for the Subversive Festival, 25 FPS Festival, and Dokukino KIC. In 2019, he received the Vladimir Vuković Award for Best Young Critic from the Croatian Society of Film Critics, where he now serves as a member of the Executive Board. At the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences in Zagreb, he works at the Department of Scandinavian Studies, where he lectures on Swedish and broader Scandinavian cinema, with a particular focus on youth film, queer cinema, and horror. His texts have been published in Filmonaut, Hrvatski filmski ljetopis, Zona filma of the Croatian Society of Film Critics, and other media outlets. He has served on juries at Cherry Pop, the 25 FPS Festival, and the Screening Room of Kinoklub Zagreb. He translated P. Adams Sitney’s book Visionary Film for the Association 25 FPS, which is scheduled for publication this year.
Student Competition Jury
Čejen Černić Čanak
CroatiaČejen Černić Čanak graduated in Film and TV Direction from the Academy of Dramatic Art in Zagreb. She has directed numerous short fiction and documentary films, as well as one animated short. She made her feature film debut in 2017 with The Mystery of Green Hill (Uzbuna na Zelenom Vrhu). In 2025, her second feature film, Sandbag Dam (Zečji nasip), had its world premiere at the 75th Berlin International Film Festival (Berlinale). The film has since been screened at over 70 festivals worldwide and sold to multiple territories. She is currently developing her third feature-length film and a short fiction film. She also works as an assistant director.
Dinko Božanić
CroatiaDinko Božanić is a Croatian director and screenwriter, born in 1975 in Novi Sad. He completed his primary education in Komiža on the island of Vis, attended high school in Split, and earned his film degree in Bologna (DAMS) and multimedia in Rome (RomaTre). Since 2007, he has been working in the Film and Video department at the Academy of Arts, University of Split, mentoring around 40 short films each year, occasionally directing his own. His latest short film "Tango Siesta" has been showcased at 47 film festivals across all six continents, winning 11 awards and being selected for the Alexandria International Short Film Festival, which is the Academy Award qualifier.
Sunčana Brkulj
CroatiaSunčana Brkulj (Zadar, 1997.) is an animation filmmaker based in Zagreb, Croatia. She has directed several short films with success in notable film festivals across the world, and her practice moves past the boundaries of the animated film medium and expands to experimental collage and animated gallery installations. Using humor, magic and quiet absurdity as narrative tools while combining analogue and digital techniques, by creating small, symbolic worlds, she reflects on the state of our own. Sunčana’s filmography consists of three student films and her debut short “Butterfly” which is a part of Bonobostudio’s distribution roster. The success of these works includes two selections in the world’s largest animated film festival in Annecy, fifteen awards and special mentions and exhibits at three editions of Zagreb's Youth Salon.












