According to the calendar, winter in the Northern Hemisphere starts on December 21, which is the shortest day in the year. This year, it falls exactly on December 21 at 6:11 PM EST. The Le jour le plus Court (Shortest Day) initiative welcomes the winter solstice by featuring screenings of short films across various countries. This year, Croatia will join in on this celebration.

25 independent cinemas across 23 cities will host December 21, The Shortest Day Short Film Celebration, the first marathon of short films presented by the Croatian Audiovisual Centre.

Across all venues, from morning to midnight, the audience will have a chance to view a total of 45 short fiction, animated, documentary and kid’s films! The domestic programme will include cult documentaries by Krsto Papić, recent fiction and documentary films of award-winning young Croatian authors and a rich programme of animated shorts for kids. The International programme will present a selection of works made by the renowned French animator Michel Ocelot, and the “This is not a Funny Programme” will showcase various European short comedies. The marathon will take place in the following cities: Čakovec, Daruvar, Dubrovnik, Gospić, Koprivnica, Kutina, Novska, Osijek, Pakrac, Pazin, Poreč, Prelog, Pula, Rijeka, Rovinj, Samobor, Sinj, Sisak, Split (Kino Central, Kinoteka Zlatna vrata), Velika Gorica, Vodice, Zabok, Zagreb (Kino Europa, Kino Tuškanac). In addition to the programme offered by the Croatian Audiovisual Centre, cinema Tuškanac will also host a special programme presenting works selected by the Croatian Film Association. Tickets to all screenings are free of charge.

The Shortest Day Short Film Celebration was created by the French National Film Centre (Centre national du cinéma et de l'image animée) in collaboration with the Short Film Agency (L'Agence du court métrage) in 2011, with the goal of promoting France’s rich tradition of short film production. Just a year after achieving great success in its home country, the initiative has already spread to Germany, Portugal, Italy, Spain, Switzerland, Finland, Belgium, Norway, Poland, Canada and Czech Republic, acquiring an international character. The Shortest Day Short Film Celebration is a day devoted to creativity, celebrating the diversity of national and individual artistic expression as well as the richness of short film in all of its forms. Some of the most globally renowned directors begun their careers making short films, and it continues to remain the form through which many international artists continue to develop and which provides them with an opportunity to be discovered. These are works that often teem with innovation and provide insight into the future of film.