Little Trouble Girls, which had its world premiere in the Perspectives Competition of the 75th Berlinale, will now have its North American premiere in the Tribeca FF feature film competition. 

It tells the story of an introverted sixteen-year-old Lucia who joins her Catholic school’s all-girls choir, where she befriends Ana-Maria, a popular and flirty third-year pupil. When the choir travels to a countryside convent for a weekend of intensive rehearsals, Lucia’s interest in a dark-eyed restoration worker tests her friendship with Ana-Maria and the other girls. Navigating the unfamiliar surroundings and her budding sexuality, Lucia begins to question her belief and her values as new urges arise, disrupting the choir’s harmony.

It is the debut feature of Slovenian director Urška Djukić, whose previous film, the animated short Granny’s Sexual Life (2021), won several prestigious awards, including the French national film award César and the European Film Award. Djukić directed the feature and co-wrote the screenplay together with Marina Gumzi.

The film’s co-producer is Katarina Prpić (356 Films), while the rest of the Croatian crew consists of editor Vlado Gojun, assistant make-up artist Anela Sokolac, and Srđan Kokanov and Filip Friščić in the camera section.

The main producers are Jožko Rutar and Miha Černec, while the film was made under the auspices of the SPOK Institute, in co-production with Staragara (Italy), Non-Aligned Films (Serbia), 365 Films (Croatia) and Nosorogi (Slovenia). The project was developed, among other places, at the Cinéfondation residency in Paris, TorinoFilm Lab and Ponta Lopud, and was financially supported by the Slovenian Film Centre, RTV Slovenia, FVG Film Fund, Croatian Audiovisual Centre, RE-ACT, Eurimages, MEDIA Sub-programme, and others.

Dutch director David Verbeek’s feature The Wolf, the Fox and the Leopard will have its world premiere in the same competition.

It was shot in Croatia in autumn of 2023, with a total of 15 days of filming at locations in Sisak (oil refinery), Pula (Uljanik shipyard, Labin platform, ferry in the Port of Pula) and in Zagreb (in studio). Of the 109 people involved on the project, 76 were Croatian crew members, as well as three extras and three interns.

Filming in Croatia was supported by the state incentives scheme for encouraging investment in the production of audiovisual works implemented by the Croatian Audiovisual Centre (Filming in Croatia), with Siniša Juričić (Nuclear film) as the service producer.

The Wolf, the Fox and the Leopard is a co-production between the Netherlands, Belgium, Ireland, Luxembourg, Taiwan, and Croatia.

It tells the story of a young girl raised by wolves. After being discovered in the forest, she was subjected to a series of tests in the lab. From there, she is rescued by two environmentalists who consider her a potential saviour of the world. However, in the midst of a whirlwind of new experiences, she must learn to become independent and make her own decisions. It is a story about strength, faith, and the ability to create an alternate reality.

The film’s director and screenwriter is Dutchman David Verbeek, whose latest film Dead & Beautiful was also a co-production with Croatian Nukleus Film, and had its world premiere at the International Film Festival Rotterdam (IFFR). Nukleus Film has collaborated with Verbeek before, on his title Full Contact, filmed at various locations in Croatia during the spring of 2014.

The Wolf, the Fox and the Leopard stars award-winning Japanese director Naomi Kawase and British actor Nicholas Pinnock (For Life). The lead is played by young Irish actress Jessica Reynolds (Alien/Outlander, Derry Girls), with Croatian actress Lucija Barišić completing the cast.

The film was made under the auspices of Dutch company Lemming Film, with co-producers Lemming Film Belgium (Belgium), Deal Productions (Luxembourg), Feline Films (Ireland), Nukleus Film (Croatia) and Flash Forward Entertainment (Taiwan).

The Tribeca Film Festival was founded in 2001 by Robert De Niro, Jane Rosenthal and Craig Hatkoff to encourage the economic and cultural revitalisation of lower Manhattan after the attack on the World Trade Center. This year’s edition takes place from 5 to 14 June 2025 in New York.