The selection "Un Certain Regard" is one of the two parts of the official festival competition, focusing on discovering new poetics and aesthetics of directing. Winning an award in this category is so far the greatest acknowledgment to filmmaker Dalibor Matanić and Ankica Jurić Tilić, the producer of many of his films. Also, this award is a confirmation of the international success of Croatian film we have been witnessing lately. This year’s jury was chaired by actress and director Isabella Rossellini, opposite director Haifa Al-Mansour, director and actress Nadine Labaki, director Panos H. Koutras, and actor Tahar Rahim. The High Sun was selected for this competition among more than 1.400 entries from all over the world.

'This award is significant for us as a film crew, for Croatia in general and for the Croatian Audiovisual Centre – this is truly an amazing success. After this, the film goes to the Pula Film Festival, and we are counting on a continuation of its international success as Cannes is one of the greatest festivals in the world,' said the film’s producer Ankica Jurić Tilić when the awards were announced.

'Dalibor, Ankica, Tihana and their entire film cast and crew made an amazing film. I thank everyone who knows how to say ‘yes’ and acknowledge the power of talent. The Cannes award is one such big ‘yes’. Thank you everyone who believed in the Croatian film system and everyone who have built it, this is another reminder that ‘yes’ is the most beautiful word in our language. This country can do so very much when it dares to say ‘yes’ to its values, just like the powerful Croatian film community which I am unspeakably proud to represent,'  added Hrvoje Hribar, Head of the Croatian Audiovisual Centre.

The film directed by Dalibor Matanić and produced by Ankica Jurić Tilić was received with a roaring applause and with plenty of tears at the premiere on 17 May, and the foreign media (Hollywood Reporter, Variety, Le Monde, Independent, websites Filmdeculte, Digitalcine, Europacinema) rated the actors and the film as outstanding.

The film stars Tihana Lazović and Goran Marković, opposite Nives Ivanković, Dado Ćosić, Stipe Radoja, Trpimir Jurkić, Mira Banjac, Slavko Sobin, Lukrecija Tudor, Tara Rosandić and Ksenija Marinković. Director of photography is Marko Brdar and editor Tomislav Pavlic. The producer is Ankica Jurić Tilić, with Petra Vidmar, Frank Celarc, Nenad Dukić and Miroslav Mogorović as co-producers. Music composers were Alen Sinkauz and Nenad Sinkauz, sound designer Julij Zornik, set designer Mladen Ožbolt, costume designer Ana Savić Gecan, make-up artists Mojca Gorogranc Petrushevska and Talija Ivančič, sound recordist Mladen Pervan, and assistant director Dragan Jurić.

The High Sun was produced by Kinorama from Zagreb, Croatia, with the Slovenian film company Gustav film and SEE Film Pro from Serbia as co-producers. The project development was supported by the Croatian Audiovisual Centre and MEDIA Programme, and production by the Croatian Audiovisual Centre, Slovenian Film Centre, Viba Film Ljubljana, Serbian Film Centre, and the European fund Eurimages. The film’s distributer is the renowned BAC, with Cercamon in charge of international placement and sales. 2i film, a company specialising in creative success stories, is in charge of the national distribution.

The High Sun is a love story set in three different decades, in two neighbouring Dalmatian villages burdened by historical heritage, covering three forbidden love stories starring the same actors as protagonists, Tihana Lazović and Goran Marković.

The film materials are available on this link, and photographs from the Cannes premiere are available here.

Title photo: the film crew; a scene from The High Sun