CHF director Marić was on hand to take part in a business sector and society meet-and-greet event, the Herzegovina Night in Posavina and the Days of Croatian Film as the personal envoy of Croatian President Grabar-Kitarović.
In late August and early September Orašje played host to two events—the 6th Herzegovina Night in Posavina and the 23rd Days of Croatian Film. CHF director Mijo Marić was on hand, participating in a Herzegovina and Posavina region business sector and society meet-and-greet event as the personal envoy of Croatian President Grabar-Kitarović.
Pointing to the importance of the event the CHF director noted that it was certainly worth coming to Orašje, a place “the beauty and grandeur of which softens our memory of the not-so-distant past when destruction raged. The people here now live in the present, creating; the people that live here seek solutions and work above and beyond the call of duty. They understand that life is more than just work and that a prerequisite for people to remain living here is peace of mind and a dignified existence.”
The sixth meet-and-greet kicked off ahead of the Days of Croatian Film in the Posavina region town of Orašje, with a return event to be staged in the Herzegovina region town of Mostar in the spring during the town’s international business fair. The Herzegovina Night in Posavina event focuses on socialising, friendship and, above all, unity.
Again this year the meeting pooled people whose collaborative efforts are critical to the development and progress of the local community: representatives of the government, mayors, politicians, business people and society and culture scene figures.
Members of the Kralj Tomislav Culture and Arts Society of Tolisa, garbed in the stunning folk costumes of the Posavina region, closed the event with a Posavina round dance medley performance.
The Croatian Heritage Foundation is one of the founders of the film festival in Orašje, now in its 23rd incarnation and has, from day one, been a co-organiser of the festival programme in Bosnian Posavina. The creation and life of the festival are largely the work of Ivo Gregurević, Ilja Benković, Nada Koturić, but also of the many other people from the region that have made it a part of their life.
The festival is also referred to as the mini-Pula, a reference to the larger film festival in the coastal town of Pula in northwest Croatia—many of the films screened there are later shown in Orašje. This year’s festival event will see showings of eight films, six from the latest Croatian cinematographic production screened in Pula, and films from Bosnia-Herzegovina and Serbia. All screenings are staged at the movie theatre of the Croatian civic centre in Orašje. From its inception this festival has promoted Croatian cinematography—its organisers promote the event as a celebration of Croatian national film production.
This year’s Days of Croatian Film in Orašje are again held under the high patronage of Croatian President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović and of the Croatian member of the Presidium of Bosnia-Herzegovina Dragan Čović. The Croatian president said ahead of the opening of the event that it was the sincere wish of Croatia and its institutions to support Bosnia-Herzegovina in building itself as a modern European country and as a home to all of its citizens. “Croatians have always respected the principal of the equality of the three constitutive nations that live here and we feel that anyone claiming to be a friend of this country should respect this fact. Croatians have always had a strong association and loyalty to their land, nurturing above all their historical and cultural identity, valuing all those who respect others, because it is only through unity, harmony and understanding that a home can be created, and that a community can have a future,” she said.
By: Naida Šehović
