The Jewish Film Festival, whose fourth edition is dedicated to the Righteous Among theh Nations, opened at Zagreb's Europa cinema on Sunday with the awarding of plaques to people who risked their lives during World War Two to save Jews.
The festival's honorary president, Branko Lustig, presented the plaques to Mario Carnelutti, Ankica and Darko Loncar, Josip Pribilovic, Stjepan Oruzec, Boiko Korkut, and former Bulgarian Prime Minister and Tsar Simeon of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha for the merits of his father, Tsar Boris III, who saved 50,000 Bulgarian Jews.
Israeli Ambassador to Croatia Yosef Amrani said the festival returned Jewish life to Croatia, which he added was a victory of spirit and tradition over xenophobia. He said it was very important that the festival was dealing with the Righteous Among the Nations.
Amrani said he was pleased that a dozen Jewish film would acquaint viewers with the history as well as with the everyday life of the contemporary Jewish family and its preoccupations.
The festival, which closes on May 29, will include 43 films dedicated to the Holocaust. It was opened by the German film "John Rabe", whose director Florian Gallenberger attended the screening.
Former President Stjepan Mesic was in attendance.
