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The buzzy regional event attrracted festival programmers from Cannes, Berlin and around the world.

Croatian director Sonja Tarokić’s debut feature The Staffroom was the big winner at the 69th edition of the Pula Film Festival when it received nine awards at the closing ceremony at the weekend in the port’s 2,000 year-old Roman amphitheatre.

The Croatian Programme Jury, headed by Austrian director Stefan Ruzowitzky, presented the film with the festival’s main award, the Grand Golden Arena for best festival film, as well as Golden Arenas for best director, best actor for Stojan Matavulj , best supporting actress, and best editing.

Competing for the Crystal Globe at Karlovy Vary Film Festival, director-writer Sonja Tarokić’s impressive debut drama “The Staffroom” tackles the psychology of the workplace as experienced by idealistic, new primary school counselor Anamarija (Marina Redžepović). Naturalistically filmed and set within a concrete, culturally loaded environment, it’s a coming-of-age story about a young woman who learns to accept that she is neither stronger nor nobler than the people around her.

As Anamarija attempts to fit in and just do her job with the children, she tries to stay out of the power games played by the headmistress, teachers and parents, but it’s not easy. Tarokić grew up in a family of psychologists and hearing their stories about the social system all her life provided excellent preparation for this compelling tale of hidden agendas, cliques and petty conflicts.

Tarokić chose a school staffroom as her setting because it...

"You've setup this meeting and cornered me!" Screen Daily has debuted an early festival promo trailer for this intense indie drama titled The Staffroom, the latest from Croatian filmmaker Sonja Tarokic tackling a sensitive topic - education and schooling. This is premiering in a few weeks at the 2021 Karlovy Vary Film Festival in Czechia, one of my favorite fests, and it looks like a serious discovery that should shake things up. The film is about a new counselor in a school named Anamarija, who tries to stay out of the power games played by the headmistress, teachers and parents. But as she gets to know the system better she realities she must sacrifice her integrity and play her own game. The film stars Marina Redžepović as Anamarija, with Stojan Matavulj, Nives Ivanković, Maja Posavec, and Sandra Lončarić. This is almost a thriller! It reminds me a bit of Maren Ade...