Imaginary Film Academy

The Imaginary Film Academy was founded in Grožnjan in 1995 as an educational film-making project and a unique space for free creative expression of talented young filmmakers from the region, where film production is frequently controlled by the state.

The Imaginary Academy was founded by the Ohio University from Athens (USA), and the Dramatic Art Centre from Zagreb, and later joined by the Academy of Dramatic Art from Zagreb. The Croatian directors and dramaturges Rajko Grlić, Nenad Puhovski and Vjeran Zuppa developed the concept and invited around fifty world-renowned experts to work with the project participants, including: Karpo Godina, Branko Ivanda, Lew Hunter, Yvette Biro, Lisa Bruce, Ademir Kenović, Igor Koršič, Robert Nickson, Sergej Pristaš, and many others.

The academy organised screenwriting, production and multimedia workshops, which were held alternately in Grožnjan and Athens (Ohio, USA). 

Since 1997, the Academy hosted a well-known documentary workshop led by Nenad Puhovski and Karpo Godina, and later also Branko Ivanda. Nineteen documentaries were made from 1997 to 2001, including the award-winning Years of Rust by Andrej Korovljev, and Terra Rosa by Aldo Tardozzi.

Some of the then aspiring, now accomplished documentary and film directors who participated in the workshops include Ahmed Imamović, Diana Groo, Igor Mirković, Dalibor Matanić, Tomislav Rukavina, Stanislav Tomić, Andrej Korovljev, Zrinka Matijević, Nebojša Slijepčević, Aldo Tardozzi, Fatmir Koci, Levan Koguashvili, etc.