CFD 26| Beautiful Evening Beautiful Day

Glocal Images
International Competition Section

Beautiful Evening, Beautiful Day / Lijepa Večer, Lijep Dan
LEM 19/04 > 18:00 | NIC 23/04 > 22:00
137', 2024, Croatia, Canada, Poland, Cyprus, Bosnia and Herzegovina

Directed by
Ivona Juka

Screenplay
Ivona Juka

Cinematography
Dragan Ruljančić

Editing
Nenad Pirnat
Nina Velnić

Music
Michael Brook
Yiannis Tryfon
Ozren K. Glaser

Sound Design
Jane Tattersall

Production Design
Zvonko Sarić

Art Direction
Zvonko Sarić

Costume Design
Goranka Krpan

Cast
Emir Hadžihafizbegović
Dado Ćosić
Slaven Došlo
Elmir Krivalić
Đorđe Galić

Producer
Anita Juka

Production Company
4Film

Co-producers
Constantinos Nikiforou
Michael A. Dobbin
Magdalena Zimecka
Angelina Albijanić-Duraković
Jasmin Duraković

Co-production Companies
Caretta Films
Quiet Revolution
ORKA Production Studio
Depo Production

Synopsis
Four close friends, Lovro (21), Nenad (20), Stevan (22), and Ivan (20), fought against the Ustashas and Nazis by joining the Partisans during the Second World War. Sixteen years later, they have become renowned filmmakers. In 1957, in communist Yugoslavia, their sexual orientation arouses suspicion, and a Communist Party loyalist named Emir (52) is assigned to sabotage their careers and lives. As the pursuit of freedom turns into a fight for survival for the artists, Emir’s own beliefs begin to unravel.

Director’s Bio
Ivona Juka is an acclaimed filmmaker whose award-winning feature films Beautiful Evening, Beautiful Day, You Carry Me, and Facing the Day have earned international recognition. You Carry Me premiered at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival, was invited to more than 20 festivals worldwide, and won 17 international awards. The film competed for Best European Film 2015 and was selected as Croatia’s official submission for the 88th Academy Awards.
In 2016, You Carry Me became the first film from Croatia and the wider region to be acquired by Netflix. Her recent film Beautiful Evening, Beautiful Day continues its successful international festival run, with 15 awards to date. The film was Croatia’s official submission for the Goya Awards (2024) and the 97th Academy Awards.

Filmography
2026 – Love Story / Ljubavna Priča
2024 – Beautiful Evening, Beautiful Day / Lijepa Večer, Lijep Dan
2017 – Mysticism of Success / Mistika Uspjeha
2015 – You Carry Me / Ti Mene Nosiš
2015 – If I Were Someone / Da Sam Ja Netko
2010 – View from a Well / Pogled Iz Bunara
2006 – Facing the Day / Što sa Sobom Preko Dana
2006 – Editing / Montaža
2005 – Welcome Home Brother / Dobrodošao Kući, Brate
2005 – Blue Pony Bicycle / Plavi Pony
2004 – Nothing Else / Ništa Više
2003 – Garbage / Smeće

Awards
Audience Award – Best Narrative Feature, Frameline: San Francisco International LGBTQ+ Film Festival, USA, 2025
Best Narrative Feature, Oslo/Fusion International Film Festival, Norway, 2025
Best Director, Best Narrative Feature, Best Ensemble, Out On Film: Atlanta’s LGBTQ Film Festival, USA, 2025
Best International Film Award, Tel Aviv International LGBTQ+ Film Festival, Israel, 2025
Best Fiction Feature, Cambridge Film Festival, United Kingdom, 2025
Best Narrative Feature Film, OUTShine Film Festival, USA, 2025
Audience Award, Best Feature Film, Outstanding Individual Performance Award, FilmFestival Cottbus, Germany, 2025
Special Jury Award, Kolkata International Film Festival, India, 2025
Best Screenplay, image+nation LGBTQ+ Film Festival Montréal, Canada, 2025
Best Feature, Queer Florence Film Festival, Italy, 2025