Programmes
Four programmes, one goal: for young people to understand the world through film and change their community.
Seven Issues Film Festival
An international short-film festival for filmmakers aged 18 to 30. Films of up to 15 minutes compete in seven categories: discrimination, environment, health, poverty, violence, women's rights and youth empowerment. Submissions are open worldwide through FilmFreeway, and the awards are decided by a young international jury, with an expert jury for the Grand Prix.
The first edition took place on 28 July 2025 at Edison Cinema in Karlovac (2,952 submissions, 28 finalists from 20 countries), the second on 29 July 2026 in Paris (21 finalists). The third edition is being prepared for summer 2027 alongside the Summit in Botswana.
All about the festival
Film and media literacy
Workshops, film schools, masterclasses and panel discussions in which young people go through the whole process: developing an idea, pitching, shooting, editing and screening. At the same time they learn to read media critically and use them responsibly.
In Karlovac 2025 the programme included masterclasses in cinematography (Mashhour Mohamed, Egypt/UAE) and acting (Benett Berkowitz, USA), a documentary workshop, a panel with Croatian NGOs, and focus sessions on pitching and editing. We are planning our first workshops in Zagreb for 2026 and 2027.
For whom: pupils, students and young people aged 14 to 30, educators and NGOs.
International cooperation and youth mobility
Through the International Youth Media Summit network, young Croatian filmmakers attend the Summit as delegates, and young people from all over the world come to Croatia. In Karlovac 2025 we hosted 42 delegates from Australia, Botswana, Egypt, Croatia, Morocco, Nepal, Pakistan, Senegal, the USA, Sri Lanka, Sweden and Tanzania. The Croatian delegation had 11 participants, the largest so far.
The next Summit runs from 23 July to 5 August 2027 in Gaborone, Botswana. KLAPA will nominate and prepare Croatian delegates and apply to Erasmus+ and European Solidarity Corps programmes so that participation is open to everyone.
Production and activism
Working in groups and mentored by civil-society organisations, young people develop, shoot and edit a short film about one of the seven global issues in ten days. We screen the films in cinemas and online and send them to festivals. Seven films were made in Karlovac in 2025, mentored by the NGOs Zagreb Pride, Sunce, CroMSIC, Mali zmaj, Hera and Amazonas.
Discrimination- EnvironmentEnvironment · video coming soon
Health
Poverty
Violence
Women's rights
Youth empowerment
How to get involved
- Submit a film to the Seven Issues Film Festival (filmmakers 18–30, early entry free).
- Become a member – regular membership €25 a year, associate and honorary membership free.
- Volunteer at the festival and workshops.
- Partners and mentors – schools, NGOs, cinemas and companies that want to work with young people.
