In addition to the already announced Ruben Östlund, Edward Norton, one of the most respected actors today, and Ula Pontikos, multiple award-winning director of photography on film, will be both attending the

At the upcoming edition of the Ponta Lopud Festival, which will be held from June 20 to 24, lectures and workshops for regional professionals in the "Actors" category will be attended by eight actresses and actors who already have notable roles in numerous film productions. The names of the young film artists have already been revealed, and now we know whose rich professional and personal experiences the participants will have the opportunity to improve their knowledge and professional competences. We are talking about an artist who has been at the very top of world cinema for almost thirty years, and whose CV speaks for itself.

Edward Norton is one of the most famous actors of his generation, he has acted in over fifty films, produced thirteen of them, wrote five and directed two. He was nominated three times for the Oscar ("Primal Fear", "Generation X" and "Birdman"), as well as for the Screen Actors Guild Award (SAG), twice for the BAFTA and for the Golden Globe, and won the Golden Globe, award Emmy and Obie, as well as numerous others for acting and production. The main masterclass by Edward Norton will be heard by all participants of Ponte Lopud, and in the following days there will be workshops only for participants in the "Actors" category.

"I've been making movies for 30 years now, and most of what I've learned about the making and the art of filmmaking has come from talking to older directors about the many details of their experiences. Movies are made for an audience, yes. But we also need each other to we would really learn the craft, and I really like the idea of a film festival for filmmakers," said Edward Norton on the occasion of his participation in the third edition of the Ponta Lopud festival.

Norton's latest film, Motherless Brooklyn, which he produced, directed, wrote and starred in, was called "no less than a modern masterpiece" by director and historian Ken Burns. One of his more recent roles is in the film "Glass Onion: a Knives Out Mystery", which in the first three weeks of its broadcast became one of the three most watched films in the history of Netflix. He can currently be seen in the Apple anthology series "Extrapolations", and he is also expected to shoot the film "Asteroid City", his fifth feature film directed by the legendary Wes Anderson.

For the second year in a row, as part of the Ponta Lopud festival, professional programs for videographers will be held. The contribution to gender equality in the film industry is an integral part of the worldview of the Ponta Lopud festival, so this year's third edition of the festival, in cooperation with the Croatian Audiovisual Center and regional film centers from Slovenia, Serbia, North Macedonia, Montenegro and Bosnia and Herzegovina, will be organized theoretically and practically. working with one of the world-famous directors of photography on film (DOP). Three participants in professional programs for female cinematographers will "sharpen" their skills with Ula Pontikos, a member of the British Association of Cinematographers and the executive branch of the Academy of Film Arts and Sciences. Like Edward Norton, Ula Pontikos will hold her main masterclass with participants from all three categories of participants, after which she will focus only on female videographers through theoretical and practical work.

Ula Pontikos graduated from the prestigious London NFTS (National Film and Television School), which awarded her the annual Sue Gibson BSC award in 2022 for her work on the TV series "Russian Doll". Work on the last season of the said series brought her nominations for an Emmy and an award from the American Society of Cinematographers (ASC). Ula shot her first feature film, "Weekend", in 2011, and in 2012, BBC Film declared her a rising talent. Since then she has continued to make films including "Lilting", for which she won the World Cinema Cinematography Award at Sundance in 2014, and "Stars Don't Die in Liverpool", nominated for three BAFTAs.

All news and information about the Ponta Lopud festival are available on the festival's official website www.pontalopud.hr and via social networks.

“I think that our primary idea – to create a climate favourable to an island festival, a festival of film and culture lovers – has been accomplished. Our courage has paid off in the end and Lopud is becoming a place for new, interesting experiences that connect the Ponta Lopud guests with the local population and secures the island additional international recognition. I am personally overjoyed to hear the favourable responses of many, ranging from the general public to the local people, who assisted us in so many ways”, said Tilda Grossel Bogdanović, co-founder of the Festival.