“Movies touch our hearts, awaken our vision, and change the way we see things. They take us to other places. They open doors and minds. Movies are the memories of our lifetime. We need to keep them alive.”
—Martin Scorsese
Thousands of dedicated readers that foraged our archives on a daily basis, as well as the stream of uplifting comments and generous support that kept us going, helped transform Cinephilia & Beyond from an enthusiastic but shy little blog into a full-blooded, Croatian-based independent website dedicated to the world of film. Now it’s time for yet another step forward, as C&B finally operates under its own roof of the Close-Up, Initiative for the Promotion of Film Culture, a non-profit organization. Since our work has been publicly recognized by almost all of the greatest non-profit film institutions in the world: The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, The American Film Institute, Sundance Institute, The British Film Institute, European Film Academy, Cahiers du Cinéma, La Cinématheque, just to mention a few, in the light of our recent transformation into a non-profit organization as well we’d be deeply honored and humbled if we followed in their prestigious footsteps. With your help this seems more than possible.
All of this couldn’t have been achieved without your relentless encouragement and pure love of film. We’ll continue to bring to your attention the most fascinating, mind-blowing, jaw-dropping material we’re lucky enough to come across, tirelessly spreading the pivotal idea C&B was built on: no film school alone can measure up to a curious, dedicated mind and a huge pool of knowledge, information and inspiration waiting to be soaked up and marveled upon.
“I’m often asked by younger filmmakers, ‘Why do I need to look at old movies?’ I’ve made a number of pictures in the last 20 years and the response I have to give them is that I still consider myself a student. The more pictures I’ve made in 20 years, the more I realize I really don’t know. And I’m always looking for something or someone that I could learn from. I tell the younger filmmakers, and the young students, that do it like painters used to do—that painters do—study the old masters, enrich your palette, expand the canvas. There’s always so much more to learn.”
—Martin Scorsese, A Personal Journey with Martin Scorsese through American Movies
What especially motivates us is the fact that C&B has grown into a community of film lovers who share their passion regardless of what places in the world—and life—they come from. You can imagine, for instance, the shock on our faces upon realizing the likes of Guillermo del Toro, Ava DuVernay, William Friedkin, James Mangold, Edgar Wright, Roger Corman, Zoe Cassavetes, Mike Medavoy, Robert Evans or Judd Apatow regularly visit our little corner of the web. Silent, anonymous and thirsty for inspiration, no different than any one of you, but at the same time leading us to a crucial revelation that we simply must be doing something right.
We’re humbled by your support, by your vote of confidence which we can repay you for only by promising to keep doing our best. “The powerful play goes on and you may contribute a verse,” said Robin Williams’ professor Keating in Dead Poets Society, quoting the great Walt Whitman. C&B is our verse, and we thank you for helping us write it.
Editor-in-Chief and Founder: Boris Mijatović
Managing Editor: Sven Mikulec
Operations & Senior Editor: Michael Hennessy
Regular Contributors: Tim Pelan, Koraljka Suton, Travis Woods, Theo Zenou