he moment I met the young members of the Croatian Students and Young Professionals Network in Britain I knew that the Embassy would have great collaborators in them. I was certain that these young men and women would be the moving spirits of such genuine social and cultural activities that can hardly be provided by a State. I also knew immediately that whatever assistance I was to offer them, bright and efficient as they were, they would multiply its value, turning the Embassy's small shares in their enterprise into a fantastic investment. That is precisely what has happened when they asked me to assist them in order to organise the Closer Croatia film review at the Riverside Studios.

We have shared the common intention to find the most appropriate and efficient way to present Croatia's cultural, social and political identity to the sophisticated London public. One can hardly imagine better way of doing this then through a presentation/review of the Croatian film production spanning the last thirty or so years. Questions will probably be raised whether the selection of the films presented at the Riverside Studios is accurately representing the historic and cultural reality of the country as well as the best quality Croatian film production of the past and the present. The nuances are important, of course, but it is also true that an ideal selection is impossible, neither in terms of reflecting the full truth about Croatia nor in reflecting the aesthetic quality of the film art presented. The closer we are to the present, the more difficult and maybe even more unjust the selectors' choice becomes, even politically. I have been witness to how tortured by their own consciousness our organisers have been while making the selection. Having seen that, I have given up on any attempts to "torture" them further by my own filmophilic views and advice. Eventually, the selection that will be presented at the Riverside Studios is a compromise between the London organiser's wisdom and their studious approach on the one hand, and the availability of copies in good condition in the depots of the Croatian providers, Filmoteka 16 and the Croatian Ministry of Culture on the other.

However, I am convinced that the result is an excellent and a truly representative selection. Those who are knowledgeable about the Croatian film will probably make their own selection within the selection, looking forward to the pleasure of seeing again some of the truly classical titles of the Croatian film art. Those less knowledgeable or perhaps even ignorant of the Croatian film and culture in general, will hopefully be able to see the whole selection. They will certainly benefit from this review.

The picture of Croatia they will gain an insight into through this selection is certainly not a simple one. It will rather be an insight into a country of extreme complexity and sophistication of cultures, traditions, mentalities, ethnicities, classes, influences, dialects, etc., all interwoven into the unique social and cultural fabrics.

It is precisely that sophisticated complexity which forms the modern Croatian identity. It is also the increasing tolerance, acceptance, acknowledgement and affirmation of the differences forming this complex whole that make us an indelible part of the wider cultural, social and political complexity known as Europe.

Josko Paro
Croatian Ambassador