Robe Masters the Movies at 2025 Pula Film Festival

The 2025 Pula Film Festival – staged in spectacular Pula Arena in Croatia, the world’s only remaining Roman amphitheatre with its four side towers fully preserved – had some extra magic added with Robe moving lights which were part of a design by Emil Koller to support the movie programme.

This was the 72nd edition of this landmark event, running from 10th – 17th July 2025, it saw an increase in visitor and audience numbers, and more participants from the Pula PRO industry programme for film professionals and students maximising the professional networking and education opportunities.

Emil has lit the event – including opening and closing ceremonies – for the last 20 years, and in that time has seen numerous changes, especially as the technology has developed. The opening ceremony was broadcast live on Croatia national television’s HRT1 channel.

“My role with lighting is very much to enhance the environment in which these movies are being staged” explained Emil. Even for the opening ceremony, while there was a bit more razzmatazz for the OC, it’s not a rock show, and his lighting has to be well placed to illuminate the presenter positions, and perfectly blended to add that extra layer of thoughtful texturing and colour around the arena that subtly reminded people just how special this venue is.

A large 23-metre-wide x 10-metre-high projection screen took centre stage, allowing approximately 5500 movie enthusiasts to enjoy the nightly cinematic offerings of two movies, typically one Croatian and one international, their start timed to coincide with sunset.

At the core of Emil’s lighting rig were six Robe FORTES rigged on top of the screen and used for dramatic backlighting of the speakers and the orchestra for the OC, and also for beaming stunning projections all around the arena, accenting the grand Roman architecture.

Emil loves FORTES for their quality of light and power. “They are super cool lights” he stated.

The FORTES were complimented by six Robe MMX WashBeam – rigged alternately – also along the top of the screen. These are still extremely popular especially in the Balkans region, and LDs love them even though they are now older technology.

12 LedPOINTES – making their debut in Pula Arena – were placed around the back of the stage for specials.

Emil has used MegaPointes in this role before and was very satisfied with the brightness and punch of the LedPOINTES. “They did a fantastic job! We had many comments before about how great all the camera shots look when MegaPointes were doing aerial effects, so there was a bit of pressure for the LedPOINTES to perform this year … and I am pleased to say that they did brilliantly” he enthused.

Six LEDBeam 350s were deployed each side of the stage for washing the side walls in colour, and they could also sweep out into the arena when needed. They were also used when actors and directors went up on stage after their movies had been screened. “I needed a range of practical lights that would work in multiple ways from their different positions” he explained.

Six BMFL Spots were positioned at the back of the arena on poles located in the audience tribunes for front spotting and beaming, with 2 x BMFL FollowSpots – complete with LightMaster externally mounted programmable handles – were sitting on top of the projection cabin right at the back. Throwing effortlessly around 75 metres to the stage, these were used as primary follow cover for presenters and others who needed highlighting onstage.

Emil still rates BMFL as one of the best lights for follow spotting and loves having them on his lighting plots.

As the opening ceremony is also lit for broadcast, Emil appreciated Robe’s attention to detail with good tungsten emulation and colour profiling/mixing which meant that all the newer LED sources could be matched seamlessly with the discharge lamp fixtures for continuity.

During the nightly movie screenings, Emil created a series of static scenes that worked as eye-catching illuminative backdrops to the various movies.

All the lighting equipment was supplied to the week-long event by IDD Production, who have been the Film Festival’s lighting rental vendor for many years.

Timing is a challenge and quite tight. They have three days to set up, programme and be ready of the opening.

Having moving lights on this show has made a massive difference not how fast they can work and how good it looks. Emil references back to the old days of conventionals stating, “With this rig we can rig, focus and program so much faster and have a much wider range of options, so I can be vastly more creative” he notes, so it is a win-win all round.

Pula Arena dates back to between 27 BC and AD 68 when it was constructed and is among the world’s six largest surviving Roman amphitheatres as well as Croatia’s best-preserved ancient monument, and also a major tourist attraction for the region.

Image courtesy Pula Film Festival and by Louise Stickland.