On Cats and Humans follows the filmmaker, who is also a veterinarian, as she travels along the Croatian coast and islands in the off-season, taking part in volunteer efforts to sterilize stray cats. Through encounters with island residents, conversations with animal rights activists, and a personal narrative that touches on the female body and the question of reproduction, the film organically opens up complex ethical questions about human–animal coexistence and the long-term consequences of interventions in nature. Initially convinced of the ethical correctness of her work, the filmmaker is confronted with criticism that leads her to a deeper re-examination of her professional and ethical position.
The program brings together two films made by Croatian filmmakers Sunčica Ana Veldić and Karla Crnčević, which explore the ethical implications inherent to human-animal relationships. The screening will be followed by a conversation with the filmmaker.
Sunčica Ana Veldić is a veterinarian and filmmaker from Zagreb. She began her film career in 2013 when she enrolled in film school at the Zagreb Cinema Club, where she made several award-winning documentaries and experimental shorts (Croatian Virgin, The Tenant, Hux Flux, co-directed with Martin Semenčić). She received an award for best editing at the 25th Croatian Film Days for her short Festival Tourism (2016). In 2017 she enrolled in a master’s degree in documentary film directing at the Academy of Dramatic Arts. Documentaries she shot during the study, White Trash and Person have been internationally recognized, while Drama is Overrated is still frequently shown today for educational purposes at various panels and lectures. Sunčica has directed three episodes of the documentary series Pijaca, pazar, plac which were shown in 2025 as part of the HRT television program, where they were well received by viewers.
Trailer
Awards
- Special Mention Liburnia Film Festival 2025
Screening schedule
- Dokukino KIC Q&A
