The documentary "Biograd na Moru – a stork in the heart of the Adriatic", directed by Irene Škorić, links Biograd na Moru and Hiroshima, and will have its international premiere at the Hiroshima International Film Festival (HIFF 2026), which takes place from 13 to 15 November 2026 in Hiroshima.
The film shows how Biograd na Moru has positioned itself at the very top of the global association "Mayors for Peace". Biograd is the only Croatian city represented in the Presidency of the Mayors for Peace association and one of 11 vice-president cities of the association, which brings together over 8,500 cities from 166 countries and regions. Ivan Knez, mayor of Biograd na Moru, is a vice-president of the Mayors for Peace association.
In 2009, Biograd became the first city outside Japan to erect a stork monument. In front of this monument, a commemoration is held every 6 August in memory of the victims of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
The film was shot in New York, Hiroshima and Biograd na Moru. It features Kazumi Matsui, mayor of Hiroshima and president of the Mayors for Peace association, while among the interviewees are former mayors of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Tadatoshi Akiba and Tomihisa Taue, as well as Izumi Nakamitsu, the United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Disarmament Affairs.
Setsuko Thurlow, an activist with the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN) and a survivor of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima (hibakusha), shares her experiences and messages in the film. The organisation ICAN received the Nobel Peace Prize in 2017. Nuclear physicist Tonči Tadić also appears in the film.
The Hiroshima International Film Festival is held every November in Hiroshima. Founded in 2014, the festival's subtitle is "Love", and its president is scenographer Kyoko Heya.
