“We didn’t expect it to last for 20 years. We have been persistent. The festival wanted to be educational and to produce films”, Topić said and added that it can be said that Široki Brijeg plays Champions league of film.

Talking about the festival beginnings he said that after the cinema theatre was renovated they went to Croatian Film Association and told them they want to start a film story. The most credited for starting the film story was Vera Robić Škarica, the former secretary of the Association, who was given special recognition for the development of the festival.

She said that a person of her age does not look into the future but returns to the past.

''I only remember the most beautiful things from the past, and one of the most beautiful things in my life is Široki Brijeg and this festival, '' she said.

Talking about the beginnings of the festival, festival producer Robert Bubalo said that every night before the festival, they had the same dream that he and Topic were crying in front of the cinema because no one came to the festival.

'' All of you are the wheels of this festival. We love and appreciate each one of you equally. We are you and you are us. Please continue to support us, '' Bubalo said.

The Minister of Culture of the Republic of Croatia Nina Obuljen Koržinek also addressed the audience, and emphasized that new perspectives were being opened at this festival and Sean Hantak on the behalf of the US Embassy in B&H, who said that the Embassy was proud to support this festival for the past eight years.

"It is a pleasure to be in Široki Brijeg and to support this festival of documentary film" he said, adding that they were proud that American filmmakers participate in film workshops.

Tomislav Ruk on the behalf of HT Eronet, the main sponsor of the festival, said it was a great honour to be a part of this great story, to witness its growth and to participate in its development.

The festival was opened by the Mayor of Široki Brijeg, Miro Kraljević, and said that the MFF established its foundations.

''On this occasion, I would like to congratulate film lovers on their persistence. The festival has gained wider perspective and this is a guarantee that it will survive, '' Kraljević said.

Zdenko Jurilj, director of the movie 'Radio Ganga', which premiered at the festival after the opening ceremony, said that after many years, they had one cheerful, different movie.

'' We follow a radio presenter, but this is not a movie about his life, we follow a special sort of people through the prism of his popular show, traditional last Mohicans, one specific morality, the way of life that disappears in our present, '' Jurilj said.

This year’s festival features eight film programmes that will screen 45 films. MFF offers several world premieres, a couple of festival premiers and some films are screened for the first time in B&H.