Pavilion 6

Set in a Zagreb vaccination centre during the COVID-19 pandemic, this quietly hilarious documentary captures ordinary people swapping jokes, voicing fears, and spinning wild theories – offering both a vivid portrait of a nation and a masterclass in observational humour.

Set entirely in the queue of a Zagreb vaccination centre, this quietly hilarious documentary listens in on fleeting encounters between strangers. With a minimalistic approach and no context beyond these brief exchanges, “Pavilion 6” shows people from all walks of life opening up in surprising ways – sharing intimate confessions, personal struggles and political views. What begins as small talk becomes an unexpectedly vivid portrait of a nation, and perhaps the wider region, captured in a moment of enforced stillness. The pandemic is merely the backdrop; the true subject is the warmth, wit, and eccentricity of human connection when life pauses and conversation takes over.

Programme section: Docs Open Debates
Original title: Paviljon 6 | Year: 2024 | Duration: 70′
Country: Croatia | Language: Croatian | Subtitles: English
Director: Goran Dević | Production: Hrvoje Osvadić – Petnaesta umjetnost; BBC Storyville | Screenplay: Goran Dević | Cinematography: Damian Nenadić | Editing: Vanja Siruček | Sound: Ivan Zelić

FESTIVALS & AWARDS (SELECTION) 

Sheffield DocFest, 2024 – World Premiere | Sarajevo Film Festival, 2024 | DocPoint Helsinki, 2025 | Image Sante Film Festival, 2025 | ZagrebDox, 2025 | Beldocs, 2025 | Pula Film Festival, 2025 – Golden Arena for Outstanding Directorial Achievement

DIRECTOR’S BIO 

Goran Dević studied law, archaeology and film art at the Academy of Dramatic Art, University of Zagreb, Croatia, and currently teaches there at the Documentary Film graduate studies. His documentaries and fiction films have won awards at festivals in Pula, Cottbus, Prizren, Prague, Sarajevo, Oberhausen, Leipzig, Motovun, and Zagreb. His feature film debut, “The Blacks”, co-directed and co-written with Zvonimir Jurić, was critically acclaimed. Retrospectives of his documentaries were featured at Arsenal Berlin, MAXXI Roma, Crossing Europe Film Festival Linz, Beldocs, and Zagreb. He co-founded the production company Petnaesta umjetnost.

DIRECTOR’S STATEMENT

In the first days after the COVID-19 vaccine arrived, I was accompanying an older relative who was afraid of vaccination to get a first dose of the coronavirus vaccine. My support was deemed unnecessary since from the very first moment my relatives got friendly with the people who were waiting in the same line as us. It took only a few minutes for people standing in line to start talking like old friends and family members at a holiday gathering. This was my primary inspiration for making this film. The collective psychosis caused by the pandemic seems to me an ideal background for a subtle study of a society that has been facing various crises for some time and unfortunately is slowly falling apart at all seams. I was following strangers who were becoming instant friends, fighting their fears by seeking solace in conversation.