The first edition of NEM Zagreb gathered world-renowned producers, writers and actors, along with foreign and domestic media

Zagreb, December 12th - NEM Zagreb, the largest TV market in Central and Eastern Europe, officially started today for the first time at the Esplanade Zagreb Hotel. Unlike the already established NEM Dubrovnik, NEM Zagreb is focusing on creating TV and film content. Some of the most influential people in the TV industrywill gather in Zagreb from December 11 to 13in order to share their knowledge about content creation. 

What to expect at NEM Zagreb?

NEM Zagreb offers panels, case study presentations, exclusive screenings and networking events as well as conversations with world-renowned TV professionals. NEM Zagreb will welcome Allan Starski, an Oscar winner for his work on “Schindler’s List”, Frank Spotnitz, a Golden Globe winner for his work on “X-Files”, Larry Namer, co-founder of E! Entertainment Television, Billy Campbell, “Cardinal” lead actor, along with many others.

Writers will also have a chance to upgrade their expertise atexpert-led workshops on screen writing using Story-Type Method.

Strong European original production

A warm welcome was offered by Sanja Božić Ljubičić, NEM’s CEO, together with Kazimir Bačić, General Director of Croatian Radiotelevision (HRT), followed by the premiere of HRT’s feature documentary film “The Age of Uskoks”, as an example of an original production. 

“We are excited for our partnership with NEM and are happy to see it in Zagreb for the first time. This is a great opportunity to premiere our original content”, said Mr. Bačić.

The first day of NEM Zagreb also featured a discussion about the growth of original European productions. Stephen Driscoll, EVP EMEA & European co-productions at all3media international, emphasized the importance of original content and pointed out the possibility of European TV shows taking over the world: “Broadcasters want original content. If they have a big enough budget, they can buy an idea and adjust it to the local audience. The audience has become more open-minded, making the language barrier smaller and creating anopportunity for original productions. Having more original content is a healthy thing for market diversity.”

There is strength in co-production 

Michele Zatta, commissioning editor in charge of international co-productions at Rai Fiction, presentedcooperation between three top European broadcasters in creating high-quality content.

“This alliance existed in the 70’s but in a different form.Today’s market landscape is changing very quickly. Co-production needs time, patience and trust. Also, our task is rather challenging because our project has to be successful in three different countries”, Zatta emphasized.

He also offered a glimpse of some of the Alliance’s projects and emphasized the quality which such cooperation results in: “Considering the public broadcasters’ role connected to democracy, we carefully have in mind on which projects to focus. For example, Cacciatore (The Hunter) is a new series about prosecuting mafia in Italy made entirely by first-time writers.”

Another highly successful European co-production was presented by Dariusz Jablonski, producer, director, scriptwriter and CEO of Apple Film Production. Jablonski presented “The Pleasure Principle”, a transnational co-production fromEastern Europe. 

“We decided to film in original locations in Poland, Czech and Ukraine and work with a different crew in every country. All three national broadcasters were rather open to the idea of cooperation. Producers should come together and broadcasters will follow the idea of co-production”, Jablonski concluded.

TV Writing Contest: Perfect opportunity to pitch original ideas

Alongside panels, presentations and screenings, NEM Zagreb is also abusiness opportunity for writers with good ideas regardless of their experience. The TV Writing Contest will reach its peak on Friday duringa specially organized Meet &Greet. Authors of six best scripted and unscripted scenarios will have an opportunity to pitch their ideas to representatives of world’s most famous production companies and a chance to win a € 5,000 prize.

See the complete NEM Zagreb agenda here: neweumarket.com/zagreb/agenda-2019/

dok.incubator is delighted to announce another 3 films developed in dok.incubator workshop are now competing in the World Cinema Documentary Competition at Sundance Film Festival! In the last 8 years of the workshop 12 films have already been selected for Sundance.

Film Center Serbia announced the following production grants on 10 December 2019.

First Cut+, the new program created for boosting the competitiveness and marketability of feature films that previously participated First Cut Lab, is gearing up for its first edition that will take place from 16-20 January 2020 during Trieste’s When East Meets West. First Cut+ consists in the promotion of a portfolio of 16 fiction feature films at the stage of post-production, predominantly from countries with a low production capacity (at least 75% of the films) and with a focus on Central & Eastern Europe. The range of films will be large: from both debut & experienced directors, small and larger budgets. 8 projects will be presented in Trieste, another 8 will take part in the summer session during Karlovy Vary’s Eastern Promises.

First Cut Lab, the workshop for fiction feature films in editing phase run by Tatino Films, will enhance its support through a new program addition called First Cut+ with the support of the Access to Market scheme of Creative Europe’s MEDIA program. First Cut+ will promote a portfolio of 16 fiction feature films in post-production from low production capacity countries with a focus on Central & Eastern Europe. First Cut+ is the only brand-new action to receive financial support from the Access to Markets scheme this year.

Two Czech short animations were selected to the Short Film Program at Sundance Film Festival 2020, the largest independent film festival in USA. The films were selected from unbelievable 10 397 submissions from all over the world. For both Daughter by Daria Kascheeva and SH_T HAPPENS by Dávid Štumpf and Michaela Mihályi it is not the first international success. Daughterhas won Student Academy Award for best short animation and SH_T HAPPENS was showcased in Venice IFF Orizzonti section. 

D

aughter was produced by Zuzana Roháčová at Prague's FAMU in co-production with MAUR film, a Czech production company with many years of experience in the field of animation. The production of the film was supported by the Czech Film Fund as part of a package of three short animations called Three Voices, altogether with amount of EUR 15,294.

SH_T HAPPENS is thirteen minutes long film directed by Michaela Mihályi and Dávid Štumpf, produced by BFILM.cz and co-produced by Bagan Films (FR), BFILM (SK) and FAMU (CZ). The film was supported by the Czech Film Fund with EUR 21,923 and is a loose adaptation of a well-known biblia story transformed into a contemporary ironic narrative about how the world sometimes works.

It is not the first participation of Czech films at Sundance Film Festival. Director Ondřej Hudeček has won the Directing Award for his short fiction film Peacock in 2016 and Bohdan Sláma has presented his feature length film Four Suns in the World Cinema Dramatic Competition four years earlier.
Sundance Film Festival will take place from January 23 till February 2, 2020.

About the films

Daughter
CZ 2019 / 15 min
Directed by: Daria Kascheeva
Produced by: FAMU (CZ), MAUR film (CZ)

A girl was hurt as a child and keeps alive the memory of it. She lacked love and empathy from her father and now she is not able to share her feelings with him. She can’t get rid of the painful memories taking her back to when she brought home a little dead bird and her father didn’t support her. Sometimes it's too hard to open your feelings and share it with a close one. Sometimes it's too late. Let your painful memory fly away like a free little bird.

SH_T HAPPENS
CZ, SK, FR 2019 / 13 min
Directed by: Michaela Mihályi, Dávid Štumpf
Produced by: BFILM.cz, Bagan Films (FR), BFILM (SK), FAMU (CZ)

An apartment building full of self-centred inhabitants. Utterly exhausted caretaker and his sexually frustrated wife. Widowed deer drowning his sorrows in loads of alcohol... While trying to cope with their problems, they find themselves in a hard to solve triangle asking for absurd and irrational solutions. The consequences can easily become permanent, sometimes maybe too permanent. The film is a loose adaptation of a well-known biblical story while transforming it into a contemporary ironic narrative about how the world sometimes works.