The Regional Film and TV Academy will focus on mentorship, exchange and valorisation of film and TV projects produced in ex-Yugoslavian countries, and will include yearly film award ceremonies that will take place in Bosnia’s famous ski resort Jahorina.

The Academy will initially have 450 members, all of whom have participated in the establishment of the regional TV awards under the umbrella of the Sarajevo Film Festival three years ago. The membership in the Academy will be expanded every year.

"I believe that the valorisation of the best regional films by the professionals will contribute to their even stronger visibility on the domestic markets. The fact that none of the countries in the region has its own separate film and TV academy is telling, and we think that such a body will serve to rejuvenate, promote and protect our profession", said the director of the Sarajevo Film Festival, Jovan Marjanović.

Envisioned as a space for experienced filmmakers to share their knowledge with younger colleagues, the Ponta Lopud Film Festival was attended this year by a star-studded lineup of mentors including Swedish director Ruben Östlund, American actor Edward Norton and British DoP Ula Pontikos.