Industry Youth! Pitching Forum

9/11 | SATURDAY | 10:00 – 12:00 | DOKUKINO KIC

 

language: english
open to the public

Industry Youth! Pitching Forum

 

The rich ZFF Industry programs usually focus on training for more mature film professionals. However, we also launched a separate student grants program called Industry Youth!. In collaboration with film academies from the region, the program offers festival attendance grants to two students from each of the academies. In a collaboration between the Zagreb Film Festival Industry program and six film academies from the region – from Belgrade, Ljubljana, Nova Gorica, Sarajevo, Podgorica, and Zagreb – 12 students and their 6 projects have been selected to participate in developing their short fiction films in intensive preparatory workshops.

The Industry Youth! program will conclude with a pitching forum for student projects in which young screenwriters and directors will be given the opportunity to present their projects to a panel of experts, who will reward the best project with services of their studios. The pitching participants will have seven minutes for the presentation and seven minutes for Q&As.

 

WORKSHOP MENTORS: Čedomir Kolar, Inja Korać, Lana Matić

PANEL MEMBERS: Čedomir Kolar (A.S.A.P. Films), Tomislav Vujnović (Vizije)

PARTICIPANTS: 

Academy of Dramatic Art in Zagreb (ADU): Klara Vlahovski, Kruno Trninić (Filly)

Academy of Theatre, Radio, Film and Television in Ljubljana (AGRFT): Lara Šifrer, Gala Atanasova (As I Observe)

Academy of Performing Arts in Sarajevo (ASU):  Zoja Perović, Edna Krasnić ( In Uterus)

Faculty of Dramatic Arts in Belgrade (FDU Beograd): Tamara Tomašević, Adem Tutić ( Vera, the Eternal One)

University of Nova Gorica School of Arts (UNG AU): Mete Arkin, Vukašin Panić (DEPT)

Panel member

Čedomir Kolar (A.S.A.P. Films)

Panel member

Tomislav Vujnović (Vizije)

Academy of Dramatic Art in Zagreb (ADU)

Klara Vlahovski ( producer)

Klara Vlahovski (1999) first studied business economy in Zagreb, but her love of film led her to enroll at the Accademy of Dramatic Art in 2021. As a student, she produces her own projects and works as a production assistant on fiction films, music videos and commercials.

 

Kruno Trninić (director)

Kruno Trninić (2000, Zagreb) is a member of the Best Emerging Director Jury at Rendez-Vous with French Cinema, organised by Film at Lincoln Center and Unifrance. In 2023, he graduated with summa cum laude from the NYU Tisch School of the Arts. His short film Apollon klub is currently in production.

 

Filly

Twelve-year-old Nera gradually discovers her mother’s hometown. But instead of the countryside idyll, the noises from the well keep her awake at night, while during the day she is followed by her grandma’s paranoia. When Nera’s curiosity upsets the locals, her wish to get to know the place becomes a struggle for survival.

Academy of Theatre, Radio, Film and Television in Ljubljana (AGRFT)

Lara Šifrer (producer)

Lara Šifrer (1999) joined a small independent production company after graduating from high school. In 2021, she was accepted to the Academy of Theatre, Radio, Film, and Television to study directing. During her studies, she made short documentary film Impulse, TV drama Freedom Sets Free, and short fiction film Blooming.

 

Gala Atanasova (director)

Gala Atanasova (2001) began her audiovisual career after co-producing and directing the non-budget film What Colour is Wednesday, a documentary exploring mental health during the pandemic. She is currently pursuing a master’s in Film and TV Production at AGRFT and works as Head of Video Production at a marketing agency.

 

As I Observe

Eva, a sensitive and lonely 25-year-old, seems to live a happy life. The entire film is seen through her small video camera, capturing her experiences as she records them. While her footage with friends shows her as upbeat, in her solitude, she wrestles with inner turmoil. Her recordings reveal both her emotional struggles and the distance between her and others. 

Academy of Performing Arts in Sarajevo (ASU)

Edna Krasnić ( producer)

Edna Krasnić studies production and management at the Academy of Performing Arts in Sarajevo. She has worked with Sarajevo Film Festival for several years. She has realised a number of student projects, including Kako (ne) ispeći pile, which is currently doing festival rounds as part of the omnibus Cooking through Different Genres.

 

Zoja Perović (director)

Zoja Perović is a third year student of film and theatre directing at the Academy of Performing Arts in Sarajevo. She was previously active in music and fine arts, as well as literature. She has directed the short film Šuma (2024).

 

 In Uterus

On a sickly warm July day, Eva (27) visits her alienated mother Marta (60), who is waiting for her in the garden, full of rotten fruit. After a tense conversation, Marta asks Eva to stay the night. But when Eva confides that she is infertile, the confession reveals her bitterness about Marta’s inability to be a good mother and Marta’s health suddenly takes a turn for the worse.

Faculty of Dramatic Arts in Belgrade (FDU Beograd)

Tamara Tomašević (producer)

Tamara Tomašević (2001, Belgrade) studies film and TV production. She is an executive producer on the film Krotki (2022) by Jovan Dimoski, as well as Preko praga by Tara Gajović. She has worked as a producer and assistant director on award-winning music videos, and has organised the shooting of several commercial videos.

 

Adem Tutić (director)

Adem Tutić (2002, Novi Pazar) studies directing. His films Četres, Belezi and Back to Blake have screened at renowned festivals. His documentary film U mom gradu, po islamu screened at the Bistre reke festival, where it received sSpecial Mention. He was a jury member at several festivals.

 

Vera, the Eternal One

On an oneiric night of caroling, Vera secretly joins the caroling boys and, at the moment of a folklor ritual, wearing an animal mask, she kills her father, the owner of a local café and a village abuser.

Faculty of Dramatic Arts, Cetinje (FDU Cetinje)

Matija Jovanović

Matija Jovanović (1999) is currently completing his second year of master’s studies in film directing at FDU Cetinje. He has written eight screenplays for short fiction films, directed five short fiction films and two short documentaries. He is also one of the creators and screenwriters of the original dark comedy crime series Estavela.

 

Ana Ćulum

Ana Ćulum was born in 2002, in Novi Sad, Serbia. She graduated at the Faculty of Drama Arts Cetinje, majoring in film production. So far, she has produced short films Shelter, I, Kaća, Got Diabetes And So What and Typing…, as well as Dora and A Moment Longer, which she also directed. Currently, she is developing a mini TV series Scouters.

 

 Once I Was Looking for My Horse Until I Realized I Was Riding It

Amid a turbulent Balkan Christmas celebration, a young man with a violent past and present faces the moral dilemma of forcefully collecting a debt from his brother-in-law. His disillusionment with Santa’s ideals – meaningless in the harsh reality he inhabits – sheds light on his inner struggle between redemption and destruction.

University of Nova Gorica School of Arts (UNG AU)

Mete Arkin (director)

Berhan Mete Arkın (1996, Turkey) holds a BA in Cinema and Digital Media from the İzmir University of Economics. After graduation, he worked as an assistant director/camera in Istanbul’s film industry for three years. Currently, he is pursuing a master’s in film at the University of Nova Gorica School of Arts, Slovenia.

 

Vukašin Panić (producer)

Vukašin Panić (2003, Kraljevo) finished both elementary and high school education in his hometown. After finishing high school he continued his education in Slovenia, going to the Academy of Arts of the University of Nova Gorica. Currently he is still studying and learning as much as he can from the field of art and more specifically film and curating.

 

DEPT

At a desolate mountaintop outpost, a young soldier, Private (25) is jolted awake by his ruthless commander, Grim (45). Grim’s fury at Private’s unpreparedness escalates as he issues a chilling order: kill any refugees attempting to cross the treacherous border river.

 

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