Italian-Balkan co-productions and distribution synergies were the focus of discussions at the Balkan Film Festival in Rome

11/13/2023 – The sixth edition of the festival dedicated to Balkan cinema hosted a workshop attended by representatives of the Italian and Balkan film industries, as well as European organizations.

An annual think tank event aimed at encouraging collaboration between the Italian and Balkan film industries, providing crucial information on the opportunities available in the field and how to make the most of them: this is how we want to see ourselves the Balkan Film Festival, according to Mario Bovawho directs the meeting dedicated to Balkan films, which celebrated its sixth edition in Rome from November 7 to 12 (read our news). It is not only a place for discovering films, in this sense, it is also a place for discussion: “The festival could play a facilitating role as a permanent forum for dialogue between Italy and the different States of the Balkans”, explained Bova, “to raise awareness among those who operate throughout the sector and to make the best use of European funding, both at the development and production levels”.

Italian-Balkan co-productions and distribution synergies were at the center of several speeches, starting with the potential support offered by Europe which, according to Bova, “could lead to interesting results, if considered with more confidence by operators. After the welcome given by the advisor of the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs Cristina Caputowhich referred to the co-production agreement between Italy and Serbia, signed in Belgrade last March, it was the turn of Enrico Bufalini And Maria Cristina Lacagnina – representing Creative Europe Media – to speak and explain the funding programs available for audiovisual content promoting collaboration between countries with more or less significant production capacities. The Balkan countries belong to this last category and thus have more possibilities to access various funds, such as the Mini-Slate European Development Fund, to help them develop a catalog of 2 to 3 projects (the new call for submissions will be published on December 5, 2023 and closed on April 4, 2024).

Speaking via video link, the deputy executive director of Eurimages (a fund to which 11 Balkan countries are members) Enrico Vannucci highlighted the concept of co-production between different countries as a central element of the activities of its member organizations, recalling its budget of 26 million euros, its 3 annual calls (the next submission deadline being set for January 2024), its mechanism of subsidized loans (repaid according to the revenue generated by the films once distributed) and its promotional initiatives, such as the Coproduction Development Awards.

A more timely and effective collaboration between Italian film commissions and national film centers in the Balkans is only one of the avenues envisaged to establish a more incisive dialogue. Chris Marcichrepresenting the Croatian Audiovisual Center, spoke in this sense, emphasizing the need for greater interaction between professionals and an institutional initiative to bring together producers from both shores of the Adriatic. Marcich spoke about the collaboration already underway between Italy, Croatia and Germany on the big budget TV series project Great Adria, which is scheduled to be filmed in 2024 and which intends to rely on a pilot program from Eurimages for the series, which is scheduled to launch next year. The Croatian professional also highlighted a critical problem in the distribution of Italian films in Croatia, which are not available at all, unlike their French counterparts.

Jonid Jorgy (Creative Industries Tirana), for its part, took the stage to discuss Albania, focusing on the issue of distribution and an important initiative launched this year by the National Film Board and the Municipality of Tirana: a plan to revive cinemas which have been abandoned for more than thirty years and to make them accessible to the screening of art-house films by Albanian, Italian, Balkan and European authors. According to the Montenegrin director and producer Aleksandar Vujović (New Standard Media), the time has come for film commissions and film centers to create a communal fund to encourage the circulation of Italian films in the Balkans and vice versa. Vujović also reminded us of the importance of the Balkan Film Market as a place of exchange and networking for professionals in the sector. Slovenian director and cinematographer Gregor Bozic highlighted the need to also view co-productions as opportunities for authors to connect with creators, rather than considering them from a purely financial perspective. Additionally, based on his experience with his film Stories from the chestnut forest (+see also:
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(Translated from Italian)