The INDUSTRY section – a special ZFF training platform – organises this autumn in Zagreb many workshops, speeches and panels, and after the previous edition of ZFF screened a film developed at ZFF’s workshop My First Script (The Frog by Elmir Jukić), this year we proudly present the Croatian premiere of The Load by Serbian director Ognjen Glavonić, the film developed at the same workshop, which premiered in Cannes. Glavonić based the script of this film, his feature debut, on a true event – a discovery of a mass grave in Batajnica near Belgrade, which he already focused on in his forensic documentary Depth Two (Berlinale, Forumm 2016). The Load brought actor Leon Lučev the Heart of Sarajevo for best leading role.

The section Festivals in the Spotlight offers Zagreb audience the finest titles from five biggest European festivals: Berlinale (Berlinale Shorts), Venice (Horizons), Sarajevo Film Festival (BH section), Sofia International Film Festival (Balkan section winner) and Mediterranean Film Festival Split. If you cannot visit big festivals, this program brings the big festivals to you!

Through its Industry Youth! program ZFF is giving scholarships to 12 students from six academies from the region to come to Zagreb, attend the festival and develop their short fiction films, mentored by film professionals. The Industry Youth! finale is open to the public in the form of the PITCHING FORUM, where young screenwriters and directors will present their projects to an international panel, and the best among them will be given a valuable award from our partners Vizije, Studio Nazor and Šesnić&Turković design studio. The project is realised in association with film academies from Zagreb, Sarajevo, Belgrade, Cetinje, Ljubljana and Skopje.

This year again in association with Creative Europe Desk MEDIA Office Croatia we are organising an industry event, a panel under the title First vs. Second Film. The importance of debut filmmakers’ penetration to the professional circles has been acknowledged by the community, therefore almost all EU member states have introduced schemes of support to young talents, however, the ‘problematic’ second film still carries the burden of difficult financing, to which special attention will be paid. The panel is scheduled for Thursday, 15 November at 2pm, moderated by Martina Petrović, manager of CED – MEDIA Office Croatia.

We never forget our youngest audience, for whom this year we are organising a workshop , to teach them how to make video games in a simple way. The call is open and applications should be sent at inja@zagrebfilmfestival.com.

The entire Industry schedule and program is here.