The development and promotion of TV and movie production in Central & East Europe was under discussion as the third edition of NEM Zagreb got underway.
The first day also included an announcement on the finals in NEM’s Best TV Drama Series contest.
Moth Hunting (TVP Poland), Spy/Master (Warner Bros. Discovery) and The King (RTL Hungary) were among 29 top shows under consideration. Also competing were Osnova Film Production, FILM.UA Group, Media Services and Support Trust Fund (MTVA)/National Film Institute Hungary (NFI), Chech TV, Telecom Serbia, Režim, Radio Television of Serbia (RTS), RTV Slovenia, Croatian Radiotelevision (HRT), Antitalent, Drugi Plan, BH Telecom, Dramedy Productions, Tet SIA and Dansu Films.
“It’s wonderful to see how far the region has advanced in these last 14 years. It is time that the region has this award. Not just to highlight the creativity across the CEE, but to give it an extra push in the right direction,” said Marc Lorber, Executive Producer, The Art of Coproduction. “Let’s encourage more such original ideas, more well-executed projects, and further co-production within this region.”
Broadcasters from across the region introduced their latest content to NEM. These included Viaplay Group, which presented Jana – Marked For Life, a six-part crime drama series from their Viaplay Select portfolio, adapted from the series of bestselling novels by Emelie Schepp. The series will soon be available on Pickbox NOW and Pickbox TV.
In an interview following the presentation, Henrik Björn, showrunner, writer and director spoke about the series: “Jana is complex, and so is the story. We’ve found a balance between gritty humour, romance, and family humour. Nordic noir is a broad genre, we wanted to push the envelope.”
Lee Hobbs, SVP Pay TV, Global Brands, D+ and Creative Agency EMEA at Warner Bros. Discovery followed on by introducing new content developed in the creative workshops of this TV industry global leader. The presentation was followed by an exclusive screening of documentary biopic Apolonia, Apolonia and an interview with Hanka Kastelicová, VP & Executive Producer of Documentaries, HBO Max Europe, who shared interesting details about the film: “Collaboration between East and West is extremely useful. Our films always talk to a large audience, not only in their country of origin, but beyond as well. We are trying to search for universal stories, and Eastern European cinema has a special visual storytelling which we are also taking care of.”
After a hiatus of several years, Croatian Association of Independent Producers (HDNP) resumed their TV Burza. In a closed event organised in collaboration with Croatian Screenwriters and Playwrights Guild (SPID), 12 television projects that are currently in development were presented to representatives of television channels, telecom providers, providers of audio-visual content on demand, and other television industry professionals.
Under the title How Will the Incorporation of AI Shape the Future of TV and Film Production?, the first panel at NEM Zagreb 2023 focused on the impact of artificial intelligence in TV and film production. Can AI take over the processes of script analysis, creating visual effects and making creative decisions?
