The fourth edition of NEM Zagreb, an event focused on TV series and film production in Central and Eastern Europe, has officially started. The opening day featured inspiring panel discussions, a Co-Production Gathering event, and a welcome speech by Krešimir Partl, State Secretary, the organizers inform.

Most notably, a total of 22 NEM Awards finalists presented their projects in two categories: Best Pre-Development Project Award (including Scripted Series, Entertainment Format, Scripted Feature-Length Film, and Documentary Series/Feature-Length Film) and The Council of Europe Series Co-production Development Award.

Larry Bass, CEO & Executive Producer, ShinAwiL Productions, shared his excitement about the competition: “The NEM Awards are a great opportunity to acknowledge creative excellence whilst bringing international attention to successful nominees. It’s a passport to global recognition.”

The pitches included:

SCRIPTED SERIES

Ivan Knežević, Angela – a 10x50’ English-language crime drama about a 50-year former military officer who tries to reconnect with her son but ends up as a bodyguard of the three kids of a criminal.

Lana Sabljarić, Mirabelle, Pickles & Oliver – an animated series about the 6-year old Mirabelle who is in a wheel chair and her two dogs – Pickles and Oliver; the series which focuses on children awareness about people with disabilities has already 8 episodes written.

Teodora Markova and Staņislavs Tokalovs, The Last Divorce of Communism – the two writers presented their series about a family who is forced to resort to a sham divorce in order to keep the woman’s Riga apartment from her mom; the two are under surveillance by the housing commission as an employee of the commission wants to get the apartment for herself.


ENTERTAINMENT FORMAT

Darko Karanfilov, Scratchcards – a 40/45 min quiz show with 4 contestants and 3 rounds which are a mix of knowledge and luck and use the idea of scratch cards in the different rounds.

Đorđe Stanković, The Right Question – another quiz show in which the winners must create the right question based on the answers, with a jury made up of quiz experts deciding on the right answers; the show has five rounds and five competitors.

Sean Patterson, Around the World in New York – the travelog/competition show features 2 chefs exploring New York, combining competition elements with showcasing food from different regions of the world. The show is planned with 10 seasons with 20 episodes each.

Day 1 also featured the opening panel discussion, The Power of Casting in TV Formats, which focused on the critical role casting plays in the success of TV formats. The session featured key figures in the industry, including Lee Hobbs, SVP of Discovery Networks and Creative Agency, EMEA at Warner Bros. Discovery who shared interesting insights: “Casting is really critical for us across all genres. The one thing that unifies whatever genre is that characters need to pop. (...) Diversity, equity and inclusion is very much a part of our DNA as a company and has been for some time. (...) We come in as a global broadcaster or a global media company and it's our remit to try and be more representative of the whole planet. It's our role – we are setting almost a vanguard and moving the envelope to make it easier for smaller or local companies to follow afterwards.”

The Success Stories Volcano & Reykjavik Fusion'panel, sponsored by Creative Europe MEDIA Desk Croatia, took a deeper dive into two standout projects: Volcano and Reykjavik Fusion. Moderated by Martina Petrović, Head of Creative Europe MEDIA Desk Croatia, conversation centered on the intricacies of international co-productions, sharing lessons learned from these successful collaborations.

The final panel of the day Content That Pops: Which Are Decisive Factors for Broadcasters? brought together broadcasters and content acquisition experts who discussed what makes content stand out to broadcasters, identifying key aspects of content creation, audience targeting, and production quality.

During a special private event, Future Projects from Croatia by HDNP & SPID, members of both associations will present their projects in the pre-development phase to local producers, program directors, content managers and other TV industry decision makers.

The first day of NEM Zagreb 2024 wrapped up with the Co-Production Gathering at the NEM Lounge. Attendees had the opportunity to unwind and network while discussing key industry insights in a relaxed setting, setting the stage for the exciting sessions ahead.